Who is Deepak Sandhu, India's first woman CIC?

Sixty-five-year-old Deepak Sandhu, who took over as Chief Information Commissioner from Satyananda Mishra, vowed to increase transparency and promised to make sure that Indians had easier access to information. Sandhu told IANS , “The larger issues are greater transparency in the functioning of the government… I will continue on the lines of my predecessors.” Unlike Mishra, she has not yet spoken about the political parties’ move to amend the RTI Act yet. Notably, she has worked as the media advisor for the Prime Minister in the past. Her silence on the issue topmost on the minds of anybody using the RTI law could potentially prevent several embarrassments. Niti Central reports that Sandhu has set her primary objective as the one of resolving and addressing pending queries and cases. The website reports: [caption id=“attachment_1090171” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Deepak Sandhu. AFP.[/caption] “We are waiting for new Commissioners which are likely to be appointed soon. It will ease our burden of disposal of cases and also reduce the pendency at the Commission,” she said. Here are a few facts about Sandhu: - Sandhu has been deeply involved in the cultural activities of the Indian government. She has served as the director general of All India Radio and Doordarshan channels. She has also headed the government body that controls and monitors film festivals. - She has also served as the spokesperson of the finance, commerce and health and family welfare. - She has been the face of the Indian government in various international film festivals such as those in Cannes, Berlin, Venice and Tokyo. - The 1971 batch Indian Information Services officer holds a master’s degree in English Literature from Punjab University and holds a diploma in mass communication from IIMC. - She is married to IAS officer Gurinder Singh Sandhu and has a daughter who resides in the United States of America.