NRI ( Page 35 of 82 )

Indians Forced to Leave GCC Countries, Reveals External Affairs Ministry August 11, 2018 06:33

The statistics from the external affairs ministry reveals that an entire of around 1.7 lakh Indians have been forced to leave the Gulf Cooperation Council countries alone since 2014. Additional 30,000 have been forced to…

Lok Sabha Enables Bill Allowing NRIs to Cast Vote Through Proxy August 11, 2018 05:15

The Lok Sabha on Thursday passed a bill to widen the facility of 'proxy voting' to abroad Indians, on the lines of service voters. Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad responding to the debate on the Representation of the People (Amendment) Bill, 2017, said it was a "momentous event" and a sizable chance was being given to Non-Resident Indians (NRIs).He said the constitution makers had given the right to vote to all Indians and as such the NRIs too had the right. "Let us not deride the contribution of NRIs. They have made a place for themselves through their hard work. Their commitment to India is truly remarkable," he said.Regarding the possibility of misuse of proxy provision, he said regulations will be made in such a way that if the law is flouted, it will lead to cancellation of the mandate. "Our sympathy is with them. They should be given the right to vote," he said.Prasad said migrant workers can at present vote from their original place of living or by satisfying the Election Commission that they were ordinary residents of their place of work."It is a properly defined legal word. Armed forces are also given right of proxy voting," he said.Regarding the proposal for presenting e-voting, Prasad said there were a batch of troubles in it and more advancement in technology will be required to make a secure architecture.Pointing to opposition benches, he said they should not have any objection if NRIs want to listen to Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he travels abroad.The Representation of the People Act, 1950 renders for allocation of seats and delimitation of constituencies for elections, qualifications of voters, and preparation of electoral rolls.The Representation of the People Act, 1951, provides for the conduct of elections and offenses and disputes related to elections. The statement of grounds and objects of the bill states that the Registration of Electoral Rules, 1960 render that the abroad voters can register themselves in the electoral rolls and exercise their franchise in person on production of original passport. "The existing rules stipulate the physical presence of the overseas electors in the respective polling station in India on the day of polling. This causes hardship to the overseas electors in exercising their franchise by being present in India on the day of polling."In view of the above difficulty faced by the overseas electors, the Government has considered the feasibility of facilitating external mode of voting i.e. voting by proxy, whereby such electors can exercise their franchise from their place of residence abroad," the statement said.According to a United Nations survey, India's diaspora population is the largest in the world with 16 million people from the country living in 2015.The bill likewise proposes changes in the Acts to make provisions gender neutral and supplant the term wife with a spouse.By Sowmya Sangam

Government: NRIs Cannot File RTI Applications August 09, 2018 05:46

The government proclaimed on Wednesday that Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) cannot file applications to Right to Information (RTI) in order to seek governance-related information from the Central government departments. "Only citizens of India have the right to seek information under the provisions of Right to Information Act, 2005. Non-Resident Indians are not eligible to file RTI applications," Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh said in a written reply.He said subject to the provisions of the Act, the citizens of India could file an online application under the Right to Information Act, 2005."Currently, systems of 2,200 public authorities have been aligned to receive, process and reply to online RTIs from the applicants," the Minister said.The RTI's official website - www.rtionline.gov.in could be accessed by applicants and choose the desired Ministry or department under the Central government and file an RTI application. An elaborated user manual and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's) were accessible on the website to assist in filing the application."Applicant can pay the requisite fee through online payment in this portal and submit the RTI application," the Minister said.By Sowmya Sangam

Indian-origin Mathematician Akshay Venkatesh Wins Fields Medal August 02, 2018 05:57

