Ministries on Facebook
Social media has caught the fancy of the NDA Government in a big way. After Ministry of Woman and Child Development opened a Facebook page to initiate a direct interface with public last month, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment also opened an account earlier this week to enable people to lodge complaints related to social injustices. Going a strep further, the I&B Ministry has asked officials to track Facebook and Twitter to get a sense on public view on the new Government.
Close encounter
Kerala Governor Sheila Dikshit had a strange encounter when she recently went to visit the picturesque Munnar hills. All of a sudden, a drunken youth stopped her car and pleaded to see the new Governor sahiba. Before the cops could rescue the Governor, the youth kissed the Governor’s hand and vanished in the valley. Till date, the police have not been able to catch the daredevil man.
Substitute for Rohatgi
The appointment of Mukul Rohatgi as Attorney General of India has not come at a right time for Italy. The Italian marines facing prosecution in an Indian court for killing two fishermen had engaged Rohatgi to craft the legal roadmap for the rescue of the marines. But with his elevation, Rohatgi has obviously distanced himself from the case. Grapevine has it that the Italian authorities had approached former Attorney General Soli Sorabjee to appear for them.
Antony’s gesture
They may be political adversaries, but former Defence Minister AK Antony does not shy away from praising his successor Arun Jaitley. When some senior bureaucrats called up Antony last week to inform him about their promotion, he congratulated them and enquired about the present set-up. He then remarked that the new Minister is “very cultured” and the Ministry is in capable hands.
Fingers crossed
With the announcement of new BJP president keenly awaited, aspirants for top posts in the organisation are keeping their fingers crossed. Another sets of leaders are eyeing the Cabinet expansion to fill up the vacant ministerial slots. No one knows which would come first. It is a chicken-and-egg puzzle for the left-outs.
living by example
Setting an example, IAS official KC Samaria (Assam, 1993 batch) gave up smoking no sooner he was asked to join as Joint Secretary with the Union Health Ministry. Samaria was an occasional smoker and he decided to shun the cigarette altogether when he came to know he will have to handle anti-tobacco division in the Ministry, besides other departments. Samaria recently replaced Shakuntala Gamlin (IAS, AGMUT, 1984), who had completed her tenure with the Ministry in mid-April.
Going extra mile
With the new Government at the Centre focusing on workplace cleanliness and professional work culture, the CRPF took extra care when Home Minister Rajnath Singh visited its headquarters here last week. The lawns were spruced up, corridors scrubbed away, old racks and files removed. The officers and men rehearsed for one full day before Singh’s visit.
Cautious Minister
HRD Minister Smriti Irani has been overcautious in dealing with the affairs at the Ministry. Irani has directed she will take briefings from officers not below the rank of Joint Secretaries. Obviously, Directors from IAS cadre are mighty unhappy. Fearing that someone might try to tape her conversation, Irani has also directed that her visitors must deposit their mobile phones before entering her chamber.
