Impending shake up in MEA
Extension for Shringla, Tirumurti
Jawaharlal Nehru Bhawan is abuzz with the potential for an extension for overseas secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla and everlasting consultant of India to the United Nations, T S Tirumurti. These two high officers of the Ministry for External Affairs (MEA) are set to retire subsequent month. With worldwide relations getting into a delicate part, there’s a chance of the federal government favouring continuity over change. However, names of their doable substitute are additionally being mentioned. There are about half-a-dozen senior officers into account to interchange Shringla. Among these are the ambassador in US Taranjit Singh Sandhu, Sanjay Chandra (ambassador in Japan), Vinay Kwatra (Nepal), Jaidee Sarkar (South Africa) and Ruchira Kamboj (Bhutan). One of them may additionally be picked up as a substitute for Tirumurti. Meanwhile, the federal government has determined to raise ambassador to Saudi Arabia Ausaf Sayeed to the rank of secretary. He is prone to take cost in the midst of March and can deal with the CPV (Consular, Passport, Visa) division. He may even deal with the West Asia and North Africa divisions. Sayeed will substitute Sanjay Bhattacharyya who has been appointed as ambassador to Switzerland. With the submit of ambassador set to fall vacant in Riyadh, intense lobbying has began. Among the frontrunners are India’s ambassador in Lebanon Suhel Ajaz Khan and Principal Secretary in Madhya Pradesh authorities Faiz Ahmad Kidwai. Both these officers have served in Riyadh as consul normal.
Media issues
Sibal, Bhushan soar into Pioneer potboiler
Battle for the management of Pioneer, the 150-year-old newspaper, has reached the penultimate stage with high legal professionals Prashant Bhushan and Kapil Sibal now leaping into the fray. Albeit each are on the identical facet this time, this tug of conflict appears to have escalated to a brand new degree altogether. The household of Pioneer’s late oner and editor Chandan Mitra, and the current editor, printer and writer who had misplaced the case in NCLT and NCLAT, appealed by two separate petitions within the Supreme Court earlier than the bench of Justice Nageswara Rao, which granted them ex-parte keep. The newspaper has been going through acute scarcity of funds for the previous couple of years. It has big amassed dues. Payments are pending in direction of workers, suppliers, franchisees, IT division, Noida authority, and lots of others. The paper was taken to court docket by its editorial director Amit Goel for non-payment of dues by means of salaries and unsecured loans. NCLT dominated in favour of Goel on January 19, 2021 and appointed a Resolution Professional. The Mitras and their Printer & Publisher Narender Kumar appealed in opposition to the NCLT order in NCLAT. NCLAT once more dominated in Goel’s favour dismissing the attraction in December 2021. The entry of Sibal for the Mitras is fascinating because it reveals his curiosity in media hasn’t died down.
Back to Booze-ness
Ponty’s son might enter liquor enterprise
One of probably the most abiding rags-to-riches tales in Delhi-NCR is that of Gurdeep Singh Chadha, higher often known as Ponty Chadha. The Sardar who got here out of nowhere dominated the liquor distribution enterprise in north India and constructed malls and multiplexes and an actual property empire value 1000’s of crores of rupees. His premature loss of life thrust the mantle on his younger son Manpreet Chadha (a.ok.a Monty Chadha) and brother Rajinder Chadha (a.ok.a Raju Chadha). The two quickly parted methods and divided the empire between themselves, with Raju getting movie and liquor companies and Monty taking on actual property, malls and multiplexes. But with the true property enterprise collapsing and Covid destroying malls and multiplexes, Monty is alleged to be taking a look at getting into the group’s authentic cash spinner – the liquor enterprise. Insiders say Ajay Bijli’s PVR group is all set to purchase Monty Chadha’s multiplexes which run over three dozen screens beneath the Wave model. The proceeds of the sale would most certainly be used to arrange a liquor enterprise. The choice would pit him straight in opposition to uncle Raju as each share contacts constructed by late Ponty Chadha.
