The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) is under tremendous pressure from some UPA allies to get their MPs included in the Indian delegation to the UN General Assembly annual meet beginning September 24.

They have been lobbying so seriously that it looks as if they were seeking cabinet berths. Here's why: the MPs who are part of the delegation will get to spend 45 days in New York.

It is up to the prime minister to decide on the list. Sometimes, the PM has his way in getting a scholar-academician or a politician of choice on board.

Indira Gandhi as well as P V Narasimha Rao insisted on including Atal Bihari Vajpayee in the delegation.

Sixteen MPs need to be chosen for two sessions, eight for each session. The Indian delegation is likely to have 30-35 members, including non-official delegates who are mostly diplomats.

President is going places!

President Pratibha Patil is keen to visit more states. She opened the World Classical Tamil in Conference last week. In July she will visit Hyderabad and Mysore. She is to visit Tiruchirapalli in October to open a BHEL unit. Patil, who has completed half of her tenure, wants to focus on the northeastern states in 2011. When not travelling, the president has been spending an hour a day reading Marathi classics.

Helpline for MPs

The Central Public Works Department has come up with a new, outsourced complaint redressal system for MPs. Now when an MP has any problem in his or her official quarters, when they need an electrician or a plumber, they will have to make only one phone call.

A CPWD circular informed the members that it had started a call centre providing round-the-clock service for lodging complaints through a toll free number (1800114499). A caller would immediately get a complaint number. In addition, an SMS will be sent to intimate the complaint number.

This should bring relief to our 800-odd MPs.