Three Members of Indian Origin Family Killed in Road Accident in Saudi Arabia July 01, 2019 10:17
Three people of an Indian origin family died in a road accident in Saudi Arabia in the intervening night of Friday and Saturday.The incident took place when the family of four members, hailing from Hyderabad…
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Trump Administration Begins Process for Revised H-1B Visa Norms June 29, 2019 11:58
The United States has begun the process for its new rules that would mandate companies who seek H-1B visas for its workers to register first online before applying for the work permit, a move that…
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Indian American Teen Avi Gupta Wins $100k in Teen Jeopardy Contest June 29, 2019 11:44
The 17-year-old IndianAmerican has won the 2019 Teen Jeopardy contest taking the $100,000 prize in America's most-watched individual quiz show. Avi Gupta's victory televised on Friday marks a near-clean sweep of popular student contests in the past year by IndianAmericans. He is from Portland, Oregon, and completed high school recently, although he was still a high schooler when the program was pre-recorded several weeks ago. He beat out three other IndianAmerican teens in the contest, which featured a total of 15 students. During the show, he told the host, Alex Trebek, that people questioned the value of accumulating a trove of trivia when they could be googled. But he said that building a wide range of knowledge was important because arguments and ideas can be built only on facts. (Video Source: Jeopardy!) The 2018 College Jeopardy, which also carried a prize of $100,000, was won by Dhruv Gaur. The 2019 National Geography Bee, which tests knowledge of geography, was won by Nihar Janga. In the 2019 National Spelling Bee last month seven of the eight co-winners were of Indian descent. In the previous 10 years, only IndianAmericans had been winners. IndianAmericans have made their mark in science contests also. Although there were no winners among them, 16 of the 30 finalists in the nation's top contest, the Regeneron National Science Talent Search, were on Indian descent. In the Broadcom Masters science contest for middle school students, eight of the 30 finalists were IndianAmericans. By Sowmya Sangam
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Over 20 Indians Living Abroad Facing CBI Probe for Financial Irregularities June 28, 2019 16:29
There are 24 Indians living abroad who are involved in financial irregularities with banks and are under criminal probe in Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) cases for the last three years, the Indian government informed…
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8,189 Indian Nationals Jailed Abroad: Government June 27, 2019 11:01
About 8,189 Indians were lodged in jail overseas, according to the government data released Wednesday tabulated until May 31, a rise of around 6 percent from last year’s figure of 7,737. Saudi Arabia is home to the largest number of Indian nationals lodged in foreign prisons, followed by the United Arab Emirates and Nepal. The data released is the part of a statement by external affairs minister S Jaishankar in the Lok Sabha in response to a question by a Member of Parliament (MP). Saudi Arabian jails have 1,811 Indian nationals, UAE 1,392, Nepal 1,160, United States 689, and Pakistan 48. In all, six Gulf countries are home to approximately half of all Indians lodged in jails abroad. Pakistani jails contained 471 Indians last year, meaning the number has dropped steeply in the past year. “Indian missions and posts abroad remain vigilant and closely monitor the incidents of Indian nationals being put in jail in foreign countries for violation of local laws or alleged violation of local laws,” said the statement. Many countries do not share information, or provide details of individual cases, because of strong privacy laws, added the statement. The minister’s statement also said that 3,087 Indians received amnesty or commutation of their sentences in the Gulf countries since 2016. After several incidents of harassment of Indians abroad, the government has asked Indian workers to register with local consular services, and started distributing information to intensify their awareness of local laws, customs and regulations. By Sowmya Sangam
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3 Factors to Consider Before Selecting the Best University for Studying Medicine Abroad June 26, 2019 15:44
Recently, the report by Reserve Bank of India (RBI) stated that a growing number of Indian students are now deciding on to go abroad to pursue their higher education. It is found that Indians spent…
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After Expending Rs 200 Cr for Wedding in Uttarakhand, NRI Gupta Family Will Pay Rs 54k for Clearing Dump June 25, 2019 18:21
South Africa-based controversial Indian Gupta family has deposited Rs 54,000 with the Municipal Corporation in Uttarakhand in India and also agreed to pay the entire cost of cleaning up after their mega Rs 200 crore wedding functions left the town of Auli with major waste management problems. The Municipality has deployed 20 workers to clear the waste lying around in the area. The High Court has likewise directed the Pollution Control Board and District Administration to submit a report by July 7 on the harm caused to the environment due to the waste material. The next hearing in the matter is scheduled for July 8. "The Gupta family had deposited Rs 54,000 as of user charge. Over 150 quintal waste has been cleaned up till now. After the cleaning work is complete the total bill of all the expenses, including manual labour and vehicles, will be sent to them. The family has agreed to pay the entire bill and also provide a vehicle to the Municipality," said Shailendra Panwar, Municipality President. (Image Source: The Economic Times) The wedding ceremony of Suryakanth, son of Ajay Gupta took place in Auli in Uttarakhand from June 18 to 20, while the wedding ceremony of Atul Gupta's son Shashank was held from June 20 to 22. (Image Source: The Economic Times) Earlier, a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed stating the extensive wedding preparations were damaging the environment. Many celebrities, including chief ministers, B-Town stars like Katrina Kaif, yoga guru Baba Ramdev had attended the wedding. A two-hour yoga session was also conducted by yoga guru at the wedding. Choppers were hired to ferry the guests. Almost all the resorts and hotels were booked and flowers were imported from Switzerland for the two high-profile marriages. By Sowmya Sangam
