Showtime in Panchkula

The silver jubilee celebrations of the seven Zonal Cultural Centres are generating quite a buzz.

The silver jubilee celebrations of the seven Zonal Cultural Centres are generating quite a buzz. The four-day extravaganza will be inaugurated by the Prime Minister in the presence of Sonia Gandhi and Culture Minister Kumari Selja. Titled Maati Ke Rang,the show will see over 1,800 artists descend to Panchkula where the event is being hosted. In fact,several other ministers will be marking attendance at the celebrations. For those who are wondering why cultural activities of such a scale are being held in Chandigarhs backyard,here is the reason. Panchkula falls in the Ambala Lok Sabha constituency which has elected the Culture Minister. Incidentally,there was a time not so long ago when it was said that Selja did not devote enough time or attention to Panchkula. The four-day festivities should put all these rumblings to rest.

DRAGGING ON

The appointment of the new UGC chairman is turning out to be an unending saga. It is learnt that the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has returned the shortlist of two names that the HRD Ministry had put forward for selection to the post. Director of IIM Bangalore Pankaj Chandra and former vice-chancellor of Hyderabad University Syed Hasnain were the two people on that list and the HRD Ministry was clearly more inclined to have Chandra appointed. However,after more than a month of mulling over the names,the ACC has returned the list and sought more information. Intense lobbying has persisted right up to the PMO level in this selection process,with many Muslim MPs having written to the Prime Minister recommending that Hasnain be appointed.

TOP cop

KARNATAKAS gain could be CBIs loss. Rupak Kumar Dutta,a 1981 batch IPS officer,was tipped to join the CBI as Additional Director General. It is now learnt that Dutta,who is heading the CID unit of the Karnataka Police,might stay put in Bangalore. He is all set to take over as the next DGP of the state,replacing Shankar Bidari who recently came under unprecedented fire from the Karnataka High Court.

OFFICERS CRUNCH

THE Centre seems to be finding it difficult to get secretary-level officers for key government departments. On Tuesday,the Cabinet Committee on Appointments gave a three-month extension in services to R Gopalan,Secretary,Department of Economic Affairs. Gopalan,a 1976 batch IAS officer of the Tamil Nadu cadre was set to superannuate from service on April 30 this year. Just a day earlier,Commerce Secretary Rahul Khullar was given additional charge of the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion DIPP for a three-month period following the appointment of P K Chaudhery as the new Chief Secretary of Haryana. However,two 1977 batch IAS officers,P K Deb of Rajasthan cadre and Nita Chawdhury of UP cadre,have been identified to take over departments of Sports and Youth Affairs,respectively,that also fell vacant recently.

Withdraw CST move,Mamata writes to PM

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday shot off a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh,protesting the Centres unilateral decision not to pay central sales tax CST compensation to states for 2011-12.

Expressing surprise at the decision,Banerjee said in her letter to the PM that we find such unilateral decision of the Government of India as most unacceptable,and once again it will have a negative impact on the spirit of federal structure of our nation.

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I believe that the empowered committee of the Finance Ministers of all states had unanimously opposed this cutting of CST compensation and,therefore,urge you to kindly withdraw the order and give full compensation to the states, Banerjee said in her letter.