- India
- International
At a function on Saturday evening to launch the biography of eminent lawyer Ram Jethmalani, Chief Justice of India H L Dattu began his speech by saying that he had become more cautious of late, since many people don’t distinguish between what he says as an individual and what he says as the CJI, which creates controversy. Dattu did not stay to hear either Jethmalani or author Shobhaa De, both known to stir controversies with their words.
Talking head
With the government eager to showcase its achievements at the end of its first year in office, the Information & Broadcasting Ministry is planning to rope in Prime Minister Narendra Modi to hold a “Talkathon”, wherein he would take direct questions from citizens. The questions would be invited on social media. As per ministry sources, MoS, I&B, Rajyavardhan Rathore is keen to have the PM on board, and would float the idea officially once Modi is back from his foreign trip. The ministry had previously experimented with the idea when Finance Minister Arun Jaitley participate in such an exercise on the day of the budget.
Lasting impact
While the matter may have finally stopped making news, the impostor who stayed at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy for training of bureaucrats seems to have left a lasting imprint. When an IAS officer who recently delivered a lecture at the academy was shown a group photograph of trainees, it turned out that the impostor was also in it, donning a sari as per the dress code.
Lying vacant
Senior-level posts in the government are getting vacant faster than they are being filled. During the middle of the last month, there were 21 vacancies at the joint secretary level, including two each in the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Commerce. While one Defence Ministry position, among a few others, has been filled, many more joint secretary posts have fallen vacant. As of last week, as many as 24 of these positions were unoccupied. These included two each in the Home Ministry, Commerce Ministry and the UID Authority.