A renowned Indian-Australian mathematician Akshay Venkatesh, who is currently teaching at Stanford University has been bestowed with mathematics esteemed Fields medal among four others, which is known as the Nobel prize for math. For every four years, the Fields medals are awarded to the most promising mathematicians under the age of 40.The New-Delhi born 93-year-old has won the Fields Medal for his "profound contributions to an exceptionally broad range of subjects in mathematics."On Wednesday, at the International Congress of Mathematics, the citation for his medal has been awarded in Rio de Janeiro highlights his "profound contributions to an exceptionally broad range of subjects in mathematics" and his "strikingly far-reaching conjectures."The winner's received a Canadian-dollar cash prize of 15,000. At least two, and preferably four people, are always honored in the award ceremony.In 1932, the prize was commenced at the request of John Charles Fields, a Canadian mathematician who ran the 1924 Mathematics Congress in Toronto.Venkatesh's life journey has been full of accolades and achievements - from being a child prodigy to becoming one of the most renowned researchers in the mathematics field. He moved to Perth, Australia, with his parents when he was 2.He participated the premier international competitions for high school students - in maths and physics Olympiads and won medals in the two subjects at ages 11 and 12, respectively.At the age of 13, he finished his high school and at of 16, he graduated from University of Western Australia with first class honors in mathematics in 1997.In 2002, at the age of 20, he earned his Ph.D. At MIT, he held a post-doctoral position to become a Clay Research Fellow and, at present a professor at Stanford University.By Sowmya Sangam

Govt. Framing New Law to Tackle Problems in NRI Marriages: Sushma Swaraj July 28, 2018 10:29

The Minister of External Affairs of India on Friday said the government is framing a new law to tackle the difficulty in NRI (Non-Resident Indian) marriages and providing for deterrent measures. The measures would comprise confiscation of NRI properties who have abandoned their wives.A new bill is likely to be taken up in the next session of Parliament, which would cancel passport and confiscate the property of a person, said Swaraj Swaraj, at a seminar on trafficking of women and children and NRI marriages. "We are also developing a separate website where summons and warrants against NRI men who have abandoned their wives and have illegally married abroad will be uploaded. Those responding to it will be declared a proclaimed offender and his properties would be seized," she added."And if he doesn't return, his property could be sold to give financial aid to his aggrieved wife. We will have to make some amendments to the Code of Criminal Procedure. We are already in talks with Law and Home ministry and all efforts are being made to ensure that a law is in place by the end of this year," she said.The MEA has received about 3,328 complaints from Indian women in last three years who have been abandoned by their NRI husbands."We are acting tough on such cases. For a start, the passports of eight NRI men accused of abandoning their wives have been canceled. The accused whose passports were revoked have surrendered," Sushma Swaraj added.By Sowmya Sangam

TAUK Hosts Bonalu Celebrations in London July 19, 2018 09:54

Telangana Association of United Kingdom (TAUK) celebrated Bonalu fete in London in an expansive manner.Regional Members of Parliament Seema Malhotra, Virendra Sharma, and the initial secretary of Indian High Commission Anima Bharadwaj dignified the celebrations as the chief guests while more than 800 Non-Resident Indian (NRI) family members from all the corners of United Kingdom took part in the event.Umpteen locals likewise took part in the celebrations which were held in unalloyed conventional ways.The chief guests, as enthralled with the grand celebrations, acclaimed the endeavor of TAUK for their social service programs without bounds. They likewise offered their assistance in all possible manners to the approaching TAUK programs. TAUK founder Anil Koormachalam, President Pavitra Reddy Kandi, Vice-president Swathi Budagam, and Secretary Ravi Rethineni uttered their felicity on the success of the Bonalu event.By Sowmya Sangam

NRI Sisters Sell Nuts to Aid Cancer Patients in Mumbai July 19, 2018 06:51

Dubai-settled teenage sisters have been selling packaged nuts for a year now in order to raise money to aid children suffering from cancer and assist them with finer care at Mumbai's Tata Memorial Hospital.Till date, their endeavor has provided 1500+ nights of shelter to children and their families, who would otherwise be staying roadside.The duo, under the Helping Hands Foundation's Accommodation Project, sells nuts to raise funds at local events and exhibitions in the United Arab Emirates.Mehr Bhatia, 16, says, "We don't take donations; instead, we sell organic nuts for a certain price, the proceeds of which all go to the project. A packet of nuts priced Dh40 can fund a night’s stay of a child at the hospital."Earlier this week, sisters Mehr Bhatia and Shenaya Bhatia, visited Mumbai to meet the children, along with their parents, who are second-generation businesspersons in Dubai. Shenaya, 12, says on their trip, "The experience was an eye-opener, we knew it would be hard for those kids and their families but seeing it ourselves made us aware of how much more we need to do."It was the first time they met the affected children. Mehr says, "Communicating with the children in the hospital wasn't very successful as they were quite young and shy to speak to visitors. Later when we visited the Dharamshala where the kids and their families were staying during treatment, we spoke to a 17-year-old girl who told us about how she was treated in the Tata Memorial Hospital but her Leukemia then relapsed and her whole family had to travel back to Mumbai from her village for the treatment, she has spent seven years of her life in and out of hospitals."She adds, "We also had the chance to speak to some of the parents who told us about the struggles they go through and how their entire family is affected throughout the period of treatment. Both parents are required for the duration of the child’s stay in the hospital as usually the mother stays with the child and provides emotional support whereas the father then goes out to collect funds to support the rest of his family."Currently, they plan on taking the awareness one step farther by giving more negotiations across Dubai and in schools.The duo says they would like to keep the literal sum of funds raised unveiled.By Sowmya Sangam

