A pat for azad

Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad seems to have got a fan in WHO director general Margaret Chan who certified him as one of the best health ministers in the world

A pat for azad

Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad seems to have got a fan in WHO director general Margaret Chan who certified him as one of the best health ministers in the world at the AIIMS convocation on Thursday. At the inaugural programme of the south-east Asia regional meet two days ago,she had praised Azad adding: He hasnt paid me to say this.

AVIATION POLITICS

Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh had written over a dozen letters to the Uttar Pradesh government seeking its commitment to make land available for constructing terminal buildings at 10 places in the state where there are already air strips. He got occasional replies but no commitment. The Akhilesh Yadav government recently agreed to provide land at four places Moradabad,Faizabad,Meerut and Allahabad. But this came only after Ajit Singh promised to Mulayam Singh Yadav to look into his demand for turning Saifai airport in the SP chiefs pocketborough into an international airport. The minister also gave only an assurance and no commitment.

DESIGN PREFERENCES

While the Ministry of Iamp;B roped in well-known architect Hafeez Contractor to design the National Media Centre,the Culture Ministry-funded Archaeological Survey of India ASI has chosen HUDCO to construct its long-awaited headquarters on Tilak Marg. The ASI headquarters will have a heritage character,though with all modern facilities. Once ASI moves out of the National Museum complex at Janpath to Tilak Marg,the National Museum will also finally get the chance to expand and complete the last segments of its octagonal building.

VOTE ON STRIKE

The railway workers unions had issued the threat of going on strike last October but no one in the Railway Ministry took it very seriously. Now the second-largest union,the Congress-affiliated National Federation of Indian Railwaymen,is going ahead with what is known as strike ballot in which they conduct a voting exercise among members on the question of whether to go for strike or not. Their main demand,among others,is the setting up of the VIIth Pay Commission. Given that Railways is still reeling under the impact of the VIth Pay Commission,which put an additional burden of over Rs 60,000 crore,the Railway Ministry has sought to put the ball in the Finance Ministrys court telling unions that the decision does not lie with Railways. The ministry officials are also confident that the unions will never go on strike.