Image: @rashtrapatibhvn

President Droupadi Murmu administered the oath of office to Heeralal Samariya today, who will assume the office of chief information commissioner (CIC) at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Samariya assumed the office as India’s first dalit CIC after the top post of the transparency panel was left vacant after YK Sinha’s end of term on Oct 3.

India welcomes new CIC

In a function organised at Rashtrapati Bhavan this morning, Samariya swore in the presence of guests including prime minister Narendra Modi, vice president Jagdeep Dhankar, and others.

At present, there are two information commissioners, including Saroj Punhani and Uday Mahurkar, according to the central information commission website. The commission is headed by the chief information commissioner and can have a maximum of 10 information commissioners.

The appointment of Samariya came after the Supreme Court on Oct 30 asked the centre and the state governments to take steps to fill the post and emphasised that without the appointment, the 2005 law on the right to information would become a “dead letter”.

Who is Heeralal Samariya?

Heeralal Samariya, a 1985 batch IAS officer, was secretary of, ministry of labour and employment, in the government of India before retirement. He holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering. His area of expertise includes administration and governance.

The president of India appoints the chief information commissioner of India, who is the head of the central information commission.

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