Info commissioners take oath of office

Bhubaneswar: The newly-appointed information commissioners – Sashiprabha Bindhani and L.N. Patnaik – were administered oath of office and secrecy by governor S.C. Jamir at a function held at the Raj Bhawan here today.

According to sources, chief minister Naveen Patnaik was present on the occasion along with some ministers and senior bureaucrats.

The governor had approved Bindhani and Patnaik after the selection committee had proposed the two names as nine posts for information commissioners were lying vacant for some time.

“My first responsibility will be to clear the pending cases and appeals on a fast-track basis. Moreover, my job will ensure proper implementation and maintain high degree of transparency and accountability in the functioning of the authority,” said L.N. Patnaik.

To make the existing system more efficient and effective and to make the system more accessible to the marginalized people will be my primary responsibility, said Sashiprabha Bindhani after taking oath.

Meanwhile, the State government has issued notification inviting applications for the post of chief information commissioner (CIC), the sources added.