Delhi confidential: Power play

Goswami has scheduled the presentation by joint secretaries of respective departments of the ministry between April 21 and 25.

POWER PLAY

Union Home Secretary Anil Goswami is busy going through power point presentation by various divisions of the Ministry of Home Affairs. Goswami has scheduled the presentation by joint secretaries of respective departments of the ministry between April 21 and 25. It is learnt that Goswami, who is said to be close to Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, is preparing to give presentation to the next Home Minister once a new government takes over. The presentation is said to contain the brief outline of the work performed by the divisions and important issues which are in progress and need urgent attention.

HEAT EFFECT
The escalating heat wave across several states has now led the Election Commission to allow candidates to set up “small tents not measuring more than 10×10 feet” as part of election booths outside the 200-metre periphery of polling stations. This follows a flurry of representations from candidates who have been approaching the EC, arguing that the “one table, two chairs and an umbrella or tarpaulin piece or cloth to protect the two occupants” were proving to be of little help in hot weather conditions.

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HRD IN REJIG MODE
Gujarat cadre IAS officer and Additional Secretary in the HRD Ministry Amarjit Singh has suddenly been moved out of the Pallam Raju-led ministry. Grapevine has it that differences with School Education Secretary R Bhattacharya has led to Singh’s early exit from the School Education Department. Incidentally, last year, Singh was almost moved to the UPSC but then stayed on at the ministry. While Singh is set to move to the Ministry of Water Resources now, it is expected that Maninder Kaur Dwivedi of Chhattisgarh cadre, who is currently a director in the HRD Ministry’s School Education Department, will be moved in as Joint Secretary to fill in for Singh.

AT SC DOOR
The All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawrat, the umbrella body of Indian Muslim organisations, has written to the Supreme Court alleging discrimination in the way the Election Commission has chosen to list campaign restrictions on Narendra Modi aide Amit Shah but not on SP leader Azam Khan. Mushawrat president Zafar-ul-Islam Khan has requested the Chief Justice of India that he should put an end to the “partisan politics” being played by the EC, citing inaction against Giriraj Singh and Pravin Togadia as cases where no cognizance seems to have been taken of hate speeches. Incidentally, on Tuesday, the EC banned campaigning by Giriraj Singh.