Every day, the first floor of the Steel Ministry in Udyog Bhawan has an important early arrival – the Minister himself, Virbhadra Singh. He comes in at 10.30 am and is in the office till 6.30 pm. Pin-drop silence reigns on the entire floor as long as the Minister is present.
Visitors easily get the feeling that they are about to meet a Minister from Himachal Pradesh. The first indicator is the sight of the peon with a trademark Himachali cap outside the door. Virbhadra does not believe in wasting money on redecorating the office but he does believe in vastu. Earlier, his desk would face west. He has rearranged the furniture and now sits facing the east.
His two confidants – Amar Pratap Singh, an IPS officer from the Himachal Pradesh cadre who is PS to the Minister, and Amitpal Singh, APS – can be seen scurrying through the corridors. The paradox is that the Minister does not run his Ministry directly but by proxy through the PSUs.
Rap on Dixit knuckles
priyanka affronted at party
At a recent party in the august environs of Lutyens’ Delhi, the clutch of guests included Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Ashok Tanwar and his wife, Avantika Maken, great granddaughter of former President Shankar Dayal Sharma and daughter of Lalit Maken, and Sandeep Dixit and his wife, among others. The chirpy Avantika welcomed Priyanka and behaved charmingly. But Dixit’s wife did not even greet Priyanka.
Apparently, Priyanka felt so bad that Mummy Dixit and son were given a talking to.
Mayawati’s clean-up act
police’s augean stables washed
The words “police recruitment” strike terror in the hearts of senior officials in the UP government. This is because of the scandal involving police recuitment in earlier regimes. However, the Mayawati government has clamped down on corruption in the senior echelons of the police. The recruitment procedure is now technology-driven with the focus being on physical fitness, as was evident during recent recruitment.
On Mayawati’s orders, running chips were installed in the candidates’ shoes. During the physical exam, measurements were jotted down on the spot. The interview, which afforded scope for manipulation, was done away with. Best of all, during the recruitment of women, the candidates’ parents were ready to bribe officials and medical personnel but there were no takers.
Diggy camp in jitters
taxman hounds babus
What better way to achieve instant fame, than by flooring the high and mighty? Anoop Dubey, an Additional Director at Aayakar Bhawan in Bhopal, has become the toast in bureaucratic circles after issuing notices to the wives of all senior bureaucrats who have paid heavy insurance premia. The notices require them to submit details of income.
These Principal Secretaries and Additional Chief Secretaries are those officers who once formed Digvijay Singh’s work force during his two terms as Chief Minister. Sources say he zeroed in on these officers after ascertaining their political alignments and affiliations.
Digvijay or Diggy Raja, as he is popularly called, is shocked. Dubey also raided one of his supporters, confirming the perception that he is out to dismantle the administrative network of the former CM. Some quarters feel the situation demands an inquiry to probe the possibility of a conspiracy against Diggy Raja or the Congress.
