Ally Obstacle

MANY would see this as a step that is too late and too little,but MEA certainly believes that it is never too late to take a diplomatic initiative. With China looming large on Indias foreign policy,the MEA has suddenly realised that many of its top officers,who have to deal with issues related to China,have very limited exposure to that country. A number of them have never even been to China. Accordingly,the MEA has now finalised a familiarisation programme for such senior officers who are now being sent on a trip to China. The group includes Additional Secretary P S Raghvan,Indias ambassador in Vietnam Ranjit Rae,Indias high commissioner in Singapore T C A Raghavan,Joint Secretary in the ministry for Bangladesh,Sri Lanka and Myanmar Harsh Singla and Indias ambassador to Uzbekistan Gitesh Sharma.

BABUS WARNED

UPSET with the fact that many bureaucrats dont make it to important state functions like those on Republic Day and Independence Day,the Cabinet Secretariat has written to civil servants asking them to turn up for the Red Fort function on August 15. The missive from the Cabinet Secretariat,while referring to the attitude of the civil servants to give a miss to such important functions even though these are part of their official duties,warns them that failure to attend this years function would be taken serious note of. But considering that we are in the midst of conveniently-placed festivals,there has been a rush to apply for leaves from the babus. Janmashtami on Friday gave everyone a long weekend. August 15 is in the middle of the week and many offices would be closed on Monday for half a day at least because of the security arrangements. And Eid is likely to happen next Monday,August 20. That means a two or three-day leave would result in at least a 10-day vacation. In such a situation,it would be interesting to see how many actually follow the diktat of the Cabinet Secretariat.

SOME RESPITE

MANI Shankar Aiyar has never been secretive about what he thinks of Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Ajay Maken. His BA from Kirorimal jibe sometime back still rankles the minister. So when Aiyar,a nominated Rajya Sabha member now,stood up in Parliament to speak on a Bill moved by the Youth Affairs department,Maken was expecting another attack on him. But in a refreshing surprise for him,Aiyar confined his criticism to the NDA regime. He said the sports policy formulated by the NDA was a useless policy and an inadequate document. After he finished speaking,one could almost hear Maken heaving a sigh of relief. And when the Bill was passed after some time,it seemed to be an impromptu celebration for Maken. About half a dozen officials sitting in the officers gallery were seen shaking hands with each other and giving thumbs up sign to their minister. Someone later remarked that the reaction of the Sports and Youth Affairs department was akin to winning a medal or two at the Olympics.

MARS SUSPENSE

A PLAN to send an orbiter mission to Mars was discussed and cleared by the Cabinet last week,but the government was reluctant to confirm the decision,leading to some confusion over whether it was approved or not. Even ISRO did nothing to clear the air. It turns out that the suspense was deliberate,because the announcement is likely to form part of the Prime Ministers Independence Day speech. The news nevertheless has been out and the surprise element gone.