Appointment with Sri Suresh Kumar Monday, 28th Nov

Sanjay, Srinidhi and I met Law & UDD minister, Mr Suresh Kumar, this morning. He was warm and polite as is his nature. Since the PS had apparently squeezed in the appointment into the minister's busy schedule, we could just get some 10 minutes of his time. As such, we could take up only the two main items on the agenda, though there were hundreds of things we would have liked to take up with him. Now that we have made the first contact, perhaps, we can set up a proper PRAJA type meeting with him some time soon. Srinidhi will attempt fixing one.

I briefed him the essentials of the KAOA and KOFA issue, and stated that the solution lay simply in empowering the "competent authority", and ensuring that he enforces the law, which are fairly good as they are. The updating of the law as per model guidelines from the centre etc, are ongoing matters, and can follow as and when the comments from the various departments (which are supposedly being sought currently) are received. Minister nodded agreement, and stated that he will convene a meeting of the officials concerned immediately after 20th Dec (when the assembly session commencing tomorrow gets over), to which he will invite us, so that we can take it further from there.

Likewise in the case of the undervaluation issue, where the solution simply lay in giving finality to the valuation based on the "guideline values", and simultaneously close down the undervaluation cell.

We thanked the minister for the opportunity and came away.