Flower power

The fiscal deficit may be a huge cause of concern for Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee as the Budget nears but the government’s cost-cutting efforts are often hampered by its own rigid rules. A senior bureaucrat but newcomer to government suggested that flowers not be placed in his offices over Saturday and Sunday as a cost-saving measure. The supplier readily agreed but the bureaucrat concerned was advised against it by a colleague who said the department would get an audit query owing to a deviation from this long-standing contract.