Reshuffle gambit

Though it did not quite turn out to be the spring-cleaning many were expecting, the Union Cabinet reshuffle did send out a couple of big messages, as the Manmohan Singh-Sonia Gandhi duo try to reenergise the lethargic UPA government.

There is clearly an attempt to signal a crackdown on obvious crony capitalism as seen in the shunting off of both Murli Deora and his junior colleague Jitin Prasada from the crucial resource-related Petroleum Ministry and even the more innocuous shifting of Salman Khurshid.

Another message seems to be clearly aimed at "funding" Uttar Pradesh. The Congress' uphill ambitions for that politically crucial state are evident from the elevation of Shriprakash Jaiswal in the Coal ministry to a Cabinet rank.

Jitin Prasada and Beni Prasad Verma, also from UP, have been given rather lucrative portfolios of roads and steel. Clearly, the government is hearing the approaching din of election drums and the jangle of funding it will need.

Cool roofs
Despite griping about the current winter chill, it is the long scorching summer months that Dilli's denizens really dread. But, this year, a new green initiative should see some of the capital's government buildings sporting a "cool" look.

Apparently chief minister Sheila Dikshit has given the go-ahead to repaint roofs of government offices, hospitals and schools in light shades of white or lime to reflect heat. These cool roofs will help maintain a constant temperature and also reduce energy demand.

The idea, even in its pilot stage, clearly seems to have caught on with some residents associations as well. And if the government offers the right inducements, it may well find more takers among the citizenry. Besides,
this is one project our combative Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh is unlikely to object to.