A snub for Ramesh

Promptly,another Collector intervened to say that he had already allowed playgrounds to come under NREGA.

A snub for Ramesh

Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh seems to have got a taste of his own medicine when he found himself being told off by his own Secretary B K Sinha at a workshop for Naxal-affected areas on Tuesday. For one who prides himself for being part of the core group which drafted the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act,Ramesh found himself on the wrong side when a Collector suggested that the Act should allow making playgrounds a part of the NREGS activity. Promptly,another Collector intervened to say that he had already allowed playgrounds to come under NREGA. A flippant Ramesh remarked: Its okay as long as you dont inform us. An alarmed Sinha interjected almost immediately to say: The Ministers remark should not be considered as a policy decision. It will lead to anarchy. The Act does not permit this activity and this should be clear.

A visit a month for PM

Starting with the UNGA meet at New York,Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is bracing for a busy travel season ahead. Within weeks of his return,Singh is slated to travel to South Africa for the IBSA summit in October. Then in the first week of November,he is expected to fly to Cannes to attend the G-20 Summit and then within a few weeks,Singh has to again leave for Indonesia for the East Asia Summit. On his way,he is expected to make a stopover at Singapore where a visit is long overdue at the highest level. December may not be free either because India has to fulfill its commitment of an annual bilateral summit meet with Russia. Its now the PMs turn to visit Moscow.

Modi Matters

AMIDST talk of Narendra Modis imminent arrival on the national scene,second-rung BJP leaders at the Centre have started reaching out to the Gujarat Chief Minister. After his announcement that he would undertake a three-day fast,several BJP leaders are said to have called him up to say that his decision was a masterstroke. Leaders like Vijay Goel have decided to join Modi in his fast. Clearly,if Modi indeed emerges as the prime ministerial candidate as many are trying to project him,everyone in the party wants to be in his good books.

Unlucky Room

DISGRACED Secretary to Lok Sabha Speaker A P Pathak was a man in a hurry when he came on deputation to work with Meira Kumar a few months back. Determined to occupy the room of Shalini Singh,Private Secretary to Speaker,he had her entire belongings,apart from the nameplate outside,removed at an alarming speed. Ironically,the Speaker,desperate to contain the negative publicity associated with him following CBI raids at his premises,was equally prompt in sending him packing to his parent department. Given the fate of its last occupant,no one is coming forward to move into the room now. Not even Shalini Singh,who had been ousted by Pathak.

Office Politics

THE decision to allot two floors at the NDMC building,previously occupied by the Organising Committee of the Commonwealth Games,to the National Investigation Agency NIA has come at the cost of the plans of Delhi Tourism to acquire a new office. In fact,Delhi Tourism had been assured that it would be allotted this space but that was before the Home Ministry pushed the case for NIA which has been desperate to move to a central location in Delhi.