Modi Says, 'India Is Waiting For You' To Indian Diaspora September 28, 2015 10:09
In an address to nearly 18,000 Indian-Americans who congregated at the SAP center in San Jose, Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared that "India is waiting for you” to Indian diaspora in California. He added that it is time for the brain drain to become a "brain gain" for India. It was time for the diaspora to contribute to India, Modi said. Modi said, "People used to talk a lot about brain drain, they complained a lot about it. Did anybody ever think that this brain drain could become brain gain? No, but now it has.” PM said that he sees the brain drain as a 'brain deposit' and says that time is ripe to use this deposit to benefit India. Crediting the Indian diaspora for lifting the Nation’s image in the world, Modi said “Your fingers created magic on the keyboard and the computer and this gave India a new identity. Your skill and commitment is wonderful. Your commitment, your innovations, sitting here you are forcing the world the change." PM also used to occasion to talk about the achievements of the 16-month-old government. He asked, “Today after 16 months, I need your certificate. Did I fulfill my promise? Did I fulfill my promise?" As a favorable answer to his question, audience said, "Yes, Yes" and "Modi, Modi." The crowd answered again saying 'Modi, Modi, when Modi said, "For the last 25 years, there's been a question, 'Whose is the 21st century?' " Meanwhile, answering his own question, Modi said that it used to be said that the century was of Asia, while a lot of people now say that the century belongs to India. "This change didn't come because of 'Modi Modi Modi.' This change has come about because of the 125 crores of Indians who have resolved that India won't lag behind." Flamboyant speech of Modi was metaphorical and even funny as well. PM ensured to praise even people living in India by lauding the flexibility of Indians and crediting them for their help towards policy initiatives for the poor. Modi said, “I requested my countrymen to give up their LPG (cooking gas) subsidy, and 30 lakh people actually surrendered it voluntarily.” He also said that he ensured that the poorest of the poor opened the bank accounts with zero balance. "But these poor people in total deposited 32000 crores by saving 50 Rs here, 100 Rs there.” -Sumana
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Schengen Visa Applicants Need To Enroll Biometric Data September 24, 2015 12:38
The Indian travelers willing to head towards Schengen countries in Europe will have to enroll their biometric data while applying for a Schengen visa from November 2015. The process will become mandatory. This is for the first time that the biometric requirements are being implemented by the Schengen missions for Indians. On the day of the submission of the application, the biometric data or digit finger scans will be taken at the visa application centre from the Schengen visa applicants. From the date of submission, the data will remain valid for 59 months. This means, there is no need to give new fingerprints by frequent travelers, each time they apply for a new visa. South Asia and DVPC, VFS Global, COO, Vinay Malhotra told the Hindu that, “As per the requirement laid down by the European Union, all applicants for Schengen visas in India will have to enrol for biometrics during the visa application process. This process will become mandatory from November 2015.” Operating six visa processing centres, VFS Global serves 30 diplomatic missions in Karnataka, along with 32 client governments in India. VFS Global has 314 visa application centres in a total of 19 cities across India. Schengen visa Schengen visa is the document issued to party interested to visit or travel to the Schengen Area, by the concerned authorities. A total of 26 countries are part of the Schengen area. All these countries agreed the allowance of free movement of their citizens within the area as a single country. Majority of European countries are covered in the Schengen area. -Sumana
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NRI Deposits Jump 48% In First Four Months Of Financial Year September 21, 2015 08:07
Global Indians, attracted by the depreciation of rupee against the dollar and greater domestic interest rates, deposited increased amounts in India. Non-resident Indians (NRI) deposits jumped 48% in the first four months of the financial year. The Reserve Bank of India may take steps to contain sharp currency movements. According to the RBI September Bulletin, deposits from NRI rose to $6.97 billion in April-July compared to 4.71 billion a year earlier, while outstanding NRI deposits crossed $120 billion. Money from NRIs can be parked in either Foreign Currency Non-Resident (Bank) or FCNR(B) deposits, or Non-Resident (External) Rupee Account or NR(E)RA deposits. As the rupee depreciates, NR(E)RA deposits tend to raise. It is a benefit to depositors in case the local currency appreciates during repatriation. Moreover, higher interest rated is on these deposits compared to international rates besides being more on par with domestic rates. UAE Exchange CEO Promoth Manghat said, "The sharp depreciation of the Indian rupee gave opportune money senders a window to send more money home. This, in turn, led to a surge in NRI deposits.” "With the Indian rupee depreciating recently to its lowest in two years, NRI remittances grew by 15-18 per cent over this time frame. This, coupled with Indian deposits providing better interest rates, has formed a conducive environment for NRIs to repatriate larger sums of money." -Sumana
