This week: Rajasthan

This year’s Jaipur Literature Festival will feature discussions not only on literature but also on science, mathematics, numerology, economics, physics and politics.

Bureaucratic reshuffle

Since the new government took over, 38 IAS and 95 IPS officers have been transferred and more are anticipated in the coming weeks. It began at the top, with chief secretary C K Mathew replaced with Rajiv Mehrishi and director general of police Harish Chandra Meena with Omendra Bhardwaj. Mathew was appointed chairman of the Rajasthan State Road Transport Corporation while Meena, brother of a Congress MP, was appointed director general, home guards and civil security. Two officers posted in Bharatpur during the Gopalgarh riots were given plum postings. Then collector Krishna Kunal and SP Hinglaj Dan, who had been suspended by the Ashok Gehlot government and given punishment postings, have respectively been appointed Jaipur collector and deputy commissioner of police in Jodhpur.

Out of VIP security duty
Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, who has been on an austerity drive and insisted on doing away with elaborate security arrangements for herself and newly elected legislators, managed to relieve over 300 police personnel of VIP security duty. These personnel will now be deployed in short-staffed police stations. According to protocol, one guard is deputed with each legislator and two gunmen and five guards with each minister. The government has only 12 ministers, who will retain their cover, while the rest are letting go of their guards.

Literature festival
This year’s Jaipur Literature Festival, from January 17 to 21, will feature discussions not only on literature but also on science, mathematics, numerology, economics, physics and politics. Medicine Nobel winner Dr Harold Varmus will discuss his recent memoir, The Art and Politics of Science. Other speakers include UK scientist Marcus du Sautoy, theoretical physicist and broadcaster Jim Al-Khalili, historian A N Wilson who will present an account of the Victorians, former Microsoft India chairman Ravi Venkatesan, politicians Shashi Tharoor, Yashwant Sinha and Manvendra Singh, and author Jhumpa Lahiri. Grammy Award winner Tinariwen will be among the performers.

Power for 24 hrs

In a 60-day action plan to improve the service delivery mechanism, Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje instructed officials to ensure power supply for 24 hours to domestic users and for six-and-a-half hours to farmers. At last week’s collectors and SPs’ conference, she brought up the issue of power supply, besides women’s safety, issues related to Dalits and minorities and an effective service delivery mechanism.

Sweta Dutta

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