50-50 not a bad deal at all!

LR Sharma 

RAJIV GANDHI had once made a ‘catchy statement’ at a public meeting that lingers — only 10 per cent of government budget percolated down to the poor. About the remaining 90 per cent, many interesting explanations started doing the rounds! Some were logical while others were impish and cynical. One such was that most government funds were utilised in maintaining the myriad organisations headed by blue-blooded bureaucrats. But some directed their barbs against departments like PWD, irrigation and agriculture, implying most officers siphoned off public money with the connivance of contractors. The then PM’s statement provided the grist to their maligning mills. 

Around this time, I was posted as an assistant engineer in charge of a mechanical subdivision and a workshop. The chief engineer, whose office was 25 km from my place, received a new jeep from the purchase pool of the department’s headquarters at Shimla. He decided to retain it for use in his office. Since he was a numerology buff, he directed me to secure a registration number, with ‘5’ as maximum digits. In those days, one could have a registration number of choice for government vehicles. Since there was only one series in vogue with the local licensing authority and there was no number available as per my boss’ choice in that series, I got in touch with the licensing authority of a contiguous subdivision. The officer in charge gladly extended his cooperation and I was able to get ‘5050’. 

Initially, the boss looked satisfied, but soon the vehicle earned the ‘50-50’tag. Not only the boss, but also other officers using the jeep would direct their junior staff so: ‘Send 50-50 for my tour of such and such place.’ Slowly, the implicit meaning of ‘50-50’ started circulating in light humour. The jokes also reached the boss, who was already aware of the barbs being made by the public in view of the PM’s remark. A renowned visitor to the chief engineer’s office was also overheard commenting that the department had aptly been given this number as it might be pursuing a 50-50 policy in its budget utilisation. I also came to know about it, but now nothing could be done.

 One day, a colleague of mine, an assistant engineer, came to my office and started thanking me profusely. ‘My friend, it is due to your imaginative selection of this registration number that I got the jeep. Otherwise, how can an assistant engineer get a new vehicle?’ He then narrated the story about how the chief engineer got rid of the jeep and no other officer offered to have it. He, however, gladly took the vehicle and thanked the chief engineer. ‘I have no qualms about what the public says. I am ready for any 50-50 deal in my life!’ We laughed to our heart’s content over a cup of tea.