Room with a view

Among the many priorities set by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley is finding a room for journalists. The new finance minister was apparently bewildered to find reporters roaming freely in the corridor outside his office at all times - a culture that developed during his predecessor P Chidambaram's tenure. Chidambaram would often talk to reporters during his two-minute walk from his first floor room to his car in front of North Block. Jaitley made it clear that he wouldn't continue this practice, but this did not stop hopeful journalists. The hunt began to find a dedicated media room in North Block when reporters told him the finance ministry lacked one. But the new finance minister is probably missing the point that it is his presence that pulls reporters to that particular corridor.