NRI Suicide in Kerala over Red Tape Highlights Returning Expat Problems July 16, 2019 10:39
The recent suicide by a Non-Resident Indian (NRI) businessman in Kerala has highlighted the stumbling blocks faced by Indian expats returning home after working abroad for many years. From corruption to self-serving political parties and politicians, there are various matters in question in India that make lives of returning NRIs on edge. NRI Sajen Parayil who committed suicide in Kerala’s Kannur district in June had worked in Nigeria for many years before making up his mind to go back to his home state with a purpose to begin construction business. (Image source from: The News Minute) However, he struggled to beat the red-tape in the state and did not get an occupancy certificate for a convention center on which he spent a whopping INR 180 million, nearly all his savings after his stint in Nigeria. His efforts didn’t stop. The hapless person made 19 visits to the Anthoor Municipality to seek permission but each time he was sent back by the officials. According to reports, he has turned down approvals because of infighting within the political party that controlled the municipality. Sajen’s suicide triggered massive uproar in Kerala’s state assembly suspending four employees of the municipality. Besides, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan assured the Assembly that things will be sorted out before long. The project was then given the necessary approvals. Some observers blamed Kerala state’s miserable ease of business ranking for the tragedy while others thought it revealed a systemic problem. Overall, about 270,924 Indian expatriates returned home from Gulf countries in 2018 maximum number being from the United Arab Emirates, as per the latest figures mentioned in Parliament by former Indian Minister for State for External Affairs VK Singh in 2018. (Image source from: Sputnik International) Last year, about 91,995 workers returned to India. The figure touched a high of 154,957 in 2017 while the number of returnees in 2016 was 88,647. Saudi Arabia was another country from where Indian workers returned in large numbers owing to the imposition of levies on the workers and ban on the recruiting of foreign workers in certain trades and professions due to dip in oil prices and following the policy of providing more jobs to its citizens. In the year 2018, Saudi Arabia, to provide more jobs to its citizens, imposed a ban on foreign workers including Indian expatriates from working in outlets selling watches, eyeglasses, medical equipment, electrical appliances and electronics, car spare parts, building materials, carpets, automobiles and motorcycles, furniture and ready-made office materials, ready-made garments, children’s clothes and men’s wear, household utensils and pastries. Earlier, these jobs were mostly done by Indian and South Asian expatriates. Due to the policies and escalation in cost of living, a record number of 151,611 Indian workers returned from Saudi Arabia in 2017 followed by 79,666 people next year. Proper assistance is also provided by the Indian government to get these workers home. But then, India’s state governments, which is so far struggling to provide basic amenities to people already living in their state, feel to be challenging to now invest time and money to deal with the expat returnees. The returnees as such are regrettably forced to adapt to the realities of a hard Indian life very quickly with little state help. Appealing Life Story of Indian Expats Mohd. Shakeel, a trained barber who once worked on the outskirts of Riyadh, the capital city of Saudi Arabia before returning to India, earned INR 70,000 to INR 80,000 which was enough for him and to send back remittances back home. However, a government levy on foreign workers was increased to SRA 200 (INR 3682) in 2018 which ate into Shakeel’s savings and had a huge impact on his living situation in Saudi Arabia. (Image source from: www.connectedtoindia.com) Left with no choice, he returned to India in 2018. In the absence of any governmental support, he spared no effort to eke out a living and then found work at a barbershop at Allahabad (now Prayagraj) where he earns just INR 8,000 to INR 10,000 per month. Mukhtar Ahmad was a catalog designer making different types of readymade garments for the last 25 years in Saudi Arabia. Though initially, he made a decent living nevertheless things turned resentful in the past few years. He had to pay his sponsor each month irrespective of profit or loss. The introduction of levies on foreign workers was also a financial jolt for him. He also returned to India in 2018. However, he is not fully settled and managing his affairs with the savings he made during the times spent in Saudi Arabia. By Sowmya Sangam
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Indian Origin Stranded Restaurateur in Dubai, Whose Shelter was a Car for 3 Months, to Head Home Finally July 16, 2019 04:44
