Attackers on Indians in UK to be punished: Britain February 15, 2012 06:38
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Mr Jeremy Browne has assured that perpetrators of attack on Indians in UK will be punished. The minister was in Bangalore for a day on Monday, as part of India tour to celebrate sport and the London 2012 Olympics. Speaking to the media persons, he said, Britain is a safe country and generally harmonius. He underlined the point that Britain has high rate of prosecution and the culprits of attack will not be spared. Speaking about Britain losing the MMRCA fighter aircraft deal, the minister said Indo-UK relations are built on solid foundation and contracts or commercial considerations play no role in them. He highlighted the need to extend India assistance in the field of skill development for self-reliance and eradication of malnutrition among children. He noted that Olympic Games are not just about sports but a festival celebrating human values. The minister played badminton with Indian badminton icon Prakash Padukone on this occasion. Mr Ian Felton, British Deputy High Commissioner in Bangalore was present.
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NRIs returning to India for female foeticide February 10, 2012 12:43
It was observed that some of the Indian families settled in different parts of US, UK, Canada and Australia come back to their nation for determine the sex of their child. After the determination process, if the fetus is found to be a girl, they go for an abortion. NRIs are making their way to India for pre-natal sex determination and female foeticide to make use of the clinical facilities in the country reveals a study conducted by a UK based charity organization. The report will be released next month but the finding of the study was revealed by UK MP Virendra Sharma. The study named ‘Jeena’ (allow me to live) was conducted in Punjab and it was observed that some of the Indian families settled in different parts of US, UK, Canada and Australia come back to their nation for determine the sex of their child. After the determination process, if the fetus is found to be a girl, they go for an abortion. Sharma added that the situation is a serious one affecting both India and abroad which needs to be looked into carefully. The charity has sufficient proof to prove the increasing number of such cases. “The study report will be released in UK next month even as the same will also be simultaneously made available in India for identifying the grey areas and to work out solutions at society and government levels,” said Sharma. He also added that NRI’s are abusing the legal system in India by involving in such activities. “It’s an open secret that a section of clinical facilities in India are open to such practices for obvious reasons. This leads to skewing sex ratio,” he added. “The British High Commission in New Delhi should be engaged with Indian High Commission in London to understand and solve such issues. There is need for a social engineering through engagement of community leaders with government functionaries whether in India or abroad,” said Sharma.
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High rate of denial of H-1B, L-1 visas to Indians: report February 10, 2012 12:25
The denial rate for India-born applicants for new L-1B petitions rose from 2.8 per cent in Fiscal Year 2008 to 22.5 per cent in FY 2009, a substantial increase that resulted in many employers being unable to transfer their employees into the US to work on research projects or serve customers, it said. US immigration authorities, in the past four years, have increased denial of work-related visas, with India-born professionals being refused at higher rates than nationals of other countries, an American think tank said in a report on Friday. Analysis of new data obtained from US Citizenship and Immigration Services showed the agency had increased denials of L-1 and H-1B petitions beginning 2008, thus harming the competitiveness of US employers and encouraging companies to keep more jobs and resources outside the country said the report released by the National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP). The report entitled "Data Reveal High Denial Rates for L-1 and H-1 Petitions at USCIS" indicated most of the increase in denials involves India-born professionals and researchers. The denial rate for India-born applicants for new L-1B petitions rose from 2.8 per cent in Fiscal Year 2008 to 22.5 per cent in FY 2009, a substantial increase that resulted in many employers being unable to transfer their employees into the US to work on research projects or serve customers, it said. Illustrating the abrupt change, immigration authorities denied more L-1B petitions for new petitions for Indians in FY 2009 (1,640) than in the previous nine fiscal years combined (1,341 denials between FY 2000 and FY 2008), it said. The report noted, "If one considers that in FY 2011 63 per cent of all L-1B petitions received a