NRI ( Page 33 of 82 )

Kolkata-Born Scientist Rahul Mandal Wins UK's Popular Baking Show November 01, 2018 07:04

A Kolkata-born research scientist, who is currently living in the United Kingdom has crowned the winner of a popular baking show on British television after winning over the judges with his elaborately-designed pastries and cakes. The 30-year-old Rahul Mandal was declared the winner of Channel 4's 'Great British Bake Off' on Tuesday night after impressing the judges with his "East meets West" style of baking. As the winning name was revealed, he said: "I don't know whether to laugh or to cry. I just feel I need to talk with my mum." Mandal was born in Kolkata and moved to the United Kingdom as a student, where he started elevating curiosity for cooking and baking. Mandal from Rotherham in northern England struggled with disasters during the show's finale when his icing bag exploded during a doughnut challenge. Shortly after, his mixing bowl smashed while he was creating his rock garden, motivated by Victorian explorers bringing back exciting plants from around the globe, for the "Edible Landscape" show-stopper challenge. Despite the mischances, the taste and quality of Mandal's baking saw him win over the judges as he beat fellow British Indian contestant Ruby Bhogal and Kim-Joy Hewlett in the grand finale of the long-running television show. "He is one of those characters that you will miss when you are not with him. I don't think he realizes still how good he actually is and I think that's what's magic about Rahul," said celebrity chef Paul Hollywood, one of the judges. "I never baked when I was in India. My baking journey began in the UK about five years ago when I was feeling lonely, and needed to do something along with my studies," he said. "At that time, it was limited to making bread and biscuits. The first cake I made was about two years ago when my parents visited the UK for the first time," he added. The winner is bestowed with a coveted cake stand trophy and the publicity from the show can outcome in a huge career boost for galore contestants. Every year, amateur baking enthusiasts vie to get a spot among 12 bake-off contestants and spend nine weeks in a large tent to compete in a series of elimination rounds. "Cooking programs always interested me. Even as a child, rather than watching sports, I enjoyed watching cookery shows. I started cooking and experimenting with food from the age of 15, however, proper everyday cooking started since I moved to the UK," Mandal said. "I like the simple classics, sometimes with a little twist in it. My colleagues love my Lemon drizzle cake and its cousins like Lemon and cardamom drizzle cake, or lemon and elderflower drizzle cake - they like them a lot," he said. While baking is a hobby, he sees a connect with his day job as a scientist as he believes precise planning and attention to detail come in handy for both. "If it is something big, I develop and design it over the week and then execute it over the weekend," he said. The final three contestants in the 2018 series were evenly matched for this year's finale, which attracted a lot of social media attention. ImageSource: The Telegraph Fans were split over Mandal being given an extra 15 minutes after he smashed his mixing bowl while creating his showstopper but the majority were rooting for the diffident and humble scientist-baker. The recent series evidenced a rating success for Channel 4, which took over the show earlier this year following its move from its original home on the BBC. -Sowmya Sangam

Former NRI Fills Drinking Water Pots Each Morning to Serve People October 25, 2018 12:18

There are not a lot of souls around in our country who have a heart of compassion, nevertheless, 69-year-old Alag Natarajan is one from the noble minority.The former Non-Resident Indian (NRI) who lived in London for about three decades intended to do a bit for the people on his comeback. One thing that caught his eyes is that people who spend most of their time on the roads do not get the minimum necessity of water to slake their thirst.According to a report in Inuth.com, Natarajan, a resident of South Delhi, started setting up water coolers around his locality to meet people's needs. He installed 10 coolers at different locations, starting from his own residence in Panchsheel Park. But immediately, he grasped that no one was keen to fill water in those coolers. There was as well the difficulty of getting an electric connection to run the devices."It has been four years now including the cooler maybe five years. When I started, I installed 10 coolers in different parts of Delhi but half of them I have to bring back because people had no respect for it. Each cooler cost me Rs 25,000," he was quoted as saying by Inuth.The man did not lose trust, however. He switched to a low-priced substitute - earthern pots of 'matkas'. He placed around 80 of them in different areas and on a daily basis, at around 4 a.m., he takes out his water van to fill them.Natarajan, however, does not charge money for his social service. Now and then, people donate money for his hard work, but his financial support comes mostly from his pension in London. His family too supports him. One 'matka' costs him Rs 350, he said.In addition to serving water, the veteran as well provides breakfast to security guards, laborers, and drivers and at the present, he has started making the foodstuff (idli) besides serving cucumbers and bananas. He has as well put up self-help cycle pumps in different areas to promote cycling.-Sowmya Sangam

