PESHAWAR - The new legislation ‘Right to Information (RTI) Ordinance, 2013’ has recently been promulgated by the Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and published vide Gazette Notification dated 13-8-2013.
Now in accordance with the provision contained in section 6 of the Ordinance every public body shall designate/notify an officer to act as Public Information Officer (PIO) for the purpose of this Ordinance, with whom request for information under the Ordinance would be lodged by a citizen, desirous of obtaining information. All those concerned have been directed to designate an officer to act as PIO under the new law. Public bodies having offices in the field shall designate PIOs for their respective district outlets too, so that citizens desirous of seeking information are able to lodge their requests with the concerned PIOs in the districts.
To give an example the Elementary and Secondary Education Department, besides designating a PIO at the secretariat level shall also designate PIOs in the offices of all District Education Officers (both male and female) of the province. Likewise, the Provincial Police Officer shall designate a PIO in the Central Police Office and PIOs in the offices of all DIGs and DPOs in the province.
It may kindly be noted that the PIOs designated by the public bodies should be senior enough to understand the spirit of the new law, possessing a degree of commitment to the implementation of law relating to the fundamental right of the citizen.
The above exercise may kindly be completed within a week’s time positively and details in respect of PIOs i.e. their names, designations, Telephone/Fax numbers and email addresses be communicated to this office on the address given below:
Maqbook Khattak, Section Officer (INF), Information and Culture Department, Civil Secretariat Peshawar, Telephone No. 091-9210425, Fax No. 091-9210387 and email; infodeptt@gmail.com.