SQUATTER's RIGHTS While he finally vacated the official bunglow he had received when he was a minister in the UPA government, Rashtriya Lok Dal leader Ajit Singh is still holding on to a place in Lutyen’s Delhi. This place is flat number 406 in Vithal Bhai Patel House near Parliament. The flat houses the office of RLD, which has no MPs in the current Lok Sabha, and is occupied by some party workers. It remains to be seen if the government allows the Jat leader’s party to retain the flat. NAMESAKE The appointment of a Central Secretariat Service officer as OSD to Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram has created a buzz in the ministry. The reason for the excitement is that the official in question shares the Prime Minister’s surname. S S Modi had started working with Oram after the latter took charge of the ministry, but had to wait for almost four months for the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet to clear his name. Now that the ACC has cleared his appointment with effect from May 27, Modi is basking in all the attention he is getting because of his surname. NEW LOOK Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh was keen to launch a scheme with special benefits for women scientists. When he asked for suggestions, officials told him that the ministry already had a few programmes aimed at women, including one named ‘DISHA’. It was suggested that the same programme be modified to include the initiatives that the new government wanted to launch. The name apparently did not appeal to the minister who announced a new scheme called ‘KIRAN’ during a recent press conference. GOOD START Toilets have got a lot of attention in the last few weeks due to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. So, to launch its Swachh Bharat campaign, the Ministry of Defence decided to invite Bindeshwar Pathak of Sulabh International fame. Pathak, the man behind ‘Sulabh’ toilets made a presentation on how to achieve better sanitation as many top officers of the ministry lent their ears.