An Indian origin restaurateur in Dubai, who accidentally threw away cash worth Dh100,000 in trash four years ago, is finally coming back home after paying off his debt. Several people came to the rescue of…
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Ending Country Cap on Green Cards Would Help in Attracting Best Talent: Congressman July 12, 2019 10:23
Days after the United States House of Representatives passed legislation to remove seven percent country-cap on Green Card applicants, the top American lawmakers said the move would help in attracting and retaining the best talents…
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Over 800 NRIs Participate in Bonalu Festivities in London Organized by Telangana Community July 12, 2019 09:43
The Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) from Telangana in London, during a Bonalu festivities organized in West London, showed their support to weavers back home wearing handlooms in the community. More than 800 NRIs from various parts…
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India to Get Swiss Bank Details of All Indians from September July 11, 2019 12:45
Last month a report unveiled that unaccounted wealth outside the country held by Indians was in the range of USD 216.48 billion to USD 490 billion over various periods between 1980 and 2010. India's fight…
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4,698 Plaints from Indian Women Deserted by NRI Husbands Addressed Since 2016: MEA July 11, 2019 06:33
The cases regarding NRI husbands deserting Indian women are on the rise despite the Indian government taking stringent actions against swindlers. In the last three and a half years, as many as 4,698 complaints from distressed Indian women deserted by their NRI husbands were addressed, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Wednesday.Replying to a question in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan said the complaints were received between January 2016 and May 31, 2019.The government has adopted a multi-pronged approach to give respite to women who have been deserted by their Non-Resident Indian (NRI) husbands, he said.The ministry provides counseling and guidance, and information on legal procedures and mechanisms to serve judicial summons to accused NRI husbands, Muraleedharan said.Information on filing a judicial case in India, issuing Look Out Circulars (LOC), impounding and revocation of the Indian passport of the husbands are also provided by the ministry, he said.To provide online consular assistance expeditiously to Indian nationals who are in distress abroad, including marital dispute, the MADAD portal was launched in 2015, Muraleedharan said.The minister said a module marital disputes was added to the portal to provide a digital platform to distressed Indian nationals married to NRIs.Read: Marriage Registrations Now Mandatory in Telangana Towns, Villages in Bid to Tackle NRI Marriage MenaceTo provide financial and legal assistance to distressed women married to NRI men by all Missions and Posts, the Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF) Guidelines were revised in September 2017, he said."The amount of legal and financial assistance to distressed Indian women has also been increased to USD 4000 per case," the minister said."The assistance is released to the impanelled legal counsel of the applicant or Indian community association or women's organization or NGO concerned to enable it to take steps to assist the woman in documentation and preparatory work for filing the case," Muraleedharan said.He said an expert committee was set up to identify the legal and regulatory challenges faced by Indians married to overseas Indian nationals and suggest amendments in existing legislation or Acts, and new policies, laws, and regulations.Upon the recommendation of the expert committee, an Integrated Nodal Agency was constituted, the minister added."So far, the INA has had 15 sittings and has issued eight Look Out Circulars against the erring spouses," he said.It was felt that these measures are not sufficient and the existing laws need to be amended to provide a more effective solution to the problem, Muraleedhran said.Therefore, a bill titled The Registration of Marriage of Non-Resident Indian Bill, 2019 was introduced in Rajya Sabha on February 11, 2019, he said, adding that the proposed legislation would offer greater protection to Indian citizens married to NRIs.It will also help as a deterrent to the Non-Resident Indians against harassment of their spouses, and force the accused NRI spouse to come back to India to face legal consequences of his overt and covert acts, the minister said.By Sowmya Sangam
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2 Indian Nationals Win Million Dollars Each in Dubai Lottery July 10, 2019 05:36
Two Indian nationals, including a woman, have won a staggering USD one million each in the Dubai Duty-Free raffle on Tuesday, while another national has won a luxury car in the lottery game, according to…