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Swetha Prabakaran Indian-American Champions Of Change September 16, 2015 09:56
15-year-old Indian-American girl, Swetha Prabakaran has been awarded the prestigious award of the White House, “Champions of Change” for empowering the community by imparting Internet coding through her non-profit organisation. Swetha is the Founder and CEO of a non-profit organisation called ‘Everybody Code Now’, which is working to empower the next generation of youth to become engineers, scientists and entrepreneurs. Swetha’s parents have immigrated to the US from Tamil Nadu in 1998. “When I took my first Computer Science class in high school, I didn’t think that one day I’d be the one teaching code to kids. I really wanted other girls to have strong mentors and exposure to tech the way I did,” Swetha said after receiving the award. “Being able to see women I admired and looked up to in this space gave me the confidence I needed to pursue my love for computer science,” she said. “Through Everybody Code Now!, I’ve been able to teach hundreds of kids to code and helped bring more science and engineering activities to schools,” she said. “I’ve seen elementary school girls who had never heard of programming blossom into confident students building websites about their favorite sports or animals and watched the quietest students become the classroom leaders,” said Swetha. “Under Swetha’s direction, Everybody Code Now! has taught hundreds of students how to code and has raised thousands of dollars for STEM activities in schools,” the White House said. By Premji
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Australia's new spelling champion is Indian-origin boy September 09, 2015 12:01
A nine-year-old Indian-origin boy Anirudh Kathirvel is new spelling champion of Australia. He won 50,000 dollars education scholarship at the 'The Great Australian Spelling Bee' competition. Additionally, the Melbourne-born boy Kathirvel won goods worth 10,000 dollars for his school on Tuesday. Anirudh Kathirvel, who was born to a Tamilian couple Prithiviraj and Sujatha, who did not believe his luck asked his fellow spellers to pinch him. The spelling champion said, "I need to rub my eyes and see if this is a dream." "Nope.Nope.Nope.Real. I can't describe it. It's like the best day of my life," he added. 'euouae' is Anirudh’s favorite word to spell. He said that he like the structure of the word that is the longest word with consecutive vowels. He said, "Some of the other words I like to spell are feuilleton, cephalalgia, ombrophobous." Prithiviraj and Sujatha migrated from Tamil Nadu to Australia16 years back. Anirudh said he loves to watch Indian movies. Anirudh said, "I started reading from the age of two and slowly my reading passion evolved into my love for words. My parents encouraged and helped me to build up on my spelling." "My first spelling competition was when I was in grade 1. But my first year in the spelling competition was challenging. Gradually my confidence increased and I was pushing my spelling abilities to its limits. That's how my spelling journey has begun," he added. -Sumana
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No violations found by US in Infosys H1-B visa case September 08, 2015 12:13
Infosys, second largest software services company of India, has announced that the government of the US found no violations in H1-B visa case. A probe began concerning the H1-B visa case in June 2015. The company said in a statement that, “Infosys is pleased to report that the US Department of Labor (DOL) concluded its investigation with a determination of compliance regarding labour condition applications filed in the Southern California Edison project.” In DOL investigation in which more than 145 files were reviewed, Infosys cooperated totally and no violations were detected. Earlier in June, investigations began by the US on Infosys as well as its arch rival Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) for possible violations of rules of H-1B visa. However, TCS has not responded yet on the matter. H-1B visa - non-immigrant visa A non-immigrant visa, H-1B visa is mostly used by information technology (IT) companies to employ foreign workers on temporary basis in their US offices in specialty occupations. Biggest recipients of H-1B visas are Indian IT firms. Sandeep Dadlani Infosys EVP and Head of Americas said, “IT services companies like Infosys provide superior service, skill and scope from global centres of excellence, bringing value and technology innovations to enable American companies to be competitive and succeed.” “We do not practice or condone unfair or unethical H-1B visa practices. Our key priority is to operate fairly, ethically and with integrity, which is good business and what our clients expect,” Mr. Dadlani said. -Sumana