Clean Ganga Fund: NRIs Donate Only 2%, Says Report October 23, 2018 10:56

Of the total contributions received by the government's Clean Ganga Fund since 2015, more than 86 percent was from government departments and some other entities, the Indian Express reported on Tuesday.The Non-resident Indians (NRIs) and Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) contributed only 2 percent said the report, which was based on records received by the Express in response to a Right to Information (RTI) application.Private organizations contributed Rs 19.54 crore, or 10.32 percent of the total sum, from March 2015 till 30 September 2018, while NRIs and PIOs donated Rs 3.76 crore in the same period.Contributions to the Fund under the heading "individuals", presumably Indian citizens, totaled Rs 2.37 crore, or 1.25 percent of the entire amount. The remaining amount, which pushed the total figure to Rs 189.17 crore, was contributed by "government departments, government organizations, public sector undertakings", the report said.The Clean Ganga Fund was formed by a cabinet decision in September 2014 for financing at least ten different kinds of activities for cleaning the Ganga.Some of them are: - Activities outlined under the 'Namami Gange' programme for cleaning of river Ganga.- Control of non-point pollution from agricultural runoff, human defecation, cattle wallowing, etc.- Establishment of waste treatment and disposal plants along the river around the cities.The Indian Express report, quoting the Fund's website, said it was established by the government with "voluntary contributions from residents of the country and NRIs/PIOs and others to harness their enthusiasm to contribute towards the conservation of the river Ganga".-Sowmya Sangam

Indians Abroad Earn an Average of Rs 93 Lakh: HSBC Survey October 23, 2018 07:20

Indians living or working overseas earn an average salary of Rs 79 lakh a year whereas foreign expats in India earn an average of Rs 93 lakh, according to an HSBC survey.The survey "Expat Explorer Survey 2018" shows that a significant number of expats in India are from Australia, United Kingdom, United States of America, Canada, France, Germany, and the Netherlands and about 44 percent of them own some property in India. But then, 64 percent of Indians living abroad possess property in India.The study, based on 232 interviews, ranks India 12th in terms of comprehensive country ranking, 22nd for experience, 14th for economics, and 9th for the family. More than half (54 percent) of expats here are assured that their existence in India can aid build their personal wealth. They have significant assurance and hope in their financial futures and a solid basis of the existing scenario.Two-thirds relish occupying themselves in the local culture and their financial gain has allowed more expats in India than elsewhere to support causes, participate in local community events and donate to charity. According to the survey, highly educated, and often working in engineering or manufacturing industries, 34 percent expats moved to progress their career and 22 percent to develop their skillset. Some struggle with the new way of working through, and 41 percent say they work longer hours - almost twice the global average.Their salaries are only slightly better than at home, rising by 2 percent compared with a 25 percent global average. But with a lower cost of living than they are used to most have more disposable income than they did at home, according to the survey.The picture is quite dissimilar when it comes to Indians moving or living overseas. Europe is the first choice for 45 percent of Indians while only 29 percent have moved to the Middle East to work or settle. An average of 84 percent of Indians living abroad is known to be employed while only 51 percent of them have offsprings.Indians overseas also seem preoccupied with the property at home. A quarter own three or more somewhere in the world. With almost half moving to improve their earnings, the average income has risen 31 percent and almost two-thirds spend it on homes in India. Half plan to live there when they go home and 40 percent have friends or family currently staying there.With more than half (55 percent) relying on friends and family for financial advice compared with 40 percent of expats in general, the expat life for an Indian abroad often involves a tightknit group of people.-Sowmya Sangam

Indian-Origin Man Jailed in UK Over Handling Stolen Vehicles October 17, 2018 05:24

