Telecom Secy to CAGIJ
Grapevine has it that the Telecom Secretary R Chandrasekhar has joined the race for next CAG with the blessings of two powerful Union Ministers.
Chandrasekhar was the person who presented the infamous power point presentation of Zero loss Theory along with Kapil Sibal. Other contestants for the CAG post are DoPT Secretary PK Misra, believed to be the dark horse, as he enjoys support from PMO, and Petroleum Secretary Viivek Rai. Home Secretary RK Singh is also in the race, says whispers in the corridors of North Block and South Block.
To cut Green Bench ribbon
A Supreme Court Bench last week noted that despite all arrangements made to set up the ambitious National Green Tribunal (NGT) benches at Pune and Bhopal, there was nobody to inaugurate them. The bench stumped the Attorney General by requesting him to inaugurate the branches. The AG politely refused the ‘honour” and reminded the Court that the NGT had now a full-fledged Chairman, a former SC judge, aptly suitable to perform the honour.
lalu betrayed
RJD boss lalu Prasad would never miss an opportunity to play to the minority gallery. When J&K MPs and other Muslim parliamentarians opposed Sushma Swaraj’s reference to AFSPA in the valley, lalu was quick to join their bandwagon and walked out for not being allowed to speak. Even though he signalled the Muslims MPs to walk out of the house, none of them obliged him. Outside the House, lalu was heard ranting and fuming over the betrayal.
The boss
Bihar CM Nitish Kumar had left no stone unturned to make his first “show of strength” in national capital a grand success. His MPs lost their sleep over ‘specific targets’ that were set for each of them. An MP who had arranged for 1,500 buses was asked to arrange for more. The official accommodation of almost every JD(U) leaders was turned into a guest house and mega kitchens were set up. “With the election round the corner, we could not have risked antagonising the boss,” a JD(U) MP quipped.
Kurien’s faux pas
Some Ministers get closely identified with their ministries even after their portfolios are changed. Pawan Kumar Bansal is one of them. When BJP MPs created uproar in the Rajya Sabha last week over fidayeen attacks in Srinagar, Deputy Chairman PJ Kurien asked Bansal to find out as to what was holding up Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde from coming to the Upper House to give a statement. When some members pointed out Bansal is no longer the parliamentary affairs minister and is present in the house as Railways minister, Kurien apologised amid all round laughter.
Time keeper
Rural Development Ministry Secretary S Vijaykumar has taken a serious view of the fact that a sizeable number of the Ministry’s employees are either not enrolled or still not marking their attendance in the biometric machines recently installed at its offices in Krishi Bhawan and CGO Complex. The Secretary, who is personally monitoring implementation of the system, has now issued an order asking all officials including consultants and outsourced persons to provide proof of registering their fingerprints in the new machine.
Common cause
DMK and AIADMK MPs are generally seen attacking each other in Parliament. But on Friday’s DMK leader Tiruchi Siva and AIADMK leader V Maitreyan surprised everyone by exchanging smiles and holding a prolonged discussion. The two rivals had buried the hatchet over a common cause: Demand that India should take a tough stand in UNHRC over US sponsored resolution against Sri lankan government for atrocities against the Tamils.