'Zara Muskura Do': Modi govt tries to be funny ahead of its second anniversary

As the NDA government completes its two years in power, there are plenty of things it claims to be proud of, from Direct Benefit Transfer of LPG to Beti Bachao Beti Padhao. But it seems like playing puns is still not the party’s strong suit. [caption id=“attachment_2718936” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  PM Narendra Modi. PTI[/caption] Completing its two years on 26 May, plans are underway to celebrate the occasion. The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting will be launching an eight-hour talk show ‘Zara Muskura Do’, the “do” in the title standing as a pun for two, reports the Indian Express. The plan is to showcase the government’s success stories over the past two stories. Details regarding how various government initiatives have benefitted people, number of people who availed the scheme and the money allocated will all be part of the campaign, a senior government official was quoted saying by India Today. To oversee the celebrations, the PM has set up a Group of Ministers (GoM) comprising Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Power Minister Piyush Goel, Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu and Minister in the PMO Jitendera Singh, reports India TV. A panel discussion is planned to be held at India Gate and will be live telecasted across the country. Short documentaries will also be featured at the discussion.