Below the line

The medical mask has become a sought-after accessory in Delhi to protect onself from inhaling bad air, and more recently, to ward off the Coronavirus infection emanating from China. But at the Auto Expo, the organisers had a different take on these masks.

The organisers made announcements asking people to not wear masks as the moisture around their noses and mouths could get infected with other viruses amidst the crowd.

A second public announcement was for people who chew gutkha or tobacco ( khaini ), asking them not spit in the venue but rather in the drawing room of their own houses. It said: Auto Expo mein aapka swagat hai. Humein maaloom hai jin logon ko gutkha/khaini khaane ki gandi aadat hai, hum usmein aapke liye kuchh nahi kar sakte, lekin itna zaroor suggest kar sakte hain ki betooke tarike se yahan kahin nahi thuke...thukne k liye aapka apne ghar ka drawing room hai!

With the Budget presentation over, the Finance Ministry is still a a silent zone, with the barriers to entry for mediapersons still in place. As a mediaperson, if one asks anyone when the ban on journalists will end, so that they can enter North Block without any prior appointment and on the basis of PIB accreditation card, the response is likely to be a long silence. Or, as a couple of officials say: “The matter is subjudice, we cannot comment.” The matter is pending before Press Council of India, which is a quasi-judicial body. It should be noted that the government is not bound to act on any advice given by the Council. Yet, the petition has given some Ministry officials a new recourse from this tricky situation.

Media entry was restricted last year after the Budget; one of the reasons cited for this was “security concerns” about PIB-accredited correspondents. This is despite the fact that the card is signed by a senior Home Ministry official, after all security clearances have been obtained.

With little less than two months to go for the mega consolidation of 10 public sector banks into four, there is fast-paced action on all fronts. The Department of Financial Services has now sent proposals for lateral shifting of nine executive directors and one managing director for approval from the Appointments Committee of Cabinet.

The buzz in the corridors of power is that MK Jain, CEO and MD of the Oriental Bank of Commerce, will be appointed as Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in Punjab National Bank.

Despite the Centre’s keenness on welcoming US President Donald Trump to India, the Americans don’t seem to be too sure about the concessions they can pocket as part of the India-US trade pact currently being negotiated. US trade officials, who are pushing their Indian counterparts to fast-track a deal, are apparently also in touch with other stakeholders. The whispers are that the Americans are meeting the industry, farmers and economists in India for a better understanding of the mood, with respect to the agreement. The idea, it seems, is not to allow the deal to wash out the RCEP way!

As the Union Budget was presented just a few days ago, one invariably asks a top corporate honcho about his or her take on it.

It was no different early last week, during the release of the the Commodity Yearbook for 2020, brought out by the National Collateral Management Services Ltd. Commenting on the Budget, a senior industry leader said it contains little to solve the problems of today. “It’s like giving a patient who has come to you with fever medicines for a complication which may or may not occur, while leaving the existing clinical problems untreated,” he said.

Some Indian students, evacuated from China in the light of the deadly Coronavirus and lodged in a quarantined facility in Haryana, had not bathed for 36 hours, with hot water not being available. This did not rattle Health Ministry officials, who were managing the contingency. They were heard joking about not bathing in sub-zero temperatures in Ladakh, and how similar the situation was in Delhi.

Our Delhi Bureau

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