Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi’s search for a type-8 bungalow took him to former Union minister Santosh Gangwar’s 13, Sunehri Bagh residence. Gangwar did not contest the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and was in the process of vacating his bungalow when Rahul Gandhi visited his house. The polite Gangwar happily showed Rahul around. After seeing the entire house, Rahul asked the former minister’s Jyotishi (astrologer) friend who was present on the occasion what he thought about the house. It is built on a graveyard, how auspicious can it be, replied the Jyotishi. With the election of the new Lok Sabha and the new government taking over at the Centre, a large number of houses are changing hands. Everybody wants the biggest and the best house in the Lutyens zone. A head of a government organisation, who is a prominent bureaucrat from one of the largest states in the country, has been putting pressure on the Housing and Urban Affairs (HUF) ministry for a bungalow to which he is not entitled. This was discovered by former HUF minister Hardeep Singh Puri when the file for allotment of house to this particular bureaucrat reached him. Puri rejected the request and wrote in the file that the officer was not entitled to the house he was demanding. This, however, did not deter the officer. Sources said he has now approached new HUF minister Manohar Lal Khattar’s office. The allotment of larger bungalows is handled by the HUF minister. The smaller houses are allotted by the House Committee chairman. According to sources, Khattar has not yet seen the officer’s file. They said he may not treat the matter any differently than Puri.Osaka World ExpoIndia will land Chandrayan in artificial skyIndia plans to recreate the landing of Chandrayan on the moon by building an artificial sky and a live model of a battery-powered spaceship to make its presence felt at the six-month-long Osaka World Expo from April 13 to October 13, 2025. The India Trade Promotion Organisation under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry is making frenzied preparations to put in place a state-of-the-art India pavilion that will showcase India’s scientific prowess and diverse cultures. Sources said a Tata group company is likely to bag the contract to construct the 1,751 square metre pavilion. Over two dozen officers of the government of India are busy learning the Japanese language. Union ministries and state governments are getting ready to forge B2G and G2G collaborations with 165 countries participating in this once-in-five-year World Expo. India will showcase its progress through the government of India’s flagship programmes such as Make in India, Digital India, etc and form global partnerships. Special arrangements are being made to celebrate Independence Day, International Yoga Day, International Tourism Day and Gandhi Jayanti that fall during the duration of the Expo. Sources said that after the end of the Expo, the Pavilion will be brought back for display in India.Shahid FaridiThe writer is Resident EditorTNIE, New Delhi.Follow him on X @Shahid_Faridi_
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