Gujarat confidential: Merit Hiring

Prashant Bhushan.

In a move likely to cause discomfort to the BJP government, many fixed-wage government employees have hired senior lawyer Prashant Bhushan, a known critique of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to present their case in the Supreme Court against the Rupani government’s policy to appoint youths on fixed wages. The litigation is considered crucial for the government since it will cause a huge financial burden on the exchequer in the event of losing it. The Gujarat High Court has already rejected the state government’s fixed wage employment policy, calling it against the principal of “equal pay for equal work”. A fixed wage employee said, “We got an impression that hiring a high profile lawyer helps in dealing with various matters at the court. And all of us know the merits of Bhushan sir.”

Bapu’s Talisman

To sensitise people against liquor consumption, Gujarat Police, which is implementing the prohibition policy in the state, has fallen back on Mahatma Gandhi’s words. As part of the project, it has joined hands with Navjivan Trust, a trust-ran by Gandhi during his lifetime, to use Bapu’s quotes against liquor consumption in billboards that are being put up in different parts of the Ahmedabad city. “We had approached Ahmedabad city police with the idea of putting posters carrying Gandhi’s quotes on the issue. And the idea was immediately accepted. We have put such posters at many police stations in Ahmedabad. And now, we are considering to put similar frames at other police stations of Gujarat.” In one such frames, Gandhi is quoted as saying, “At no other place in the world the implementation of Liquor Prohibition policy is as easy as it is in India.” In another such frame, Gandhi says, “I consider liquor as more condemnable than even theft.”

Double Shot

After the retirement of M S Dagur, the state government finally gave the additional charges of Principal Secretary (Narmada) and Principal Secretary (Rehabilitation & Resettlement) to A K Rakesh, a 1989-batch officer of the Gujarat cadre. Many were eager to know who will head the two important portfolios especially when the state is facing rainfall deficit this year. Dagur had held the twin posts for nearly 20 years. Sources said that Rakesh has earlier handled the portfolio of Narmada for a couple of years in the past and is now getting a “hang of it”. Rakesh, otherwise, holds the regular charge of Panchayat, Rural Housing and Rural Development as principal secretary.