Selfie over handshake
Deepawali Milan organised by the BJP again witnessed a 'selfie craze' among journos with many falling onto each other to take "selfie with Prime Minister Narendra Modi". Thankfully, though, it wasn't like the melee the event witnessed during the previous years. The desire to be seen smiling in a selfie forced many even to let go a handshake with the Prime Minister as they were 'doing the first thing first'. Modi was seen extending his hand with the other side not responding to it and rather grabbing a quick moment with him on mobile.
Most wanted
Former IB Chief Dineshwar Sharma, the newly appointed Special Representative for Kashmir talks, was the most wanted person for the media last week. According to his close aides, within hours after Home Minister Rajnath Singh announced his name there were over 50 requests for his interview. In his interviews, Sharma reiterated his advice to media that they should not make volatile reporting that could create chaos in the troubled valley. As Sharma was not at all available to media for the past decades during his service in IB, getting his contact numbers was also a tedious affair, say journos.
Sadhus calling
Former Principal Secretary (Home) of Delhi Government Satya Gopal, a 1988-batch IAS officer, has been promoted as Chief Secretary of Arunachal Pradesh. During his tenure of two months in Delhi, sadhus, gurus and tantriks flocked his office. Though he has taken his charge in Arunachal Pradesh, the sadhus and tantriks continue to throng his office at the fifth floor of Players' Building. The officials and staff in the Home department are having a tough time dealing with them and feeling embarrassed too by their daily visits.
lunch pe charcha
With just two years left for the deadline set for the Swachch Bharat Mission (SBM) seeking to make the country 100 per cent open defecation free by 2019, the Government officials are putting in their best minds to find ways to encourage States to achieve the target of the Prime Minister's pet project. Recently, they launched an initiative termed 'lunch and learn'-a knowledge-sharing experience proposed for poor performing States wherein ways and challenges in meeting the targets will be discussed followed by lunch.
Hindi hain hum!
Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Smriti Irani has become the first leader who spoke in both Hindi and English at the Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel lecture organised last week. Interestingly, AIR, which orgainsed the lecture, had requested the minister to speak in English as it is a tradition since decades. But Irani chose to address her speech in both Hindi and English.
ISRO vs Met
The Met Department is not happy with ISRO which is directly sending weather reports to some states. Met officials say the reports should ideally be forwarded to it as their Department is supposed to add value to it and process it further. Grapevine has it that the Met department has taken up the issue at the highest level with a request that ISRO should not be allowed to send the weather reports without consulting it.