UP Official Asked to Serve Meals to Students as 'Symbolic Punishment' for Delay in Responding to RTI

The Uttar Pradesh State Information Commission has asked a public information officer to feed mid-day meals to 250 school students in Ghazipur as a ”symbolic punishment” for delay in replying to an RTI. Hearing the application moved by Pandey, Information Commissioner Ajay Kumar Uprety on Monday directed Prasad to serve meals to students of a primary school in the village on April 29. ”Generally, we impose a cash penalty of Rs 25,000 on the PIOs who cause delay in providing information under the RTI Act,” Uprety told PTI. However, Prasad didn’t deliberately cause the delay and has been given a ”symbolic and out of the box punishment”, Uprety said, adding that the real culprit is former village development officer and PIO Gopal Singh who has been fined of Rs 25,000 under section 20 of the RTI Act.