Maharaj Makes A Smart Debut At Finance Ministry

He insists on speaking in chaste Hindi, while his new boss prefers to deliver his witty repartee in a faintly-Harvard-mostly-Tamil accented English. But minister of state for finance Satpal Maharaj is unlikely to have problems getting his message across to the big boss (Chidambaram himself) if his first day in office is any indication. Eager to prove that he can speak the language of market-friendliness as well as anybody else, Maharaj announced the governments intention of launching the countrys first smart cards through commercial banks.

According to Maharaj, the smart card is the governments smart response to the growing scarcity of currency notes. Once launched, the cards can be purchased by anyone from any of the commercial banks for any denomination.

 

The decision on smart cards is being seen as another welcome attempt by the government to offer businessmen key amenities, coming as it does on the heels of the governments decision to introduce telephones on all Rajdhanis

lesser corporate Indias favoured mode of transport.

Maharajs turf in the ministry will include the expenditure division, the department of company affairs, the National Savings Organisation and the currency and coinage division. And the minister has quickly come to grips with his brief, putting a review of the CRB imbroglio prominently on the first days agenda. The government is monitoring the situation closely, he told journalists.

The political status of the stocky minister, who hails from Garhwal, is somewhat uncertain now that his original party, the Congress (T), has merged with the Congress (I). Little wonder, then, that he appears to be in such a tearing hurry to carve his own niche in the long list of luminaries who have adorned North Block.