The Government of Odisha has appointed Manoj Kumar Parida, a retired IAS officer of the 1986 batch (AGMUT cadre), as the new Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) of the Odisha State Information Commission (SIC). Manoj Kumar Parida, who most recently served as the Insurance Ombudsman in Bhubaneswar, brings with him a distinguished career in public administration, having earlier held key positions, including Chief Secretary of Puducherry, Adviser to the Administrator of Chandigarh, and Secretary, National Authority Chemical Weapon Convention, Government of India.
Parida succeeds Jalada Kumar Tripathy, a retired IPS officer and former Director General of Police of Tamil Nadu, who demitted office on October 4, 2024. The CIC post had remained vacant since then, with Susanta Kumar Mohanty, a former journalist and current Information Commissioner, holding additional charge.
Alongside Parida’s appointment, the state government has inducted three new Information Commissioners to the SIC:
- Pranabindu Acharya, retired IPS officer
- Kalpana Pattnaik, advocate of the Orissa High Court
- Pabitra Mandal, retired IAS officer
With these new appointments, the Odisha Information Commission now comprises six members, including the Chief Information Commissioner and five Information Commissioners. The other two serving members are Susanta Kumar Mohanty and Jagannath Rath, also an advocate of the Orissa High Court.
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Established on March 2, 2006, the Odisha Information Commission operates under the Right to Information Act, 2005, and is headquartered in Bhubaneswar. The Commission plays a pivotal role in ensuring transparency and accountability in public administration across the state.