Delhi confidential: Dinner Before Launch

Austerity measures are in vogue in the Ministry of Railways. In the latest instance, all officers, including Railway Board members, are flying economy class. The matter got highlighted in the internal circles recently when a Board member found himself on the same plane with a subordinate officer in the same class. But before take-off, the subordinate officer’s ticket got upgraded to business class by a stroke of fate. So as the officer travelled in luxury without any additional cost, the Railway Board member, one of the top seven officers of Indian Railways, had to travel in economy.

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Poetry & Queries

Adman Piyush Pandey is likely to host this year’s “talkathon” with Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on the day the Budget is presented. Pandey, who is also a member of the Shyam Benegal committee looking into the Censor Board revamp, will put questions received through social media to the FM. Last year, author Chetan Bhagat had been roped in for the job.

Shaken And Stir-red

The Jat unrest in Haryana found a voice at the all-party meeting on Monday, both seriously as well as in a lighter vein. There were demands that the reservation row be discussed in Parliament given that fact there have been quota agitations by Kapu community in Andhra Pradesh and Patels in Gujarat recently. Injecting some humour, CPM’s Sitaram Yechury said half the MPs present in the room had to come without taking a bath since the unrest has ensured disruption in water supply to Delhi. The issue, he underlined, was serious and merits discussion.