Lost in Translation
When a journalist asked Union Minister for Agriculture Radha Mohan Singh to reply to her question in English, he said his junior, MoS S S Ahluwalia would translate it. After his long answer, the journalist and Ahluwalia apparently lost their appetite for an English version of Singh’s views.
General Weather
With tension at the Line of Control, top Army commanders are in Kashmir Valley to brainstorm on military strategy. This is the first time that the topmost military leadership met in Jammu and Kashmir. When asked about the meeting, a General smiled and said that they are in Kashmir to “enjoy the weather” when the entire country is reeling under a heat wave.
Cabinet Conundrum
The corridors of powers in the national capital are abuzz with the impending Cabinet reshuffle, which is likely soon after the Presidential and Vice-presidential elections. Some ministers have additional portfolios. And with less than 24 months left for the 2019 general elections, the Narendra Modi government is expected to induct new and young faces into the Cabinet. Leaders from states where elections are scheduled in the next few months may also get Cabinet berths.
Shying Away
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, who also has charge of the Ministry of Defence, doesn’t want to attend unofficial events of his additional ministry. He distanced himself from an annual event organised by Indian Navy with FICCI over warship building earlier this week, which was presided over by the Defence Minister on earlier occasions.
Wi-fi War
The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) is battling the Finance Ministry for wi-fI access in North Block. While the finance ministry, located next to DoPT, has full wi-fi, the latter’s access is blocked citing security issues.
TOOTH & NAIL
“Earlier, there was a parallel, shadow economy heavily depending on cash. We have ended that… We set a new normal after demonetisation. It is no longer safe to deal in cash.”
Arun Jaitley, Finance Minister
“The economy began slowing down in July 2016. Demonetisation made it worse. (It) was the biggest scam of 2016… and now Indian economy has taken a hit of 1.3 percent.”
P Chidambaram, Congress leader and former finance minister