NewsDrum Informals: Inside the buzz over Hiren Joshi’s PMO future

New Delhi: There is strong buzz in the power corridors that Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has, for the time being, been asked to oversee the responsibilities handled so far by Dr Hiren Joshi, Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in charge of communications and information technology in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

A replacement for Dr Joshi is expected to be announced soon, people in the know indicated.

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There is no official communication on the move yet, and some within the government say Dr Joshi may return to Gujarat. The PMO website, however, still shows him as an OSD in the PMO.

Dr Joshi, a long-time Modi aide from the Gujarat days, is widely seen as the key strategist behind the Prime Minister’s digital and social media presence and one of the few officials with direct access to the PM’s communications war room.

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