Ministers Of Idle State
Appointed by the NDA Government with a view to appease groupings in a mammoth coalition, junior Ministers are only proving a financial drain.

Just Year Say
Ram Jethmalani finds few takers for his allegations that Chief Justice Anand is functioning beyond retirement age.

Fifth Column
by Tavleen Singh
Poverty Politics

Dying Tone

Hedging His Bets
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WHAT THE CBI ALLEGES

• In tournament after tournament, "India has undersold ". For the 1999 World Cup, the BCCI got a guarantee fee of only Rs 1.5 crore.

• "Players are more exposed to betting syndicates in non-regular venues" like Sharjah, Singapore and Toronto.

• "State units are perpetually in the control of a family or group"; RCA is run by the Rungtas and 10 of their employees are members.

• "The structure of BCCI is such that it is difficult for any person who has not previously held a post" to get into administration. It "prevents infusion of new blood".

• "Player selection at lower levels, such as Under-19, Ranji Trophy, etc, is not always on merit."

WHAT THE BCCI SAYS

• The CBI's figures are factually incorrect. For the World Cup the guarantee fee received was Rs 10.75 crore. All full members of ICC received same amount.

• "Unsubstantiated"; the CBI report itself is "replete with betting and match-fixing incidents in the conventional venues".

• Of RCA's 99 members only three are Rungta employees. Others are "eminent personalities" like Jagmohan Dalmiya.

• "Structure of BCCI can at best be described as a prototype of the Indian government that rests on the pillar of parliamentary democracy". Officials are elected.

• India won Under-19 World Cup in January 2000; Ranji teams are chosen by state units, not BCCI.

MetroScape
Signor Style
At a Benetton store in Delhi's Greater Kailash I market, the billionnaire Italian sportingly donned a bandhini turban for the benefit of the non-stop flashbulbs.
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Looking Glass

Delhi: Restaurants

Mumbai: Cafe

Enron symbolises everything that's wrong with the way reforms were handled by M/s Rao & Manmohan, says INDIA TODAY Associate Editor
V. Shankar Aiyar in
Au ContrAiyar.

That's what the Archeological Survey of India believes the hike in entry fee at key heritage sites will achieve. But the tourism industry is sceptical, writes INDIA TODAY Principal Correspondent Farah Baria in Despatches.