Request for Evidence and 27 per cent were issued a denial, that means US Citizenship and Immigration Services adjudicators denied or delayed between 63 per cent to 90 per cent of all L-1B petitions in 2011." "USCIS adjudicators have demonstrated a capacity to keep skilled foreign nationals out of the US by significantly increasing denials, along with often time-consuming Requests for Evidence, despite no change in the law or relevant regulations," said Stuart Anderson, NFAP's executive director. According to the report, denial rates for L-1B petitions filed with USCIS, which are used to transfer employees with "specialised knowledge" into the US, rose from seven per cent in 2007 to 22 per cent in 2008, despite no change in the law or relevant regulation. The denial rates stayed high for L-1B petitions at 26 per cent in 2009, 22 per cent in 2010 and 27 per cent in 2011. In addition, 63 per cent of L-1B petitions in 2011 were at least temporarily denied or delayed due to a Request for Evidence. Denial rates for H-1B petitions increased from 11 per cent in 2007 to 29 per cent in 2009, and remained higher than in the past for H-1Bs at 21 per cent in 2010 and 17 per cent in 2011, it said. "The dramatic increase in denial rates and Requests for Evidence for employment petitions without any change in the law or regulations raises questions about the training, supervision and procedures of the career bureaucracy that adjudicates petitions and the US government's commitment to maintaining a stable business climate for companies competing in the global economy," the report said. The NFAP said given the resources involved, employers are selective about who they sponsor. The high rate of denials (and Requests for Evidence) comes from a pool of applicants selected because US employers believe the foreign nationals meet the standard for approval. "Denying employers the ability to transfer in key personnel or gain entry for a skilled professional or researcher harms innovation and job creation in the United States, encouraging employers to keep more resources outside the country to ensure predictability," the report said.
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Ex-IITian NRI's 5 mn dollar gift to cancer research project January 30, 2012 04:31
Living up to his promise made nearly four years ago, a US-based Indian and IT entrepreneur on Friday came to his alma-mater Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) here to launch a research centre for biosciences and bio-engineering with the focus on cancer. An alumnus of the 1969 batch of IIT, Romesh Wadhwani, founder of Symphony Technology Group and chairman of Wadhwani Foundation, along with his wife Kathy and IIT Bombay director Devang Khakhar, inaugurated the Wadhwani Research Centre in Biosciences & Bioengineering (WRCBB) at the IIT-Bombay campus on Friday. The WRCBB follows a generous gift of US$ 5 million announced by Wadhwani in 2008 in New York, towards the project, designed to focus on understanding cell motility and cancer invasion. The IIT-B's Faculty of Department of Biosciences & Bioengineering will be affiliated to the WRCBB for the research projects, said Khakhar. He said the Department of Biosciences & Bioengineering is relatively a young department but has already achieved recognition for its research excellence in multiple areas. These include -- cancer cell biology, signalling mechanisms in immune cells, computational biology, computational neurobiology, bio-nanotechnology, biosensors and drug delivery systems, among others. In addition, WRCBB will focus on understanding cell motility and cancer invasion as its research area with the ultimate goal to build a better knowledge base in this field. "WRCBB intends to have top-class faculty conduct cutting edge research using latest in emerging technologies with the sole purpose of changing lives for the better all over the world," Khakhar said.
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Indian -origin surgeon Jayant Patel's appeal to be heard on Feb 10 January 25, 2012 04:40
Convicted Indian- origin surgeon Jayant Patel's appeal will be heard at an Australian High Court on February 10. His appeal will be heard by video link between Canberra and Brisbane, The Courier Mail reports. Patel, also dubbed as Doctor Death, was convicted of three counts of manslaughter and one case of grievous bodily harm, and sentenced to seven years in jail in June 2010 The convictions related to his tenure as a Bundaberg Base Hospital surgeon between March 2003 and April 2005. The Queensland Court of Appeal had earlier rejected Patel's appeal against his conviction.atel will apply for leave to appeal to the High Court on several grounds, including the trial judge Justice John Byrne incorrectly interpreted the legislation under which the crown ran its case. The high court application has a significant importance for Patel as he is still facing eight charges of fraud and attempted fraud in relation to gaining employment at the hospital.
