Rajesh Khosla, managing director of India’s largest bullion refinery MMTC-Pamp, and hailed as the Bhishma Pitamah of the bullion industry at the recent India International Gold Convention in Goa, warned industry and banks against jumping the gun to fix too many things in the Gold Deposit Scheme before it is launched (early next month). He quoted the example of Alexander the Great seeking the high priest’s blessings before venturing on his conquering mission. The priest gave him a rope and told him to untie all the knots in it. The impatient Alexander simply cut the rope into bits with his sword. “While the government is trying to unknot the bullion trade, please don’t do an Alexander,” Khosla pleaded. Amen to that!

Onion mark

With the spike in prices, onion jokes are in season. There have also been several reports of onions being stolen from godowns. The Telangana government came out with a novel solution by offering limited quantities at fixed prices at bazaars. However, it was found that the same set of people turned up to buy. To get around this, buyers are marked, as voters are, so that they cannot buy again. That’s called one-upmanship.

What’s in a name

Raksha bandhan was the source of some amusement in Gujarat. The chief minister usually greets the people, on festival occasions, with a “Hardik badhaai!”(hearty greetings). With Hardik Patel at the helm of the Patel agitation, Anandiben was hard put to extend this greeting!

Backfiring protests?

It seems not everyone in Gujarat is pleased with Hardik Patel’s methods. Some Leuva sub-caste Patels (Hardik is from the Kadwa sub-caste) burnt his effigy in Vadodara, charging him with bringing the Patel community into disrepute. His rift with the Sardar Patel Group’s Lalji Patel at the Maha Kranti Rally was out in the open. Even in interviews, the 22-year-old has emerged more confused than clear about his next course of action. His photographs with Arvind Kejriwal and reports that he was once a supporter of the shortlived Keshubhai Patel-led Gujarat Parivartan Party have only compounded his problems.

LED notifications

India’s coal and power minister believes in strictly monitoring project implementation; he keeps a tab on every street light converted into LED. The nationwide street light conversion project is linked to a live screen that is accessible from the mobile. The screen updates the status every 30 seconds.

Voter coupons

At the recently held elections to the Bengaluru civic body, some parties adopted a unique approach to lure voters. Voters in one constituency were given coupons worth ₹6,000 each in exchange for a promise to vote, but the offer came with a catch. The coupon was redeemable only if the candidate won the election. To their luck, the party’s candidate won and the coupons were redeemed.

Top banner

Guess what Kolkata is covered with these days. No, not advertisements of the newly launched Bandhan Bank. But by posters and signboards demanding the release of jailed State Transport Minister Madan Mitra. Mitra was arrested by the CBI in the Saradha scam. Nobody knows who put up the posters; the Trinamool Congress has washed its hands of the matter. They were not much help though — days after the hoardings materialised, his bail plea at the Calcutta High Court was rejected.

Overheard

On a Mumbai suburban train: “They should reserve 51 per cent government job for the backward classes and 49 per cent for the forward community. The ones who believe in merit and secularism should be packed off to the US or Italy.” Why Italy? Any guesses?

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