Two Indian-origin Children Killed in Mishap in Australia July 11, 2018 05:51

Two Indian-origin children were killed in a road mishap while their parents endured earnest injuries when their car met with an accident in this Australian city, according to a media report. The mishap occurred on Sunday when a vehicle trying to catch up with another car clashed with their car on Hopkins Road in Truganina in Melbourne. The victims, who hailed from Kerala, were reverting home from a birthday celebration. The 10-year-old Ruana was killed at the incident while her brother Immanuel died at the Royal Children's Hospital last night, the report said. The parents have been admitted to the infirmary with the health of the mother, Manju Varughese, being critical, it said. The vicar of St Mary's Indian Orthodox Cathedral in Melbourne, Reverend Father Pradeep Ponnachan, said that the victims were long-familiar members of the church. "They were a devoted, pious family," he said. "The church community is terribly disturbed, there are no words to explain." By Sowmya Sangam

Indian-American Named to Key Federal Aviation Advisory Committee July 02, 2018 07:50

Indian-American Vivek Lall has been named after a primal federal aviation advisory committee which renders counsel to the government on the future of airspace system.A current vice-president at Lockheed Martin, Lall would be representing the viewpoints of defense technology organizations in the NextGen Advisory Committee of the Department of Transportation.The committee advises on the regime on topics including, NextGen investment priorities, capability deployment timing, equipage incentives, specific technologies, and deployments such as DataComm, National Airspace System performance metrics, and airspace design initiatives.Lall, a worldwide famed aerospace scientist, has been nominated for a term of two-year on the committee that provides guidance on wide-ranging topics affecting the United States and the global aviation community.He has been a top authoritative at Boeing and General Atomics in the past and with success led over USD12 billion of U.S.-India trade.By Sowmya Sangam

Indian-origin woman, ex-lover Jailed for Murder in Australia June 23, 2018 09:02

Nearly three years after the murder of Keralite Sam Abraham, his wife, and her ex-beau, both hailing from Kerala have been imprisoned in Melbourne for more than 20 years by an Australian court for malignantly poisoning her husband with cyanide-laced orange juice.Sofia Sam, 34, and her ex-lover Arun Kamalasanan, 36, were found guilty in February for putting Sofia's spouse Sam Abraham to death at his residence in Melbourne in October 2015, According to Australian news agency.On Thursday, Australian Supreme Court imprisoned Arun Kamalasanan, who hold the "architect" of the poison plot, for 27 years and Sofia Sam for 22 years.Sam Abraham, 33, was found dead in his trousers and foaming at the mouth, initially is thought to have suffered a heart failure. But a post-mortem report subsequently disclosed he died of cyanide poisoning. After a drawn-out police operation, Arun and Sam were charged, proved and found guilty."This is a very serious example of the crime of murder. Sam Abraham was a young man asleep in bed at home with his family when he was killed by the use of poison. I am satisfied that the poison was chosen as your murder weapon in an attempt to avoid detection," said Justice Paul Coghlan while announcing the sentence.A long lens was used by detectives to spy on Sofia and Kamalasanan for months after the death, watching them meet for lunch and run errands, the report said.A secret diary was also unveiled by detectives in which Sofia shared with Arun, illustrating their "deep" feelings for each other."It was a major part of the prosecution case that both of you had been in a long-term relationship, notwithstanding you both being married," Justice Coghlan said.Sam and Arun, both hailing from Kerala met during their course at Mahatma Gandhi University. Arun had left his married woman and kid back in India and moved to Melbourne in the middle of 2013.According to trial, Sam moved with her six-year-old son to Australia from India in 2012."Both Sofia and Arun had a motive to kill Sam. They both wanted to be together," Prosecutor Kerri Judd had told the trial.The court set a non-parole period to Arun for 23 years and 18 years for Sofia.By Sowmya Sangam