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Ind-American jailed for 20 yrs for money laundering January 23, 2012 06:12
An Indian-American entrepreneur has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for using his perfume distribution business to launder millions of dollars for Mexican drug cartels. 51-year-old Vikram Datta, who was found guilty in September last year on money-laundering charges, was sentenced in Manhattan federal court here. "Datta used his perfume business to remove the stench from Mexican drug cartel money, and now he will pay a steep price for his crimes," Manhattan US Attorney Preet Bharara said. She said the "sentence should make anyone think twice about getting into business with narcotics traffickers." Datta owned multiple retail perfume stores on the US-Mexico border and sold significant amounts of perfume to Mexican purchasers. As payment, he accepted millions of dollars in cash that had been generated from drug sales in the US. According to trial evidence, Mexican money exchange businesses purchased these "narco dollars" in exchange for Mexican pesos. The narco dollars were transported back into the US and used to purchase perfume at businesses, including Datta`s, located in Laredo, Texas.
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NRIs to get right to vote in Indian elections: PM January 11, 2012 04:01
Fulfilling a long-standing demand of its diaspora, India on Sunday said it would allow NRIs to vote and participate in the election process. "Pursuant to the law that was enacted to enable Non-resident Indians to vote in our national elections, the government has issued notifications for registration of overseas electors under the Representation of People Act, 1950," Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said. "This constitutes the first major step to enable Indian residents abroad to participate in our election process," the prime minister said while addressing the annual Pravasi Bharatiya Divas diaspora meet here. He said the diaspora plays an important role in the growth and development of the country. The government recognises it, and was committed to address their concerns and fulfil their demands. "The government and people of India recognise and value the important role being played by Indian communities living abroad. We believe that Indian diaspora has much more to contribute to the building of modern India," the prime minister said. "We propose to facilitate, encourage and promote this engagement. Over the past year, we have taken a number of steps towards this end," he added, as he formally inaugurated the 10th annual diaspora meet, the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) here. Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi said NRIs would be able to exercise their franchise in upcoming elections. "Indian nationals living abroad can now exercise their franchise in India at the time o f the elections," Ravi said. Now those NRIs who have registered with the embassies of their respective countries of stay, would be eligible to vote in the upcoming assembly elections in five states including Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa and Manipur. Polls will take place in these countries between Jan 28 and March 3. Ravi said objective of the government was to further increase engagements with diaspora. "Our objective is to raise the level of engagement to go beyond mere investment related issues and address a broader agenda." "We believe that this will provide the vast majority of you the opportunity to benefit from as well as contribute - each in your own way - to India's development story," the minister said. Later talking to media person, Ravi said this year's Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) is the largest congregation of Indian diaspora. He said almost 1,900 delegates from around 60 countries were participating in the three-day event.
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Involve overseas Indians as partners: President Pratibha Patil January 10, 2012 04:50
President Pratibha Patil on Monday said the country would continue supporting overseas Indians and encourage greater exchanges among the communities living abroad. In the present times of economic uncertainty and profound change in the world, the country would actively involve overseas Indians as partners in the development and progress of the nation, she said addressing the valedictory session of the 10 Pravasi Bharatiya Divas here. Addressing a packed B.M. Birla Auditorium in the presence of Trinidad & Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar, Union Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi, Rajasthan's acting Governor Shivraj Patil and Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, the President said the overseas Indians were becoming influential in the economic and political fields of the countries of their residence. They could play a key role in taking forward India's interests as well, she added. The President said health, education and skill development would continue to remain the priority areas in the strategy of inclusive development in the 12th Plan. She said the Government would spend adequate resources to ensure maximum efficiency in these identified focus areas. The Government also should ensure that the resources were spent to achieve maximum efficiency in terms of outcome. “We need to harness private investment in these areas,” she added. Ms. Patil, who talked about a sustainable future, said the Overseas Indians could play a decisive role in it with the knowledge they have gained in various fields. She underlined the role of linking the younger generation with the country of their forefathers. “We must continue to promote greater exchanges between the youth as an important aspect of forging linkages and maintaining the tradition of close bonds.” Ms. Bissessar, the chief guest at the function, was the first one to be called out to receive the “Pravasi Bharatiya