Boomeranged

The proposal is that the panel would be chaired by a Planning Commission member and would include an NAC member too.

BOOMERANGED

Rural Development Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh got more than he bargained for when he approached Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia for recommendations to restructure CAPART,which coordinates NGO participation in rural areas. Not only did the Planning Commission send across detailed suggestions to revamp the organisation,it also suggested the composition of a selection panel to pick the chairman of a restructured CAPART. What came as a shock to Deshmukh was that the proposed panel of five persons had only one representative from the Rural Development Ministry the Secretary. The proposal is that the panel would be chaired by a Planning Commission member and would include an NAC member too.

RESHUFFLE TALK

The undercurrents of the impending Cabinet reshuffle are growing stronger. The PMs line that he would look to restructure his Cabinet is now open to several interpretations. But a few like MoS for External Affairs E Ahamed are more relaxed. With his Muslim League party delivering an outstanding performance,Ahamed is quite certain he is being elevated to Cabinet status and most likely head the Overseas Indian Affairs Ministry. The other entrant to the Cabinet is likely to be cinestar-turned-politician Chiranjeevi.

SURPRISE ABSENTEE

SUPREME Court-appointed Special Prosecutor for the 2G case,senior advocate UU Lalit,was next door when the all-important bail hearing of DMK MP Kanimozhi and her co-accused,Sharad Kumar,was going on in Court 3. Lalit was present at Court 2 for Delhi Police to argue the midnight crackdown on Baba Ramdev and his followers while Additional Solicitor General AS Chandhiok was batting for CBI in the 2G case. Asked why he was conspicuous by his absence at the 2G hearing,Lalit said he had given timely notice to the CBI about his unavailability on June 20. The CBI had then passed on the brief to Chandhiok.

PRANABS OFFER

AT Tuesdays meeting of the Joint drafting committee for the Lokpal BIll,Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee again offered to convene a meeting in the first week of July,possibly July 1 he will be out of the Capital till the end of June to give the government side and the activists one more chance to come up with a mutually agreeable draft Bill. However,not just the activists,even some of the ministerial colleagues of Mukherjee refused to take the bait. Seeing no response,Mukherjee ended the meeting.

DEFENCE MASTER STROKE?

As the buzz suggests that Defence Production Secretary R K Singh is moving across the road as the new Home Secretary,various permutations and combinations are being worked to fill top posts at the Defence Ministry. One of the scenarios being worked out is that 1976 Bihar cadre officer Shashikant Sharma,currently in the Finance Ministry,could take over as the Defence Secretary. However,a new name has now emerged with pundits putting Textiles Secretary Rita Menon firmly in the race. Not only would Menon be the first woman defence secretary but her appointment could appease critics who want the armed forces to open up further for women.