Who is Raj Kumar Goyal? Former IAS set to take oath as new Chief Information Commissioner
A three-member panel chaired by Prime Minister Modi recommended Raj Kumar Goyal’s name.
Raj Kumar Goyal, a former IAS officer, will be sworn in as the Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) on Monday, December 15, PTI reported, citing officials. President Droupadi Murmu will administer the oath of office and secrecy to Goyal. The post of CIC became vacant after Heeralal Samariya completed his term on September 13. A three-member panel chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi had recommended Goyal’s name.
Who is Raj Kumar Goyal?
Goyal is a 1990 batch (retired) Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram-Union Territories (AGMUT) cadre. On August 31, he retired as Secretary of the Department of Justice, Ministry of Law and Justice. He also served as Secretary (Border Management) in the Ministry of Home Affairs and held important positions both at the Center and in the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.
Who recommends CIC?
A three-member panel comprising Prime Minister Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi held a closed-door meeting to decide on the next CIC. It is learned that Gandhi gave a dissenting note during the meeting questioning the criteria adopted for the election. The panel chaired by Prime Minister Modi also recommended the names of eight Information Commissioners (ICs) in the transparency watchdog Central Information Commission in its meeting held on Wednesday.
Central Information Commission
After more than nine years, the Commission will regain its full strength with the addition of newly elected CICs and ICs. It is managed by a CIC and can have up to 10 ICs. Currently Anandi Ramalingam and Vinod Kumar Tiwari are working as Information Commissioners.
Information Commissioners
Former Railway Board chief Jaya Verma Sinha, former IPS Swagat Das, former Central Secretarial Service (CSS) officer Sanjeev Kumar Jindal, former IAS officer Surendra Singh Meena and former Indian Forest Service officer Khushwant Singh Sethi have been recommended for appointment as Information Commissioner, officials said.
Senior journalists PR Ramesh and Ashutosh Chaturvedi and Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) (Legal) Member Sudha Rani Relangi have also been selected by the panel for appointment as ICs, they said.
