The PIO contenders

With Principal Information Officer (PIO) Deepak Sandhu’s term slated to get over next month, speculation is on about her successor. Neelam Kapoor, who was recently brought to the Press Information Bureau from the Directorate of Film Festivals (DFF), is said to be the hot favourite. Those in the know believe that after Sandhu’s retirement — that is, if she does not get an extension — DAVP chief Umakant Mishra may become the PIO for a few months before handing over the baton to Kapoor. This week also witnessed a small reshuffle with HRD Ministry spokesman Harsh Bhal posted as the CBI spokesperson in place of G Mohanty, who became Registrar of the Newspapers of India. Former Rashtrapati Bhawan spokesman S M Khan moved to the Directorate of Film Festival in place of Kapoor.