GANGAJI
Ganga awareness campaign has gone hip hop with a Hindi pop band called Malhaar releasing a video album on the national river. Called ‘Gangaji’ this peppy, foot tapping number which is packed with awareness messages, is meant to target the youth in particular on the environmental degradation of the river and the urgent need to protect it from further deterioration. The babus from the Water Resources Ministry seem to be pleased with the efforts. “The song has a recall value — it continues to play in your mind even after it stops. The youths will certainly get hooked,” said one.
FINAl RElIEF
Justice Anil R Dave, who is the senior most judge of the Supreme Court after the Chief Justice of India, will retire next week. Having this fact in mind, Sahara chief Subrata Roy’s counsel senior advocate Kapil Sibal had last month urged the CJI to list the case of his client prior to Justice Dave’s retirement. Chief Justice TS Thakur did not oblige Sibal, saying, “I can assure you that Justice Dave will be very happy to be relieved from this matter”.
IAS VS IPS
The appointment of IPS officer Karnal Singh as ED chief saw an ugly fight between IAS and IPS lobbies. As per SC Judgment in Vineet Narain case, ED and CBI chiefs are appointed for a two-year fixed tenure. But the IAS lobby allegedly ensured that Singh, who was holding additional charge as ED chief for around on year, will be holding the post only upto his scheduled retirement from service in August 2017. The matter has now reached the Supreme Court with a ED special director from Mumbai filing a petition questioning the decision to give temporary posting to a ED chief.
SETTING EXAMPlE
Even as people desperately tried to deposit Rs500 and Rs1,000 notes after the Government demonitised them last week, the South Block that houses the Defence Ministry was a picture of order. With typical military precision, the authorities placed nearly 200 chairs for anxious people to sit and wait for their turn to either deposit their money in the branch of a nationalised bank inside the complex or withdraw from the ATM.
INDIAN AT HElM
India is going to play a bigger role in anti-tobacco policies in the near future as CK Mishra, Union Health Secretary has been chosen as the president of the prestigious COP Bureau for the next two years. This was unanimously decided by the COP 7 Plenary session to WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) on its closing day on Saturday at Greater Noida. The WHO is the world’s biggest convention to frame the anti-tobacco policies with COP Bureau as its main administrative body that decides on strategies on how to implement the decisions taken in the COP session and monitors implementation by the party countries.
US POll FEVER
While the entire United States of America waited anxiously for the Presidential elections results, the mood at the American embassy here was festive were Ambassador Richard Verma hosted a lavish breakfast. There was live music, food, wine and special Bloody Mary and merchandises to keep the guests entertained as huge television screen telecasted live results. And in between the TV ad breaks, the guests could walk up to the cut out of Presidential candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton to get clicked and framed.