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A certain Ministry Secretary has confided in a colleague that it has become an imperative for him to move out of his Ministry with the least delay if he is to keep alive the hope of retiring from service with his pension safe and sound.

“An outside authority has begun giving me instructions regarding payments our Ministry is required to make to certain contractors,” the Ministry Secretary had explained to his colleague.

This ‘outside authority’ is said to be a holder of an important office connected with Finance.

Following discreet inquiries he made, the harried Ministry Secretary had learnt that ‘somebody’ was collecting a five per cent commission from the contractors to whom he was making payments expeditiously on the orders of the Finance Authority.