Samman” awards along with 14 others. Dressed in colourful Rajasthani attire to suit the occasion, she demurely touched the feet of Ms. Patil in the true Bharatiya style to make it the high point of the three-day function. Speaking on the occasion, Ms. Bissessar said the only passport out of poverty to a better life was education, which was a priority among Indians. She added that the Indian values helped the diaspora during the good and not so good times. “We believe in our potential. We have not allowed anything to put us down,” she said about the undying spirit of the Overseas Indian. Complimenting India, she said the country has become truly global. The cultural and economic power house that India is today impacts the lives of people beyond its borders. She concluded by urging the young diaspora to participate in the PBD with enthusiasm. She cited the words of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh asking to build bridges of communication and ended saluting the Mahatma. “A small body of spirit fired by unquenchable faith in a mission can alter the course of history,” she added. The President gave away the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards also to P. V Radhakrishna Pillai (Bahrain) for his outstanding contribution to the Indian community; Sachchidanand Sahai (Cambodia) for his scholarly work, and for his role in fostering relation between India and Canada; Deepak Naraindas Shivdasani (Cote D'Ivoire) for promoting India in Africa; and Victor Shahed Smetacek (Germany) for his outstanding contributions in the field of science. Awards were given for furthering the interests of the Indian communities abroad to Sri Prakash Lohia (Indonesia), Jose Parayanken (Mozambique), Kiran Navinchandra Aher (Oman), Hassan Abdulkarim Chougule (Qatar) Khorshed Noshir Ginwala-Rustomjee (South Africa), Rajesh Kumar Saraiya (Ukraine) and Surendra Kumar Kaushik (US) for his contributions in the field of economics. Kalpalatha Kummamuri Guntupalli (US), who spoke on behalf of all the awardees, was honoured for her contributions in the field of medicine. Also awarded in absentia was S.R. Nathan, former President of Singapore, for his contributions in the field of public service. Referring to the theme, “Global Indians -- Inclusive Growth”, Vayalar Ravi, Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs, said the diaspora could play a very constructive role in the inclusive growth agenda of the Government.
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President Pratibha Patil will give Pravasi Bhartiya Samman on Monday January 09, 2012 04:33
President Pratibha Patil will grace the closing ceremony of PBD on Monday. According ot the official sources Pratibha Patil will be in Rajasthan on a 2 day visit. The President will be reaching Jaipur in the afternoon and at the evening around 5 she will be participating in the closing ceremony of Pravasi Bhartiya Diwas 2012 in Birla Auditorium. She will also honour 12 NRI’s with Pravasi Bhartiya Samman for their outstanding achievements and contribution. On Tuesday Pratibha Patil will start from Jaipur for Rajsamand where she will be inaugurating the statue of Marana Pratap and will also give green signal to the rally of ex-army men in Diver village. The President will also visit the statue of Maharana Pratap in Udaipur’s Bandoli village and in the evening she will go back to Delhi.
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Indian economy to grow at 9% - 10% in medium term: Manmohan January 09, 2012 07:54
While India’s growth has been impacted by the global slowdown, given the strong economic fundamentals of the Indian economy the effort is to bring the economy back to 9-10% growth in the medium term, said Dr Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India in his Inaugural Address at the 10th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) 2012. The event has been jointly organized by Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (Government of India), Government of Rajasthan and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) from 7-9 January at Jaipur. He added that efforts to tackle inflation are producing results. Expressing his appreciation for the contributions made by the Indian community living abroad, he highlighted some of the Government initiatives for the diaspora. On their long pending demand for participation in the country’s election process, Dr Singh informed that the Government has issued notifications for registering NRIs under the Representation of People Act, 1950. This is a first major step to enable Indian residents abroad to participate in the election process, he added. He further highlighted the introduction of a Bill to merge People of Indian Origin and Overseas Citizen of India schemes by amending the Citizenship Act. He elaborated that this would rectify the anomalies in the schemes and also provide for Overseas Indian Cards to foreign spouses as well. Sharing the measures taken to ensure the safety and well being of Indian workers abroad, Dr Singh said that the Government has decided to introduce and sponsor a new Pension and Life Insurance Fund which will provide social security benefits and a low-cost life insurance cover against natural death. He elaborated on the expansion of the Labour Mobility Partnership Agreements to cover students, academic and professionals as well. Such agreements are also being negotiated with Netherlands, France, Australia and the EU as well, he added. Dr Singh complimented the Government of Rajasthan on its proposal to build a Pravasi Bhartiya Bhawan at Jaipur, which will also house the offices of Protector of Emigrants and Migrant Resource Center. Prime Minister also launched the website of India Development Foundation of Overseas Indians (IDFOI), a trust under the aegis of MOIA providing a credible window for Overseas Indian Philanthropy for India’s social development. He also released a OIFC– MOIA publication “Returning Indians - All you need to know”.
