The Income Disclosure Scheme 2016 is meant for those who have made money but have not disclosed income. But it is not for income earned through corrupt means, punishable under the Prevention of Corruption Act. The scheme made most public officials ineligible to disclose undeclared income. However, government websites are displaying the details of the scheme and urging people to avail themselves of it. According to officials, though the window is not for them, they are following directives to publicise it. 

Home visit  

At a recent event on tourism in US-India relations, the US Ambassador to India Richard Verma underscored the fact that like India, US also has several incredible tourist spots. Verma said increasing numbers of Indian travellers are visiting the American states and experiencing the wonders of national and state parks, visiting fascinating cities and travelling to family-friendly destinations. “You can even visit my hometown, Johnstown Pennsylvania!” he added.

Reality bites

Government officials are worried despite the seemingly hefty hike in salaries thanks to the Seventh Pay Commission. While the average hike is just about 14.3 per cent, what’s worrying is the higher tax outgo. Another major cause of worry is the deferred decision on allowances. A number of officials pointed out that allowances contribute significantly to their salaries and a reduction could actually impact the carry home pay.

Hiking the advantage

Critics of the Government often point out to its inability to stoke demand. Industrial capacity remains under-utilised and new investments have been slow. But, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has a different take on it. At the press conference to announce the pay commission decision, he said, among the several reasons behind the hike in salaries of over 1 crore central government employees, is also the fact that this will generate more demand, “and today one of the important needs of the economy is to generate more demand”.

Overworked CEO

NITI Aayog chief Amitabh Kant is clearly overworked. Greeting those on the dais at a recent event, he referred to DIPP Secretary Ramesh Abhishek as Jairam Ramesh, sending those assembled into peals of laughter. “This is what happens if you are overworked or not sure which side of the political spectrum should you be leaning towards,” a member of the audience quipped.    

Traffic blues in Bengaluru

A senior Cabinet minister in Karnataka  had an interesting solution for long commute times in Bengaluru’s traffic. When a reporter complained that it took her two hours to get to the press briefing, he said “Why didn’t you tell me? I would have sent you my car.”  As a Cabinet minister’s car gets right of way, she would have been there in double quick time. If only…  

SwamySpeak

The irrepressible Subramanian Swamy was in full form during a recent visit to Thiruvananthapuram. According to him,  it is a difficult proposition to bring the sulking ‘king-of-good-times’ Vijay Mallya back To quote Swamy: “Mallya used to be in the erstwhile Janata Party. I expelled him. And beyond that I don’t know. Now, it’s really a finance ministry problem. You better ask the Enforcement Directorate.” 

Asked if knew where Rahul Gandhi is holidaying currently, he countered: “Do you want to disturb his privacy?” According to him, RaGa is with a very special friend in London. “Don’t ask me who that special friend is. None of your business either.” Swamy said that his only concern was just how many passports the Congress vice-president has. “I’m investigating into whether he has a British passport. But he’s refusing to come before the Ethics Committee of Parliament.” 

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