Mangal hoga
While giving details on the ‘fool-proof’ new crop insurance scheme of the Modi Government at his residence last week, BJP president Amit Shah doggedly desisted from commenting on any issue other than relating to farmers. This led a wag to informally ask “Is J&K Government insuredIJ” To this, Shah smilingly said “jo kuch hoga mangal hi hoga”.
Sting on Doval
After a journo recorded his off-the-record talks with NSA Ajit Doval and brought it out in public domain, there is a growing buzz that mobile phones of journos may be collected at the reception of NSA’s office. The mobile phones are not allowed in CBI Director’s office for the past four years due to the similar mischief by some journos during 2G probe days. Those days, the CBI found that some journos recorded their conversations with then Director AP Singh and shared with some corporate who were facing 2G scam-related probes.
Odd Delay
With the judiciary always getting the stick for not recommending appointment of judges to the Government, it was a classic instance of payback for judiciary when the Government was at the Supreme Court’s doorstep seeking time to fill three posts of Information Commissioners (IC) at the Central Information Commission. Hearing a PIl, which alleged that the Centre had already wasted a year to appoint a CIC and seven ICs in a crucial body that has to hear RTI pleas on a daily basis, Justice JS Khehar pointed to Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi and said, “Now you realise how difficult it is for us to appoint judges.”
No...no to MCD
Not taking risk in view of poor track records of the Delhi’s Municipal Corporations particularly in sanitation issues, the Centre recently asked the Delhi Government to ensure that all the jobs relating to conversion of insanitary toilets to sanitary ones should be undertaken by the Delhi Jal Board. In a missive to Delhi Chief Secretary KK Sharma, Joint Secretary in the Urban Development Ministry Praveen Prakash pointed out that conversions of such structure were related with sewer lines which is being done and maintained by the DJB. He added the construction of individual toilets under Swachchh Bharat Mission (SBM) may, therefore, be entrusted to the DJB instead of municipal corporations to help achieve synergy in implementation and ultimately fulfill the goal of making country open-defecation free by 2019.
love for Bollywood
Usually when journalists of two countries meet the conversation between them hover around their culture and society. But not when you run into journalists from Central Asian countries. A dinner hosted by the Ministry of External Affairs for the visiting journalists of Central Asian countries witnessed some lively discussions on the Bollywood, its hero-heroines and songs. Some of the visiting journalists sang old songs from Raj Kapoor’s movies with precision while some others engaged with their Indian counterparts on the discussions on Zeenat Aman, Reena Roy. Of course no conversation on Bollywood can end without Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan.
Strike AAP
The Centre’s resentment against the Aam Aadmi Party and particularly Arvind Kejriwal has come to the fore with a new rule notified by the DoPT to exclude Ministers from the panel which decides on transfers of IAS and IPS officers in the joint cadre of some States. This has been done, according to Grapevine, to keep out AAP Ministers from the panel since Delhi belongs to UT cadre. This is the second such decision. The earlier one made it mandatory for the State Governments to seek prior permission of the Centre before placing under suspension an IAS or IPS officer.
New leaf
On the auspicious occasion of Makarsankranti, nearly 500 babus from the the Environment Ministry came together to pledge to protect the country’s rich and diverse natural heritage, environment, flora and fauna. While they reaffirmed their commitment for a cleaner and greener India, they also promised more transparency and accountability. A babu remarked in lighter vein, “with spring round the corner, we are all set to turn over a new leaf.”