Eavesdropper / Undiplomatic ignorance

A retired senior official of the external affairs ministry, who has held several key jobs in the MEA, was recently heard asking in a discussion on India’s external economic relations, “what is the Cairns group?” In the many important jobs this official handled in MEA he ought to have heard of this group of agricultural commodity exporting nations. But he hadn’t! India is now increasingly identifying itself with this group’s agenda of demanding freer access to developed country food markets. “No wonder Indian economic diplomacy is so backward and wanting,” murmured someone to eavesdropper, astounded at the diplomat’s ignorance.

Non-plan security
The occupants of Yojana Bhavan, home to the Planning Commission in New Delhi, may be thrilled that their current boss, deputy chairman K C Pant, is so much in the news these days, but they are not pleased one bit about the extra security drill at their work place. With Mr Pant, who is also the government of India’s point-man on Kashmir affairs, now placed in the Z-category for security, Yojana Bhavan is crawling with commandos and cops. Its long-term occupants had got used to the sleepy corridors of non-power and are now waking up to the sound of boots and metal detectors.

A good COO
The US Department of Transportation (DoT) is on the lookout for a Chief Operating Officer who’ll oversee the management and budget of the air traffic system and its 35,000 employees.
But Norman Mineta, the new DOT Secretary, is having a hard time finding takers for the job which entails putting in long hours under high stress at average pay! Last heard, a troubled Mr Mineta was trying to entice two retired chiefs “of very large corporations” to take the job.