MEA Website to Display Summons to Swindle NRI Husbands June 14, 2018 06:35

The Ministry of External Affairs will now display the summons to Non-Resident Indian men who abandon their wives on their official website, an official said on Wednesday. The decision was taken in order to create a stronger deterrent for swindle NRIs. It was taken under the chairmanship of Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and among other legal solutions for redressing the issues faced by women in NRI marriages at a meeting of the Group of Ministers, The meet was attended by officials from the External Affairs, Law and Justice and Women and Child Development Ministry. "We (Women and Child Development Ministry) are grateful to Rajnath Singh, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Law and Justice Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad for enumerating fine details on ways to resolve the issue of NRI marriages," said the Women and Child Development Ministry in a tweet."We are working towards putting in place an efficient mechanism that will provide immediate relief to women in troubled NRI marriages," it added.According to sources, the Law Ministry previously did not sanction of displaying the summons of NRI marriages on the MEA website and besides clashed with the Women and Child Development Ministry over impounding passports and arrogation of the property of those NRI husbands who have been found guilty of deserting their wives and failed to appear in the court.Earlier this month, the External Affairs Ministry revoked passports of five NRIs and as well issuing Look-out-Circulars by Integrated Nodal Agency, an Inter-ministerial body headed by women and Child Development Secretary Rakesh Srivastava, with an aim to deal with matrimonial disputes. The Women and Child Development Ministry had earlier said that it has received 40 cases accompanying to matrimonial conflicts relating to NRIs, of which six were found to be earnest and LoC issued.The Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi inclined for issuing orders for registering NRI marriages within 48 hours, else the passport or visa of NRI husbands will not be issued. According to the ministry, in vicious matters involving NRIs, the LoC can be issued by the investigating agency in cognizable offenses when an abroad husband is intentionally evading apprehension or not appearing in the trial court contempt non-bailable warrants and other powerful measures, or there is a likeliness that he will leave the country to evade legal proceeding or arrest.By Sowmya Sangam

RBI may raise $30-35 Billion through NRI Bonds to Support Rupee: Report June 12, 2018 08:43

The Reserve Bank of India through Non-Resident Indian bonds expects to hike USD 30-35 billion to aid the rupee and commence the slowdown in Foreign Portfolio Investment (FPI) flows amid emerging oil prices, says a report.The FPI inflows to India will be impacted by Chinese firms listing in global benchmark indices like MSCI, it said.According to a report by Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BofAML), the listing in benchmark indices will shift up to USD 100 billion to China market by 2019."Our China strategists estimate that possible entry into benchmark indices could push up to USD 100 billion into the China markets by end-2019. FPI equity flows to India may slow amid political uncertainty in the run-up to the general elections, given rich valuations," Bank of America Merill Lynch (BofAML) said in a research note.It further said that "We grow more confident that the RBI will issue the fourth tranche of NRI bonds to raise, say, USD 30-35 billion, to offset a slowdown in FPI flows on the listing of China paper in various benchmark indices at a time of higher oil prices," the report noted.NRI bonds are forex deposits with some lock-in and an implicit RBI guarantee elevated from NRIs at attractive rates for 3-5 years.RBI will issue NRI bonds if the global oil prices prevail at USD 70/bbl. BofAML oil strategists forecast USD 71.8/bbl for 2018-19 and USD 75.3/bbl for 2019-20 and accordingly the actual account deficit will increase to 2.4 percent of GDP this fiscal from 0.7 percent in 2016-17, the report noted."We think that there is a rising case for issuing NRI bonds. Every NRI bond issuance has been effective in curbing Indian Rupee volatility," the report noted.The report further noted that the RBI is hoped-for to follow an asymmetrical policy of purchasing forex when the USD weakens and defending Rs66/USD when it strengthens. On the rupee, which has been falling against the US dollar, BofAML said its strategists see the Indian currency at Rs 69.75/USD by December. The rupee is currently hovering around Rs 67/USD.By Sowmya Sangam