An Indian-origin man has been sentenced to eight years in jail by the United Kingdom court for the handling of 19 stolen high-value vehicles worth over 7,00,000 pounds. Chirag Patel, 39, was found guilty of conspiracy to handle stolen goods and ownership of the criminal property at the extremity of a five-week trial at Croydon Crown Court last Friday. "Patel played the leading role in a sophisticated operation to handle high-value, stolen vehicles, motivated only by sheer greed," said Acting Detective Sergeant Billy Clough, who led the investigation for the Metropolitan Police. "He even attempted to convince the jury that he was a legitimate businessman, who had simply been unlucky in obtaining such a vast quantity of stolen items, but the jury saw through this and convicted him of being the key player in a significant criminal enterprise," he said. Patel was imprisoned for conspiracy to handle stolen goods in relation to the cars and keys, for which he received eight years' in jail. He was sentenced to three years' imprisonment for owning criminal property and in relation to over 440,000 pounds of unexplained cash deposits which had been identified from two personal bank accounts in his name. Both the judgments will run simultaneously. "I hope this sentence sends a message that those involved in this type of organized criminality will be pursued robustly," the Met Police said. The tribunal was told that in February 2015, Patel reported to police force that his Porsche had been purloined. Initially, Patel resisted giving his residence address, rather providing details of his parent's address. When he eventually gave his own address, officers attended the property as part of their probe into the stolen car. Here they discovered a number of high-value vehicles in the basement car park. Officers identified that one of the cars had a personalized number plate identical to one seen earlier on a vehicle outside Patel's parent's address. Further inquiries by officers established that the five vehicles in the car park had fake number plates and each was later confirmed to have been purloined. Shortly, Patel was arrested at his address. During a hunt of his possessions, Met Police officers recovered 26 sets of car keys, likewise lists of registrations and vehicles, devices for accessing onboard computers in vehicles, programming keys and a number of tablets, mobile phones, and laptops. Following a detailed investigation, led by officers from Croydon's Serious Acquisitive Crime Unit, a total of 19 stolen vehicles with an estimated value of 728,000 pounds were linked to Patel and later seized, also nine sets of keys which had been stolen from Jaguar Land Rover's plant in Solihull, West Midlands, and a laptop purloined in Streatham area of south London during a burglary. During the trial, judge H H J Gower commended the work of the Scotland Yard officer, Police Constable Andy Garland, whose work identified the first stolen vehicle. The police subsequently discovered that Patel had been using the vehicles in the running of an "off-the-books" vehicle rental enterprises, where vehicles were rented out to his connections and associates. The vehicles had been purloined by unknown individuals during burglaries and keyless thefts across London between October 2012 and January 2015 and were stored at or near addresses owned by Patel and his kin, or with links who looked after the vehicles for him or rented them from him. The identities of the cars were hidden using legitimate insurance details of vehicles which had been written off on official records. By Sowmya Sangam

Indian-Origin Man with Eye-Condition to Get Guide Horse in UK October 15, 2018 05:14

An Indian-origin man based in north-west England, who suffers from a degenerative eye condition, is set to become the first person in the United Kingdom to acquire a guide horse to assist him with day-to-day tasks once he loses his imagination completely. Mohammed Salim Patel, 24, a journalist based in Blackburn at Lancashire, suffers from a condition called Retinitis Pigmentosa, due to which he is left with a very little amount of vision in his right eye and will sooner or later turn totally blind. The thought of a miniature guide horse came to his attention as he suffers from a deep-seated fear of dogs since a scary childhood encounter and could not rely on the more usually used guide dogs for the unsighted. "Digby (guide horse) is still a baby and will be two years old in May 2019. His training will take around two more years," Patel said. "Digby will be able to work into his 40s, whereas a guide dog has to retire at the age of eight," he said. After spending some time with his companion-to-be, Patel believes a guide horse has numerous added benefits over guide dogs, even a much longer working life, 350-degree vision and ability to see in the dark. "Even if his training takes longer than two years, it doesn't matter too much as once he's trained, I will have decades with him as my assistant animal," Patel explained. The tale of Digby caught the attention of the annual Amplifon Awards for Brave Britons, where the horse is amongst the finalists in the Hero Pet category - intended at honoring animals who have transformed the lives of their owners. "It's very nice to have Digby recognized for his great work, despite still being in training. He is a star," said Patel, in reference to the awards. The journalist works with the BBC North West Tonight Television after completing a Journalism Trainee Scheme. By Sowmya Sangam

