A Public Authority under the RTI Act, 2005 refers to any authority or body that is obligated to provide information to citizens under the Right to Information law. According to Section 2(h) of the RTI Act, a "Public Authority" means any authority or body or institution of self-government established or constituted: By or under the Constitution of India By any other law made by the Parliament or State Legislature By notification issued or order made by the appropriate government (Central or State) This includes: Government departments (like Ministries, Departments of Central and State Governments) Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) Local bodies like municipalities, panchayats, etc. Institutions substantially financed by the government Statutory authorities like the Election Commission, CAG, UPSC Government universities, schools, and colleges NGOs that are substantially funded by the government The term “substantially financed” means if a large portion of funds of a body/NGO comes from the government, even if it is not created by law, it will be treated as a public authority under the RTI Act. Duties of a Public Authority under the RTI Act include: Appointing a Public Information Officer (PIO) Maintaining records systematically Publishing key information proactively under Section 4 Responding to RTI applications within the specified time limit (usually 30 days) Conclusion: A Public Authority under the RTI Act is any institution or body that is created by the Constitution, law, or government notification, or is substantially funded by the government, and it is legally bound to provide information to citizens when requested under the RTI Act.

Public Authority according to Section 2(h) of the RTI Act: Entities Established or Constituted by: The Constitution of India Any law made by Parliament Any law made by a State Legislature Notification or order issued by the appropriate government Entities which are: Owned, controlled, substantially financed by the government Non-Governmental Organization (NGOs) which substantially financed directly or indirectly by funds provided by the appropriate government This definition very clearly makes various bodies, which probably are not perceived as government entities but receive huge funds or control by the government, accountable under the RTI Act.