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Guide for NRIs Seeking Home Loan in India June 25, 2019 12:51
If you are a Non-Resident Indian (NRI) looking to avail a home loan in India, below given are few things for you to keep in mind while applying. Documents Required for NRI Home Loan 1.…
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Fresh Bill to Allow Proxy Voting to NRIs June 24, 2019 11:00
The Indian union cabinet will take a call Monday to introduce a fresh bill in parliament to extend the facility of proxy voting to Indians abroad after the similar bill has lapsed following the dissolution of the 16th Lok Sabha last month. According to sources, the union cabinet will consider introducing the bill in parliament, which proposes that Indians abroad, who are entitled to casting vote in India, can appoint a proxy voter on their behalf. At present, overseas Indians are permitted to cast their votes in constituencies they are enrolled. The Bill seeks to give them the option of proxy voting, which is currently available to service personnel only. There are about 3.10 crore Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) living in different countries across the world, according to estimates of the Ministry of External Affairs. Back in 2015, an expert committee of the Election Commission, working on the issue, forwarded the legal framework to the Ministry of Law and Justice to amend the electoral laws to allow the overseas Indians to use proxy voting. An unofficial data with the Election Commission shows that only 10,000 to 12,000 overseas voters have exercised their franchise owing to the reason that they do not want to spend foreign currency to come to India and vote. The bill said the necessary provision of coming to India to cast ballot caused hardship for overseas electors. Amendment bill’s another provision, according to the provisions in the electoral law, relates to the spouses of service voters. Currently, an army man’s wife is eligible to be enrolled as a service voter, but a woman army officer’s husband is not. The bill proposes to replace the word ‘wife’ with ‘spouse’, hence making the provision gender-neutral. Members of the central armed police forces, armed forces, employees of the center posted outside India, and personnel of state police forces posted outside their state are eligible to be enrolled as service voters. By Sowmya Sangam
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Meet Pranav, Who Has Set up Tea Stalls in London to Give Unemployed Refugees Means of Livelihood June 24, 2019 10:38
The lack of employment has been quite hard-hitting for both the refugees and immigrants who migrated to different parts of Europe. From a deficiency of jobs for the migrants to a proper way of living, everything was compromised upon while they were not given any opportunity to make it on their own. Pranav, an Indian origin resident in London, came across a hard-hitting news story about three years ago, when the crisis had reached its hilt. The story was about a 12-year-old Iraqi boy who was asked by the interviewer what he thought about going back to his homeland, Iraq, to which the boy said, “I'm not happy as I know I'll die, but I have to go back with my family.” This interview certainly changed Pranav's life and how. (Image source from: MensXP.com) Pranav is a Delhi-born businessman and an owner of London-based tea company Chaigram (now NEMI). His social enterprise employs refugees, who work for Chaigram and help run the tea-stalls across London food markets, festivals and various events. Chaigram helps refugees who find it difficult to find jobs, earn a steady income by employing them full-time. "Ours is a platform where the refugees can improve their English skills, regain confidence and work on skills required to enter the United Kingdom job market. We also employ them within our business to perform commercial roles including sales and marketing, events, packaging, and distribution. We are solely impact driven and re-invest more than 50 percent of our profits back into our enterprise to help us achieve our social-impact goals," Pranav said in an interview with Better India. Pranav, a resident of London for seven years now, felt that people who had migrated to the UK needed to be recognized with a lot more civility and respect needed an incoming source of income and equal opportunities. (Image source from: MensXP.com) After reading up about the Iraqi family who was forced to move back to their country from Europe, he was deeply disturbed and thought about doing something to make a difference. He understood that for the refugees, getting an asylum claim acceptance wasn't the end of their difficult journey. It was mostly acceptance in the society that they struggled with and Pranav took no time in creating a viable space for them. After deeply researching about the refugee crisis in Europe, Pranav with his savings opened up an organization that would help refugees keep their identity and his only totem to run the initiative was 'chai'. He banked on his love and knowledge of chai and opened 'Chaigram'. He partnered with 'Groundwork London', an organization that works towards providing sustainable employment, and began an initiative to give refugees jobs and other skills. Currently, the organization has provided work to about 18 refugees, who work in packaging and distribution along with more commercial roles like sales, marketing and handling events. Apart from that, the people working with Pranav also learn English language skills, so they can converse better. The refugees employed currently are from Syria, Iraq, Sudan, Pakistan, and Eritrea. Chaigram possess stalls in two London markets and supplies tea to about 20 cafes. Chaigram sells Masala Chai, Chai Lattes, Iced Tea, along with selling loose tea blends, that are packed and blended by refugees. By Sowmya Sangam
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Indo American Social Association Hosts Interfaith Event Emphasizing Peace, Harmony June 24, 2019 09:58
On June 9, an Indo American Social Association organized an interfaith event focusing on peace and harmony at the Diamond Palace Restaurant in Diamond Bar, California. The president and founder of IASA, Rajbir Singh Husson,…
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Here's Why NRIs Need to Have a Pan Card June 22, 2019 15:09
Permanent Account Number or PAN is compulsory for many transactions now and the process to obtain a PAN is fairly simple and similar across all categories of individuals. As an NRI, you need to possess…
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