The Hindu Business Line : Talk in North Block

Much talk is doing the rounds of North Block on why Parthasarthi Shome, Advisor to the Finance Minister, abruptly put in his papers, but nobody is confirming the developments. Scribes on the prowl for “inside information” have found out that it was the usual case of bureaucracy versus outsiders.

Going by whispers, Shome was apparently eyeing the Revenue Secretary’s slot once the previous incumbent, K. M. Chandrashekar, moved up to take over as the Cabinet Secretary. That did not materialise, but Shome was given an extension. Matters soon turned sour as the new bureaucratic team objected to files moving straight from Shome’s desk to that of the Finance Minister and instead wanted them to be routed through the designated officers. Even as that ‘battle’ was on, Shome, it is being said, was asked to concentrate only on the goods and services tax (GST) planned for introduction in 2010 and leave other matters of taxation to the bureaucracy. At this point, Shome left and the Finance Minister is now looking for a new Advisor.

No free lunch

Journalists in the capital had a pleasant surprise on New Years Day. An unexpected call from the Finance Minister’s office saw them rushing to North Block since a story on the first day of the new year was assured, but they were in for more surprises.

Before Chidambaram walked into the small conference room, the assembled scribes were offered pastries and cashewnuts along with hot cups of tea. But what floored them was the Finance Minister’s declaration when he came in that he wanted to have lunch with the journalists.

The Finance Minister’s press conferences are known to be no-nonsense affairs and Chidambaram usually finishes with the subject at hand and takes limited questions. The food on offer meant he would spend more time with them, providing more scope for interaction with the Finance Minister.

At the end, the journalists came away with at least three reports. But the lunch never materialised, though nobody complained.

Camera in focus

Scribes in the print media are waking up to a new reality. More and more invitations for functions are being so worded that it is obvious that public relations officers are addressing such invites to TV channels. It happened with a recent function organised by the PHD Chambers of Commerce and Industry. The letter from the organisation wanted media heads to depute their “camera crew” to cover the function, and a corrected version asking for reporters came only a fter it was pointed out to the organisers.

A private sector company did the same with its invite — asking for the TV crew and, subsequently, amending its invite for the print media. PROs confess that whenever there is a function, they are under pressure from their bosses to arrange for coverage on TV. But when it comes to sharing information on the company’s performance and future plans, they insist on the print media since it was likely that TV would cover the event.

OUR NEW DELHI BUREAU