Africa's Indian-Origin Billionaire Abducted in Tanzania October 12, 2018 10:51

An India-origin youngest billionaire of Africa was kidnapped by gunmen on Thursday morning in Dar es Salaam, when he was getting into his gym. According to an ABC News report, the 43-year-old Mohammed Dewji, owner and president of Mohammed Enterprises Tanzania Ltd. (METL) and a former member of Tanzania's Parliament, was entering a gym for his day-to-day morning workout, when he was pushed into the car, and it sped away.Firing their guns into the air, two masked men took Dewji with them. Police have 12 suspects in this case, including the hotel's manager. Dewji served in Parliament from 2005 to 2015.According to Forbes magazine, he has a net worth of $1.5 billion.The motive behind the kidnapping is unknown, yet police suspect that it can be a case of 'ransom kidnapping'.-Sowmya Sangam

Indian Student Becomes UK High Commissioner for a Day October 09, 2018 07:31

A student of political science in a Noida university, Esha Bhala, has become British High Commissioner to India for 24 hours.To observe the International Day of the Girl Child, which is celebrated on October 11, the British High Commission organized a competition for women aged between 18 and 23 to become the British High Commissioner to India for a day.To enter, the competitors submitted a short video presentation on the theme "What does gender equality mean to you?"A total of 58 students from across the country submitted their videos.The successful entry was from Bahal, who plans to become a social entrepreneur after completing her higher studies in public policy and law.Expressing delight over the achievement, acting British High Commissioner for a day, Bahal said: "Acting as British High Commissioner for a day has been a great and really unique experience. I've learned about the breadth and depth of United Kingdom-India relations - and had the opportunity to highlight the importance of gender equality and inclusivity, issues which are of great importance to me."-Sowmya Sangam

India Suspends Passports of 60 NRIs Accused of Deserting Wives October 05, 2018 10:28

About 60 Non-Resident Indian (NRI) passports have been suspended by Indian passport authorities accused of deserting their wives in India soon after marriage. In May this year, the Regional Passport Office (RPO) in Chandigarh, started the procedure of suspending the passport pursuing complaints filed by the abandoned wives. According to a report by SBS Australia, most NRIs whose Indian passports have been suspended are based in Canada and Australia. The reported cited information received from Chandigarh's Regional Passport Officer, Sibash Kabiraj. While the Indian government is not insisting on the deportation of these NRIs, it’s informing the Australian authorities about the status of the affected NRIs’ passports, Kabiraj told SBS. Once a passport is suspended, all the valid visas in the passport are revoked, making the passport holder an illegal immigrant in their country of residence. And if the person is in India, he is barred from traveling abroad."This effectively means that those passports are not valid now and that makes all the visas linked to those passports invalid too," Kabiraj said. 'It's up to the Australian authorities to act now that they know these people are illegally in their country." There are more than 40,000 women from Punjab and Haryana, who have been abandoned within months after marriage to an NRI groom without a legal divorce, the Times of India reported.Related content: NCW Appeals MEA to Foil Ex Parte NRI DivorcesThe Chandigarh RPO, earlier this year started a helpline with an intent to assist the abandoned wives to seek help. More than 50 women call the helpline every day, and are assisted by volunteers in filing complaints against their husbands, the report added."We receive calls every day and we act on those where there's evidence - such as a court order or non-compliance with the summons of a court," Kabiraj told SBS.The RPO has received 2,000 complaints and will start processing them soon. About 70 percent of such cases are from Punjab, according to the Times of India.The Indian government has strengthened its endeavor against absentee NRIs in the recent months, with progressive backing from the Ministry of Women and Child Welfare.Punjab's NRI Commission has recommended suspension of as many as 25 passports in the last two months, the Times of India added.The Chandigarh RPO after flooding with complaints started suspending passports. It is taking action against NRIs whom FIRs have been registered and courts have issued summons or warrants.The passports were suspended after the show-cause notices to truant NRIs did not raise any reply.-Sowmya Sangam

