Reaching out

Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh had an unusual appointment on Friday morning a breakfast meeting with BJPs former president Rajnath Singh.

Reaching out

Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh had an unusual appointment on Friday morning a breakfast meeting with BJPs former president Rajnath Singh. While officials refused to elaborate on the purpose,word is out that the minister was trying to garner support for the Land Acquisition Bill. The report of the concerned Standing Committee,headed by BJP MP Sumitra Mahajan,is expected to come out soon. Singh,it may be noted,has been at the forefront of the BJPs land-related agitations and is considered important in shaping his partys position on issues involving farmers. Incidentally,Ramesh had touched base with Singh during the making of the Bill for his suggestions and comments.

Doctorate Diplomacy

An honorary doctorate can be a tool for diplomacy and its even better if it is timed with prominent international summits. New Delhi will host the fourth BRICS Summit next week and two of the nations premier universities will hand out doctorates to some of the arriving dignitaries at the event. While Jawaharlal Nehru University proposes to confer the Honoris Causa to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev for his contribution to public life,Delhi University plans to give an honorary doctorate to Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff.

Unwritten Rule

With frequent RTI queries bringing out embarrassing details from official documents,a new unwritten rule has emerged that most bureaucrats now follow in central ministries. There has been a perceivable decrease in file notings on all documentation. Notings are now being put on as late as possible on files and bureaucrats are now relying more on verbal conversation to push matters through to avoid going on record.

Post Unhaste

The crucial and high-profile post of Minister,Economics,at the Indian Embassy in Washington has been lying vacant for more than four months now,with the government unable to find a suitable candidate. While one would have thought that officers would line up for this appointment,the selection process has not kicked off as not enough nominations have been received. Another urgent missive was sent on Thursday to all state chief secretaries and secretaries of central ministries to nominate candidates for the post. The first circular had gone out on November 4,2011,a few days before the post fell vacant.

Nationalist Party

The Nationalist Congress Party NCP Friday sought to project D P Tripathis election to the Rajya Sabha from Maharashtra as validation of the partys non-discriminatory ideology. At a function to felicitate Tripathi at the NCP headquarters,senior party leader Tariq Anwar said that nomination of a North Indian leader from Maharashtra Tripathi is from Uttar Pradesh showed the NCPs nationalist outlook. Tripathi informed the gathering later that he has got congratulatory calls not only from politicians,academia and others,but also from Nepalese prime minister and president.