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Amazon, University of Pennsylvania sued over suicide of Indian-origin student September 07, 2015 09:17
Mother of a 20-year-old Indian-origin student, Arya Singh, who committed suicide in 2013, has sued the online giant Amazon and the University of Pennsylvania over her death. The nursing student committed suicide after consuming cyanide purchased from the online retailer, according to media reports. In 2011, the 20-year-old nursing student of the University reported an alleged sexual assault by a male student for which no charges were filed and he remained in the campus. According to lawsuit, this could have resulted in a two-year downward spiral that concluded with her cyanide suicide. After complaining on the male student for sexual assault, she put up troubling behavior at school like missing classes and even getting detained for alcohol intoxication, reported the Philadelphia Inquirer. The suit said, “Despite her problems, university employees’ conduct toward her was unsympathetic, hostile, and at times vindictive.” It was alleged that one official of the school wrote in an email that she had “no sympathy” for her and the 20-year-old “deserves anything you dish out to her.” Cyanide crystals from Amazon In December 2012, the nursing student has order for cyanide crystals through a Thailand vendor from Amazon. Cyanide was listed as a “kitchen” item. The vendor and his company were named as defendants in the suit filed in late July. The girl was investigated for academic misconduct by the spring 2013 semester, during which she was excluded from registering for classes and was ordered to leave dorm as they wait for a hearing on the academic misconduct. On the day of the hearing, 8 February 2013, the girl was found unresponsive by her roommate in the dorm. Few hours later, she was pronounced dead. Until 2 February 2013, cyanide was offered for sale by Amazon. That means till few days before the death of the nursing student. The US bought the poison more than 50 times and minimum 11 people died of it along with the nursing student, said the suit. According report from the New York Daily News, Amazon has not returned requests for comment. -Sumana
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Bollywood Themed Indian Restaurant In Britain By NRI September 04, 2015 09:56
An Indian-origin chef has opened an Indian restaurant named ‘Papadoms’ with Bollywood theme in Britain. The chef was actually inspired by India’s road side dhabas that dot the national highways. Offering Indian street food, the Bollywood themed Papadoms restaurant is located at High Street West complex in Sunderland city, reported Sunderland Echo news portal. Sanjeev Sanghara, executive chef and owner of Papadoms restaurant said that Sunderland was the perfect place for the restaurant creating a minimum of 30 part-time jobs in the Sunderland city. Sanghara also said that he plans to unveil a chain of Papadoms restaurants in the near future. The chef also noted that there is a huge opportunity and many chances to introduce novel style of cuisine to Sunderland. Sanghara was quoted as saying that, “Most of the menu which also features handi and tiffin options is inspired by a trip to India.” "We launched the Papadoms pilot here to test new ideas in the market. There is a lot of competition from other Indian restaurants at this site,” Sanghara added. The chef’s family owns two Indian restaurants that are traditional in Scotland. -Sumana
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Gunman fires at Billu’s Indian Eatery in Sydney August 26, 2015 07:34
On Tuesday, just before 9 p.m. local time a gunman fired a shot at a crowded Indian restaurant through the front window at Harris Park in Sydney’s west, marking the second such incident in the area in last four months. During the time of firing, 30 to 40 members of staff and customers were inside the Billu’s Indian Eatery on Wigram Street. Local police revealed that none were injured as the bullet traveled through the restaurant’s front window hitting a shelf. Soon after the incident, blue track suited gunman was seen running south on Wigram Street. Police said, “Just before 9 p.m., a single shot was fired into the Indian restaurant on Wigram Street, Harris Park.” They are now seeking assistance from someone who could have seen the man particularly a women who was knocked down onto the ground near the pedestrian crossing on the Wigram Street. The incident of firing shots by a gunman happened for the second time this year in the area that marks a hub of Indian restaurants besides Indian shops. Yadu Singh, Sydney-based cardiologist, said, the incident has generated a great concern among the Indian businesses in the area. It is scary and police is probing the incident.” -Sumana
