Dr. Richard Vincent D'Souza appointed Karnataka State Information Commissioner
Bengaluru: Dr. Richard Vincent D'Souza, a retired Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, has been appointed as a State Information Commissioner for the Karnataka Information Commission’s Bengaluru Bench. The appointment was made through a notification issued by the Governor of Karnataka, Thaawarchand Gehlot, on Tuesday.
According to the notification, two other commissioners have also been appointed, B. Venkat Singh for the Kalaburagi Bench and Dr. Mahesh Walwekar for the Bengaluru Bench. The appointments were made under sub-section (3) of Section 15 of the Right to Information Act, 2005, and the terms of service will be governed by Section 16 of the Act and the Karnataka Right to Information (Term of Office, Salaries, Allowances and Other Conditions of Service) Rules, 2019.
Dr. D'Souza, who served in the IAS between 2015 and 2024, held several administrative positions in the Karnataka government, including Secretary in the Planning Department and the Industries and Commerce Department. He has also served as Deputy Commissioner and District Magistrate of Kodagu, Managing Director of Hutti Gold Mines Company Ltd., and Mission Director of the National Health Mission.
Before joining the IAS, Dr. D'Souza worked in the Karnataka Transport Department from 1991 to 2014, where he was involved in driver training and road safety initiatives. He began his professional career as an Aero Engineer at Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) on the Light Combat Aircraft project.
He holds a Ph.D. in Driver Behaviour from Bangalore University, an MBA in Human Resource Management from Karnataka State Open University, and a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the National Institute of Technology, Surathkal.
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Vijayendra hits back at CM Siddaramaiah over demand for PM Modi's resignation
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka BJP President B Y Vijayendra on Saturday said Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his Deputy D K Shivakumar should have resigned two years ago, if they expect Prime Minister Narendra Modi to step down over the recent fuel price hike.
His remarks came a day after Siddaramaiah condemned the petrol and diesel price hike, demanding its immediate rollback, and called for Modi’s resignation, holding him responsible for "failing" the people, mismanaging the economy, and pushing ordinary families into deeper hardship.
Rejecting Siddaramaiah's demands, he asked, "Does the Congress and other opposition parties in the country not know why the petrol and diesel prices are increasing? If they demand the Prime Minister's resignation for the hike in petrol and diesel, then Siddaramaiah and D K Shivakumar should have resigned two years ago."
Speaking to reporters here, he pointed out that the Congress government in the state increased petrol and diesel prices by hiking taxes without citing any reason.
"They have done it four to five times. How many times, then, should Siddaramaiah have resigned? Considering the situation globally and in the country, and the distress situation looming globally, the Prime Minister has advised certain things."
The BJP leader urged the opposition not to oppose for the sake of opposing.
Petrol and diesel prices were each hiked by Rs 3 per litre on Friday, the first rate increase in more than four years, amid mounting losses for fuel retailers due to surging global crude prices in the wake of the West Asia conflict.
The increase comes a couple of weeks after the Assembly elections concluded in Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Puducherry.
Vijayendra also dismissed the allegations that the price hike was deliberately delayed until the conclusion of polls in five states and one union territory, and said PM Narendra Modi doesn't make any decision keeping elections in mind.
"Considering the interests of the country, the people, and the poor, he makes appropriate decisions at the right time," he added.
