J&K plans to mark 5 August by taking national media on tour through the UT during pandemic
Jammu and Kashmir administration is planning to take the national media for a guided tour through the Union territory to showcase its achievements in the time since Article 370 was invalidated, effectively scrapping its earlier held special status.
Five IAS officers have been nominated to coordinate the tour — Dheeraj Gupta, principal secretary, Housing and Urban Development department; and Rohit Kansal, principal secretary, Power Development/Information Department are the two nodal officers who will be assisted by three joint nodal officers.
The list of journalists and media persons to be invited is yet to be finalised, say officials.
Grapevine has it that the visit from national media — and, possibly foreign correspondents— will coincide with the first anniversary of the scrapping of the special status on 5 August. This comes at a time when the UT administration is facing flak for its below par performance in terms of development.
Only 17 of the 63 projects of the Prime Minister Development Projects have been completed since 2015. Meanwhile, officials from different departments are preparing promotional videos of the work undertaken in the past one year.
BJP’s Assam unit assembles in time for ‘Mann ki Baat’ — not to listen to PM but to talk sports
While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lays significant emphasis on its leaders watching Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s weekly radio programme ‘Mann Ki Baat‘, its Assam state unit seems to be singing a different tune.
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The Assam Olympic Association scheduled a meeting on 26 July at 11 am — the exact time that the ‘Mann Ki Baat’ programme airs, and on an occasion as significant as Kargil Divas. The AOA is chaired by none less than Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, and as it happens in sports administration bodies, it has a significant membership from office bearers of the ruling BJP.
While the CM authorised the meeting, he wasn’t present in it, but some BJP office bearers — including a senior spokesperson — attended the online meeting. For a party, which is known for discipline and near-devotion to its top two leaders, this did seem like an odd move and has raised eyebrows in the ranks of the party, and fuelled some gossip. Others, however, point out that administrative work should take precedence over all else.
Cow urine advocate, martial arts specialist — BJP’s Dilip Ghosh now a golfer
BJP’s Bengal unit president Dilip Ghosh is making news on social media — not for his advocacy for the health benefits of cow urine this time. He is the new golfer in town. Over the past few days, he has been spotted playing golf in Newtown’s Eco Park.
Ghosh is also known as an able martial arts specialist, locally called Lathiyal. A party insider said that “Dilu” da (as he is fondly called) is now trying to enter the ‘elite club’ of Bangalee Bhadralok.
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