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IT Initiative Of NRIs To Help Andhra Pradesh August 20, 2015 05:41
IT initiative by an NRI group has been unveiled by N Chandrababu Naidu, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, to help the state in several areas using mobile apps and other technology apps. The non-profit organization, 'Code for AP', in the US supports AP in e-governance, economic and social development. A total of 100 volunteers are working with the organization that aligns with 30 government departments. Technology-based solutions will be offered to the departments to streamline work. Different state government projects including 'Central Fund Monitoring Portal', 'Mobile Device Management', 'Sentry Gate' and 'News Room' have been worked by Code for AP. First of its kind app, the 'Central Fund Monitoring Portal’ will facilitate every department to thoroughly understand each and every scheme launched by the Union government. Government officials on field work are sanctioned tablets and smart phones under the 'Mobile Device Management', facilitating data collection.The security department was empowered thorough an advanced automation system, the Sentry Gate Pass system, that allows access for a visitor into state Secretariat using a smart tab. A free Android application, News Room, allows users from anywhere in the world to access leading Indian newspapers in Telugu and English.Naidu said "During Pushkaram, our government has worked on getting crowd feedback through IVRS system. That worked well. We now want Code for AP to work on applications that will not only support the government, but also come up with innovative ideas for delivering citizen services.” -Sumana
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Proposal To Lift Minimum Wage For H-1B Visas: Donald Trump August 19, 2015 09:35
Donald Trump, Republican presidential front runner, has proposed to lift the minimum wage for H-1B visas, sounding the death knell for the most popular work visas particularly for the Indian technology professionals. This came with the releases of his policy to put American workers first.According to Trump, such move would allow companies to offer IT jobs to unemployed Americans rather than cheaper overseas workers.The real-estate tycoon who is based from the New York lashed out at Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, and Marco Rubio, Florida Senator, for introducing a bill to increase H-1B visas three times more. Currently, the H-1B visas are capped every year to 65,000 each annum by the U.S. Congress.A position paper on immigration reform released by the Trump Campaign said, “Increase prevailing wage for H-1Bs.” This came as an opposition to Zuckerberg’s move to increase H-1B visa number.The position paper said, “We graduate two times more Americans with STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) degrees each year than find STEM jobs, yet as much as two-thirds of entry-level hiring for IT jobs is accomplished through the H-1B program.”“Raising the prevailing wage paid to H-1Bs will force companies to give these coveted entry-level jobs to the existing domestic pool of unemployed native and immigrant workers in the U.S., instead of flying in cheaper workers from overseas,” it added.Also Read: Around 200 Indians not paid for five months in oman -Sumana
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Around 200 Indians Not Paid For Five Months In Oman August 13, 2015 12:07
Around 200 Indians working with a construction company based in Oman are not being paid for past five months, according to a recent media report.The workers were quoted by TOI as saying that, "Our salaries are pending for the past five months. We were waiting for the company to pay us, but they have failed to keep their promise. It has become quite difficult to survive.” A complaint was lodged by the workers to get their dues, with the Indian embassy.The workers said, "We have lodged a complaint with the Indian embassy on August 10. We are ready to leave but we need to be paid for our work. We cannot leave empty-handed.”According to workers, the company is not willing to clear their dues and is asking them to leave. The company has project sites in Ibri, Mabelah, Nakhal and Bausher. The company did not make a comment over the workers' claims.A Muscat-based legal advisor was quoted by TOI as saying that, "The Oman government and the labour law guarantee a salary for the workers according to the signed job contract agreed upon at the time of employment. So, if there is any violation in that the workers have the right to approach the labour department.”-Sumana
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