Maharashtra Governor C P Radhakrishnan, on Monday, administered the oath of office to the newly appointed State Chief Information Commissioner (SIC) Rahul Pande at a swearing-in ceremony held at Raj Bhavan, Mumbai. The ceremony was attended by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. The Governor also administered the oath of office to three State Information Commissioners - Ravindra Thakare, Gajanan Nimdeo (both from Nagpur) and Prakash Indalkar.

 

Rahul Pande has worked as City Editor in ‘The Hitavada’ and later as SIC. After his appointment as SIC, Gajanan Nimdeo resigned as Chief Editor of ‘Tarun Bharat’. Ravindra Thakare has recently retired as Additional Tribal Commissioner. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis congratulated Pande, Thakare, Nimdeo as well as Indalkar. “Best wishes to uphold the Right to Information and empower citizens through transparency,” he said. Earlier, Secretary to the Governor, Dr Prashant Narnaware read out the notification of appointment of the State Chief Information Commissioner and State Information Commissioners.

 

The function was also attended by MLC Parinay Fuke, Chief Secretary Sujata Saunik, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Brijesh Singh, senior journalists, and dignitaries from various walks of life. The new appointees are expected to strengthen the implementation of the Right to Information (RTI) Act in the State. The State Information Commission is constituted by the respective state government through a Gazette notification. One State Chief Information Commissioner (SCIC) and ‘not more than 10 State Information Commissioners (SIC)’ are appointed by the Governor. SIC headquarters are specified by the state government.

 

Additionally, other offices in the state should be established with the state government's approval. However, the state commission is open to exercising its powers without being subjected to any other authority. The SIC has the power to order an inquiry if there are reasonable grounds; issue a summons for examination; direct the public authority to appoint a Public Information Officer (PIO) or Assistant Public Information Officer (APIO) where none exists; and seek an annual report from a public authority. The Central Information Commission (CIC) is required to submit an annual report to the Central Government at the end of the year, the State Information Commission is obligated to report to the State Government.