NCW Appeals MEA to Foil Ex Parte NRI Divorces October 04, 2018 05:51

The National Commission for Women on Wednesday asked External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to consider the practicability of entering into agreements with countries having ample India diaspora to prevent dissolution of Non-Resident Indian (NRI) marriages through ex parte divorce decree passed by foreign courts.In a letter to Swaraj, NCW Chairperson Rekha Sharma emphasized the plight of Indian women in NRI marriages.The commission said that in many cases, despite the marriage having been solemnized in accordance with the personal laws of the country (of the husband) and India, foreign courts decide the cases and dissolve marriages.The commission proposed that the ministry explores the feasibility of entering into treaties with countries having sizable Indian diaspora so that cases accompanying dissolution of marriages performed in India may not be adjudicated by the courts of other countries - expect if parties unequivocally and voluntarily submit to their jurisdiction.The NCW pointed out that it has received a big number of complaints from NRI brides regarding ex parte divorce decree passed by the abroad courts.In many cases, such decisions are taken on the grounds currently not available for obtaining a decree of divorce in India, it said."It has been observed by the commission that NRI husbands are misusing such provisions," it said.The commission is of the perspective that the dissolution of marriage in such cases should occur in accordance with the laws of the country where the marriage was solemnized and within that nation as Indian women in NRI marriages are peculiarly vulnerable in foreign countries, oftentimes without any financial support, Sharma said in the letter.By Sowmya Sangam

SEBI Relaxes Foreign Fund Rules for Indians Abroad September 22, 2018 06:38

India's market regulator on Friday laid-back norms on foreign investments by Indians based abroad after concerns over stricter regulations rattled markets earlier this month.The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) said it accepted the recommendations by a panel it had set up to review the rules for foreign portfolio investments.Indian markets, earlier this month, fell sharply after a group of fund managers raised fresh concerns over an April circular from the market regulator related to rules on foreign funds ownership by entities of Indian origin, which they said could lead to massive dollar outflows from the economy.The panel, headed by a former central bank deputy governor, had recommended, among other modifications, that Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) be permitted to invest as foreign portfolio investors if an individual holding is under 25 percent and group holding is under 50 percent in a fund.By Sowmya Sangam

Selling Lunch Boxes, Indian Women in Swiss Raises ₹1.8L for Kerala September 19, 2018 10:02

For galore Indians living abroad, watching what was on in their home country during the Kerala floods was difficult. For a group of women who lived in Switzerland, it was no different. When Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan appealed to people to donate to the CM's Disaster Relief Fund, they too desired to do their bit.The group of 16 women, all living in the Swiss city of Baden, came together and worked for three days to raise Rs 1.8 lakh for Kerala flood relief. All this, by selling lunch boxes with Indian food to locals and other Indians living in the city."The idea was good, but we realized that it would require a larger investment than we could afford, and also formalities and permissions to set it up. We needed something that would allow us to help quicker," tells one of the women Bandana Maheshwari to TNM.After checking with their networks, Linija and Bandana were able to find 14 other women who were curious in the initiative. Related content: Kerala Authorities: Rebuilding After Flood Will Cost $3.7bnCollectively, they decided it would be best to set up and deliver meal boxes with Indian food for all three meals.Everyone got on board speedily, and after readying and popularizing the idea through social media and flyers for just two days, the women decided it was time to swing into action."It was challenging because everything was happening so quickly. Till the midnight of August 21 we were still getting orders," Bandana narrates.On August 22, the plan was set into motion. Two locations were decided where some women would cook the vegetarian and non-vegetarian food respectively. There were some women who were packing lunch boxes, and three women who had cars were accountable for delivery. The responsibilities would rotate over the three days, depending on who was free when."We used what we were going to donate individually as the capital for this project," Bandana says. "While the first day was a bit chaotic, we had gotten into the groove by the second day and then things went smoothly."By Sowmya Sangam