Central Information Commission

About Central Information Commission

• It has been constituted under the Right to Information Act, 2005.
• The jurisdiction of the Commission extends over all Central Public Authorities.
• Objectives
  • To exercise the powers conferred on them under the RTI Act, 2005.
  • To receive and inquire into complaints from any citizen (Section 18 of the RTI Act, 2005).
  • To receive and decide upon the second appeal from any citizen (Section 19 of the RTI Act, 2005).
  • To perform the duty of “Monitoring and Reporting “(Section 25 of the RTI Act, 2005).
• Composition
  • It consists of a Chief Information Commissioner and not more than ten Information Commissioners.
• Appointment:
  • They are appointed by the President of India on the recommendation of a committee consisting of the Prime Minister as Chairperson, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, and a Union Cabinet Minister nominated by the Prime Minister.
• Eligibility
  • The members of CIC and SIC shall be persons of eminence in public life with wide knowledge and experience in law, science and technology, social service, management, journalism, mass media, or administration and governance.
  • Members shall not be a Member of Parliament or Member of the Legislature of any State or Union Territory as the case may be, or hold any other office of profit or connected with any political party or carry on any business or pursue any profession.
• Tenure
  • The Chief Information Commissioner, or Information Commissioners, as the case may be, shall hold office for a period of three years from the date on which he enters upon his office.

Q1) What is the Right to Information Act?

It is often abbreviated as RTI, is a legislation in India that was enacted to promote transparency, accountability, and accountability in the functioning of government institutions and agencies. The Act provides Indian citizens with the right to access information held by public authorities, subject to certain limitations and exemptions.

Source: Heeralal Samariya sworn in as Chief Information Commissioner