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CIC asks green body to disclose members’ travel bills

The Central Information Commission (CIC) has directed the National Green Tribunal to disclose travel and tour expenses incurred for its chairman as it issued a show-cause notice to the body asking why the maximum penalty should not be imposed on its official for failure to furnish timely information.

The Department of Personnel and Training had issued a directive to all public authorities on September 11, 2012, to suo motu place in the 

public domain the expenses incurred on official tours undertaken by any ministers and officials.

The commission had also directed all public authorities to make suo motu disclosures of travel expenses as a lot of RTI applicants were found to request for these details.

The Prime Minister’s Office under the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had started disclosing these details proactively.

RTI applicant RK Jain had sought to know from the green tribunal the details of expenses incurred on travel bills, bills received from Balmer Lawrie, a travel company, pending bills and travel proposals in relation to its chairman and other officials. The National Green Tribunal is the apex body for adjudicating environmental issues.

Headless central Info commission may soon  get a head
The CIC, which has remained headless for over 10 months, may soon have a new chief with the Centre informing the Delhi High Court that candidates for the posts of Chief Information Commissioner and Information Commissioners have been shortlisted and their vigilance clearance was awaited. "... In continuation of earlier meetings held on January 16, 2015 and February 6, 2015, the search committee again met on April 27, 2015 and short listed applicants for the post(s) of Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) and Information Commissioners (IC).  "Vigilance clearance from the respective cadre controlling authority in respect of the shortlisted serving officers and inputs from the Intelligence Bureau in respect of retired officers has been sought vide communications dated May 5, 2015 and May 2, 2015, respectively," the DoPT told the court. 
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