Modi govt to decide on CVC, CIC appointments today

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, May 23, 2015: The Prime Minister-led selection committees will meet on Saturday to decide on appointments of chiefs of Central Information Commission (CIC) and Central Vigilance Commission (CVC).

The meeting has been convened on Saturday at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence, official sources said.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Leader of Congress party in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge and Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh are likely to attend the Saturday’s meeting to select the chiefs of CIC and CVC, they said.

The selection panel will also finalise the names of Information Commissioners in CIC and Vigilance Commissioners in CVC, the sources said.

The post of Chief Information Commissioner is lying vacant for over nine months. Rajiv Mathur’s term as chief of the transparency watchdog ended on August 22, 2014. Besides, there is a vacancy of three Information Commissioners in the CIC.

As per Right to Information Act, the CIC has one chief and ten Information Commissioners.

In CVC, Central Vigilance Commissioner Pradeep Kumar and Vigilance Commissioner JM Garg had completed their term on September 28 and September 7, last year, respectively.

The CVC is headed by a Central Vigilance Commissioner and has two Vigilance Commissioners. Rajiv, a former Director General of Central Industrial Security Force, is acting as interim chief of the transparency watchdog.

Both the selection panels are headed by Prime Minister Modi.

The selection panel for CIC comprises of a Union Cabinet Minister nominated by Prime Minister, which is Finance Minister Jaitley, and the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha.

Whereas, the selection committee for CVC has Home Minister and LoP as members.

Since, there is no LoP in the lower house, Congress party leader Mallikarjun Kharge has been included in the selection panel for both the CIC and CVC.

 

Courtesy: Indiatoday