Bengaluru: The Karnataka government has filled three vacant posts in the State Information Commission, appointing retired IAS officer Dr Richard Vincent D’Souza, Dr Mahesh Walvekar, and Venkat Singh as commissioners.
According to the official order issued on Tuesday, Dr D’Souza and Dr Walvekar will serve in the Bengaluru bench, while Venkat Singh will assume charge at the Kalaburagi bench.
Dr Richard Vincent D’Souza, a retired IAS officer known for his extensive administrative and technical experience, has held several key positions, including Deputy Commissioner of Kodagu, CEO of Raichur Zilla Panchayat, Joint Commissioner at BBMP, and Managing Director of Hatti Gold Mines Company Ltd. He has also served as Director of the National Health Mission and Secretary of the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC).
An engineer by qualification, Dr D’Souza holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, an MBA in Human Resource Management, and a PhD in Driver Behaviour from Bangalore University. During his tenure as BBMP Joint Commissioner, he was instrumental in resolving garbage management issues and protecting government land.
He was also appreciated for his work as an aero engineer at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), where he contributed to the development of the Light Combat Aircraft (Tejas) project.
Dr Mahesh Walvekar, who was serving as Officer on Special Duty to Legislative Council Speaker Basavaraj Horatti, has also been appointed to the Bengaluru bench.
With these appointments, the government aims to strengthen the functioning of the Information Commission, which had been operating with several vacancies in recent months.