Ashwini VaishnawUNION COMMUNICATIONS Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw appears to be on a new mission. After earning praises from different quarters, including some opposition members, for the simple language used for the draft telecom Bill, Vaishnaw now seems to be in mood to put his stamp on the Bill by attempting to evolve a consensus over it. The minister has been calling opposition MPs individually to discuss the provisions of the Bill. He is assuring them that it is only a draft legislation and changes can be made as per suggestions. The opposition MPs, who have been complaining about Bills getting rushed though without discussions, are happily welcoming the minister’s move.
German Link
ADDRESSING A lecture earlier this week, Chief Justice of India U U Lalit pointed out that the basic ideas propounded in the landmark 1967 Golaknath judgment, where the Supreme Court held that fundamental rights cannot be amended, had come from a German author. He said that during a recent visit to Germany, he had the occasion to meet the Chief Justice of the country’s constitutional court and found that the judges there are very interested in noting that what was propounded by somebody in Germany has been accepted to be a basic feature of the Indian Constitution.
Campus Launch
IN A major push to promote the use of Ayurveda in the country, the Ministry of Ayush has started a “Har Din Har Ghar Ayurveda” campaign, for which it will receive support from all other ministries. While the initiative was launched on Sunday on the occasion of Seventh Ayurveda Day, for which the chief guest was Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda, Ayush Minister Sarbananda Sonowal unofficially chose JNU – seen as a bastion of anti-BJP sentiment – as the first venue for his flagship campaign. Sources say Sonowal chose JNU as the venue for the first event for the campaign on Thursday as a “strategic ploy” to win over the university students.