Twitter twist

Former Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao has moved to a new account on microblogging site Twitter after her retirement.

Former Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao has moved to a new account on microblogging site Twitter after her retirement. As foreign secretary,Rao used to tweet from ForeignSecNRao. Her new account is NMenonRao. Before making the switch,she had informed her regular followers that Menon was her maiden family name lest there was any confusion. Her successor in the Foreign Ministry Ranjan Mathai does not have a presence on Twitter yet.

Familiar Route

The appointment of U K Bansal as the new head of the Border Security Force has come through a now familiar route. He is the third consecutive Secretary Internal Security in the Ministry of Home Affairs to be appointed as the head of BSF. The present DG Raman Srivastava was Special Secretary Internal Security in the MHA before going to BSF and so was his predecessor M L Kumawat.

Dry Days

The Foreign Correspondents Club,the favourite haunt for many foreign and Indian journalists,has finally some good news for its members. Unable to serve liquor for the past three months because its licence had expired,and in trouble because it is operating from residential premises,the club has told its members that it has been assured by a minister that its lease would be renewed when the Cabinet Committee on Accommodation meets next. It had been told that the meeting was likely to happen on Monday but considering that the government was preoccupied with a lot of other things,it could take a few weeks longer.

Unhealthy Speculation

There was a glut of farewell events in the Health Ministry on Tuesday. Farewells were organised for as many as 12 officials of different ranks,including Health Secretary K Chandramouli. With no replacement having been named for the Secretarys post yet,the ministry is also abuzz with speculation over Chandramoulis successor. Health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad is learnt to have put his weight behind Special Secretary P K Pradhan,a 1977-batch West Bengal cadre officer. But that might upset a delicate balance,since the Health Secretary who is seen as the first among equals in a Ministry with two more Secretaries could become a batch junior to the other two Secretaries who are from the 1976 batch.

Double Standards

The man who saw an American hand behind the Anna Hazare-led anti-corruption agitation appears to be a frequent source of information to the US Embassy in New Delhi himself on matters related to his own party. Congresss new spokesperson Rashid Alvi is mentioned several times in a new bunch of WikiLeaks revelations that has released a number of cables from the New Delhi Embassy of the United States. Congress MP Raashid Alvi has been quoted on various issues related to the Liberhan Committee report,BSPs victory in by-elections in UP polls in 2009,defeat of Akhilesh Yadav in those by-elections,Sino-Indian border dispute and many others.