Put on hold

Even as Women and Child Development Minister Krishna Tirath attends a conference on early childhood care and education in South Korea.

Even as Women and Child Development Minister Krishna Tirath attends a conference on early childhood care and education in South Korea,Indias own Early Childhood Care amp; Education policy will have to wait a bit longer. The cabinet had to defer a decision on the policy on Thursday as the minister and most officials who had drawn up the policy are away from Delhi.

Monkey alert

Monkey menace continues to scare people in the corridors of power with groups of monkeys often making their way around the North Block complex. With langurwallahs thrown out of business earlier this year after animal rights activist Maneka Gandhi wrote to the Defence Minister,pointing out that hiring the animals was in violation of the wildlife act,the Home Ministry has decided to hire the services of monkey catchers. It has now floated a tender calling for monkey catchers who will be given a year long contract with the rider that there is no medical insurance from the Home Ministry in case of injuries.

Seeking interns

Here is some good news for young graduate and post-graduate students intending to work in the government for a short duration. The Department of Personnel and Training is all set to hire 10 students from reputed University/Institution within India or abroad and preferably specializing in HR and associated subjects in Public Policy and Public Administration as paid interns. To be attached with the department,the interns would supplement the process of analysis8230; through desirable empirical collection and collation of in-house and other information. At the same time,the DoPT has also kept a provision for 10 unpaid interns. However,there is a selection process to pick the best from among the applicants.

The elevation

India8217;s health indicators may not exactly be sterling with smaller neighbours like Sri Lanka surging ahead,but it has managed to get its nominee to the post of WHO regional director. Poonam Khetrapal,a 1975-batch IAS officer,was on Thursday nominated as regional director for the WHO South-East Asia Region. She will be the first woman holding the post and it is after a gap of 44 years that an Indian will be the regional director. The 32-member executive board of the WHO is expected to appoint Dr Khetrapal Singh as Regional Director in January 2014,in Geneva.