NEW DELHI: Heeralal Samariya, currently serving as an information commissioner, is set to be the new chief information commissioner of the Central Information Commission (CIC), government sources said.
Two new information commissioners are also set to be named — Anandi Ramalingam, a former CMD of Bharat Electronics Limited, and V K Tiwari, a 1986 batch Indian Forest Service officer.Along with Samariya, they are likely to be administered the oath by President Droupadi Murmu on Monday.
Samariya, a former IAS officer, was picked as the next CIC on Saturday by the selection committee led by PM Narendra Modi as he is the senior-most among the current information commissioners, all of whom complete their tenure on Monday. Member of the selection committee and leader of the largest opposition party in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury was not present at the meeting. Invited by the government, he expressed inability to attend due to an engagement in West Bengal.Samariya had retired as secretary of the ministry of labour and employment. He holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering. His area of expertise includes administration and governance.
TOI had reported on Sunday that the selection committee chaired by the PM had met to decide on the appointments and a decision was to be announced soon. The chief and information commissioners in CIC are appointed by the President on the recommendations of a committee which has the PM as its chairperson, a Union cabinet minister nominated by the PM and the leader of opposition or the largest opposition party in Lok Sabha.
According to sources, Chowdhury had asked for alternative dates but was told that the meeting could not be delayed as the current ICs were all retiring on Monday. When TOI reached out to Chowdhury, he said, “I have not been told anything about the appointments by the government.”
While the new appointments will prevent the CIC from becoming defunct, it will, however, continue to be far from its full strength of a chief and 10 ICs. The CIC has been working without a chief for over a month since Y K Sinha’s tenure ended on October 3. The post of CIC chief has fallen vacant six times for varied durations over the last 10 years.
While the new appointments will prevent the CIC from becoming defunct, it will, however, continue to be far from its full strength of a chief and 10 ICs.
Two new information commissioners are also set to be named — Anandi Ramalingam, a former CMD of Bharat Electronics Limited, and V K Tiwari, a 1986 batch Indian Forest Service officer.Along with Samariya, they are likely to be administered the oath by President Droupadi Murmu on Monday.
Samariya, a former IAS officer, was picked as the next CIC on Saturday by the selection committee led by PM Narendra Modi as he is the senior-most among the current information commissioners, all of whom complete their tenure on Monday. Member of the selection committee and leader of the largest opposition party in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury was not present at the meeting. Invited by the government, he expressed inability to attend due to an engagement in West Bengal.Samariya had retired as secretary of the ministry of labour and employment. He holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering. His area of expertise includes administration and governance.
TOI had reported on Sunday that the selection committee chaired by the PM had met to decide on the appointments and a decision was to be announced soon. The chief and information commissioners in CIC are appointed by the President on the recommendations of a committee which has the PM as its chairperson, a Union cabinet minister nominated by the PM and the leader of opposition or the largest opposition party in Lok Sabha.
According to sources, Chowdhury had asked for alternative dates but was told that the meeting could not be delayed as the current ICs were all retiring on Monday. When TOI reached out to Chowdhury, he said, “I have not been told anything about the appointments by the government.”
While the new appointments will prevent the CIC from becoming defunct, it will, however, continue to be far from its full strength of a chief and 10 ICs. The CIC has been working without a chief for over a month since Y K Sinha’s tenure ended on October 3. The post of CIC chief has fallen vacant six times for varied durations over the last 10 years.
While the new appointments will prevent the CIC from becoming defunct, it will, however, continue to be far from its full strength of a chief and 10 ICs.