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Marriage Registrations Now Mandatory in Telangana Towns, Villages in Bid to Tackle NRI Marriage Menace July 09, 2019 13:07
The Indian government is making every effort to cut down the rate of NRI marriage menace. In one such attempt, Department of Women Development and Child Welfare in Telangana has decentralized the marriage registration process to the level of village panchayat officers and municipal administration officers to enable people to register marriages compulsorily. Apart from this, the department, which will at present be the nodal agency for registering marriages, will also be disseminating the knowledge of compulsorily registering marriages via the intricate network of 35,700 anganwadis. This makes registration of marriage easier for married couples and ensures that documentary evidence exists to tackle the issue of wives being deserted. The new process is crucial as in 2018 alone, the Women’s Commission received 36 complaints of Non-Resident Indian (NRI) wives being deserted and several more complaints of bigamy which become hard to tackle without documentary evidence. “With no marriage certificate, the married women can’t take their husbands to a court or even ask the embassies to initiate the process of bringing back the husband. In some cases, women have not even been able to apply for a divorce as they have no proof to apply for a divorce and the husband is also not here,” a senior official said. In the meantime, the decision of registering marriages at the village and municipality level is being seen as a small yet steady step. “The State and Central governments need to bring in specific laws that make a declaration of marriage at the time of Visa or passport mandatory and have provisions for measures against the husband for abandoning his wife,” said a senior official at National Commission for Women. The move includes: 12000 registration units at panchayats, municipalities. Rs 45000 per district for awareness on the Marriage Registration Act. A fine of Rs 100 for all marriages registered after 30 days. By Sowmya Sangam
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India Budget 2019 Cracks down on NRI Tax Evaders July 08, 2019 07:21
The 2019 Union Budget proposed by Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on July 5, aimed to tighten the noose around NRI tax evaders. Under the new budget, the Indian government has expanded the coverage of…
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NRIs No Longer Liable to Tax-Free Gifts from Relatives in India July 08, 2019 07:15
India budget 2019 has proposed to draw attention to a loophole that helped Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) avoid the tax net on gifts received from India. Whatsoever gift received by a taxpayer in India is taxable…
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Family Holiday Turns Fatal: Indian Man Slips at Turner Falls in Oklahoma, Drowns July 08, 2019 05:42
A holiday with family turned deadly for an Indian American man after he slipped and fell into the waterfall on Friday at Turner Falls in Oklahoma.According to reports, the deceased, identified as Nune Suresh hailing from Ongole in Andhra Pradesh, was on a holiday with his family when the mishap took place. A diving team was brought in to locate and retrieve his body. While he was rushed to a hospital, he was declared brought dead.Media reports state that Suresh had completed his education at SSN College and had settled in Dallas working with a software company. He is survived by his wife, a daughter, and a son.“Suresh slipped and fell into Turner Falls, Oklahoma and died today. His wife and two children have to move back to India along with Suresh’s body for the funeral. Please help his family in moving back to India. Your donations will help his wife Rupa, a housewife, in raising their kids, aged 12 and 8-years old,” a fundraiser on GoFundMe states.So far, the fundraiser has managed to raise $64,888 of its $100,000 goal after 1,571 people donated in a single day.Suresh’s family in India is making all efforts to expedite the return of his wife and children to India. His mother was reported to be inconsolable. Telugu associations in the United States have also stepped in to help.This was also reported to be the second such incident that took place at the same spot as another woman had died at the waterfall on Wednesday after she slipped and fell.By Sowmya Sangam
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India Budget 2019: NRI Investments to Become Much Easier July 05, 2019 10:15
India budget 2019 presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday brought relief to Indians abroad or Non-Resident Indians to some extent as government simplified the rules and regulations pertaining to investment pattern to encourage…
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