IIT-KGP ka tempo high hai
With its senior officials and dons in the lens of watchdog CVC, IIT-Kharagpur has decided to “cleanse” its image online. Expressing hope of becoming one of the top 100 universities of the world, the director’s office despaired over negative media reports. It blamed a few reporters for spreading misinformation and decided to respond through its internal notice board as well as online rebuttal. “I hope this endeavour will keep all myths and misinformation away and give us more confidence to pursue our academic goals,” says the email circulated last week among faculty, staff and students, adding “Join me to say, ‘IIT-KGP ka tempo high hai.’”
Kamraj plan
NCP leader Sharad Pawar’s move to take resignations of all his party Ministers from the Maharashtra Cabinet impressed Congress spokesperson Renuka Chowdhury very much. She was heard praising the Maratha strongman for showing who’s the boss, by implementing the Kamraj plan. But when asked why the Congress was not implementing it — if the Kamraj plan was so impressive — she became defensive. Chowdhury said her party was too big and complex an organisation.
Testing times at CBI
Beat reporters, particularly from the electronic media, have a difficult time covering the CBI. On days when there are developments related to high profile suspects or accused, journos have to wait in the scorching heat outside agency headquarters. The scribes are allowed entry only after 4 pm. The conference room, media lounge and even the cafeteria are out of bounds for reporters till then. This ‘inhuman’ approach resulted in some of the reporters falling ill after they sweated the whole day when former Railway Minister Pawan Bansal was grilled at another CBI office. Most scribes were clueless till the evening about where Bansal was being questioned, due to lack of cooperation from the information section.
‘Fast’ food body
Days after the appointment of its chairperson K Chandramouli was challenged by an NGO in the Supreme Court, the Food Safety & Standards Authority of India seems to be in hurry to fill up all posts lying vacant for the past several months. No doubt, the FSSAI, which is under the supervision of the Health Ministry, wants to show to the apex court that the organisation is run by competitive persons.
CPI conundrum
The CPI leadership is in a great dilemma on picking up a nominee to the Rajya Sabha from Tamil Nadu. D Raja faces a lot of opposition from the party’s State unit in his bid to seek a re-nomination. The AIADMK leadership is also reportedly cold to his second innings. They prefer CPI State secretary D Pandian to Raja, who entered the Rajya Sabha through DMK’s support. It is a known secret that AIADMK chief Jayalalithaa would not tolerate anybody having direct or indirect links with the DMK family. last heard, CPI veteran AB Bardhan’s advocacy for D Raja also failed.
Chacko missingIJ
Most JPC members are clueless about their chairman PC Chacko’s gameplan. Chacko had promised to hold a JPC meeting in the first week of June, but members have not yet received any communication. Similarly, in the JPC’s secretariat in lok Sabha, officials have also not heard from the chairman for the past three to four weeks.