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Need to increase the share of healthcare in GDP to 2.5% from 1.0% : Ghulam Nabi Azad January 09, 2012 07:11
There is a need to increase the share of healthcare in GDP to 2.5% from present level of 1.0%, said Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad, Minister for Health & Family Welfare, Government of India in his inaugural Address at the Seminar on “Health and Wellness : Partnering with the Diaspora”. The seminar is being held as part of the 10th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) 2012 organized jointly by Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (Government of India), Government of Rajasthan and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) at Jaipur. Mr Azad acknowledged the role played by Indian diaspora in the global healthcare industry and requested their meaningful contribution for improving the health indicators in the country. Government is contemplating on allowing diaspora practitioners having Post Graduate degrees from USA, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand to practice in India, he added. He also solicited their views, inputs and suggestions to improve the healthcare system in the nation. Highlighting the shortage of skilled manpower in the Indian healthcare system, Mr Azad pointed out paradoxical situation in the country, wherein there is a surplus of about 5 lakh qualified practitioners in Indian system of medicine and shortage of about 7 lakh doctors in allopath stream. To address this situation, the Government has undertaken taken policy reforms to encourage capacity building in medical institutions. These include rationalization of land use for setting medical institutions, placing FDI in healthcare under automatic approval route, and increasing the faculty student ratio in PG Medical Colleges to 1 : 2 from 1 : 1. Mr T K A Nair, Advisor to Prime Minister of India said that focus of Government of India is to provide accessible and quality healthcare systems to vulnerable and weaker sections of the society and to increase the base of qualified medical practitioners. He urged support of Indian diaspora in promoting India as a hub of innovation, qualified medical experts, and R & D to make the country a great soft power. There is need for exchange of medical professionals among countries, he opined. Mr P K Pradhan, Secretary, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India talked about the diversity in health indicators across the States and also across districts. There is a need to relook at the system of delivery of quality healthcare services with active participation from the local bodies and communities, he said. Dr Hemant G Patel, Past President – AAPI, called for increased public funding in healthcare. Currently more than three quarters of healthcare expenditure is paid privately with high out of pocket expenses. The growth of the Indian economy will be in jeopardy if preventive and remedial measures are not taken to improve the health of its growing population. Risks posed by rapidly spreading Non Communicable Diseases like cancer, diabetes, cardio vascular diseases is indeed great, he elaborated. The Seminar comprised of Sessions on ‘Wellness and Welfare : Inclusive Growth in the Health Sector’ and ‘Investment in Health Sector’.
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Alok Gupta murder: No racist angle in the attack, says Canadian envoy January 05, 2012 13:24
Canada has assured that there will be no repeat of incidents like the murder of Indian student Alok Gupta. It also added that there was “no racist angle in the attack”. In an interview to Headlines Today, the Canadian high commissioner to India, Stuart Beck said: “We regret the tragic incident and will ensure that there is no repeat…There is no racist angle in the attack.” “We value Indian Diaspora…millions of Indians in Canada. I can assure people of India that Canada is safe for Indian students and visitors,” Beck was quoted as saying to Headlines Today. Alok, an Indian student, working part time at a convenience store, was shot dead in the western Canadian city of Surrey, in a shocking Christmas Day attack. 27-year-old Alok had volunteered to work the afternoon shift to allow the store owners celebrate Christmas together, and was killed by an unidentified gunman. It is not yet clear whether Alok was shot during a robbery attempt.Police is yet to make an arrest in connection with the case, but say they do not believe it was gang-related.
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