Jet Airways to Compensate an NRI for Misplacing Bag with Items Worth Rs 2.5 Lakh March 25, 2019 13:18
Airlines have in many cases held responsible for mishandling passengers’ luggage. While many air passengers received their luggage in a shabby condition, some others didn’t receive them at all. Recently, Haryana’s Panchkula district consumer disputes redressal forum has directed Jet Airways to pay Rs 58,000 to a Non-Resident Indian whose bag went missing once he landed in India from Canada.On October 2016, Jasbir Singh Purba a resident of Ontario, Canada, and his wife were carrying a total of four bags. Once they landed at the New Delhi airport, they received only three of them. The fourth bag not only contained luxury clothes worth Rs 1.30 lakh but also medication of heart ailment and high blood pressure for his wife’s diabetes.Jasbir then contacted the employees of the airline who asked him to fill an application form and assured that his baggage will be delivered the next day, according to a report in Times of India. Jasbir said that he along with his wife had to endure a lot of trauma, stress, agony, and harassment upon losing such expensive luggage. On November 05, 2016 the airline delivered the baggage at Jasbir’s address but allegedly in destroyed and broken beyond usage condition.After forum sent a notice to Jet Airways and the representatives appeared before the forum, they laid the blame on Jasbir of raising fake claims so that the company could be blamed of deficiency in service.Jet Airways representatives said that the complainant had not disclosed the value of his baggage at the time of check-in.According to the forum, Jasbir had to purchase new clothes in an emergency, which he already had in his bag. On the basis of observation of case, the clothes purchased by him, amounting to Rs 1.30 lakh, would be used in the future, hence, they deemed it just, fair and reasonable to recompense the complainant to the extent of 1/3rd of the expenses subject by him on account of purchase of cloth items.The forum directed Jet Airways to pay Rs 43,333 which is one-third of Rs 1.30 lakh on account of damages suffered by Jasbir as well as Rs 10,000 on account of harassment, mental agony, and Rs 5,500 as litigation charges.By Sowmya Sangam
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Grim Response from Telugu NRIs for Lok Sabha Elections March 22, 2019 10:27
Despite potent dissemination regarding the NRI voting is put into effect, the Telangana State Election Commission is receiving a lukewarm response from natives of Telangana putting down roots in foreign parts.The Telangana election office received just 585 applications from non-resident Indians hailing from Telangana. The received applications additionally required to be scrutinized prior to deciding on how many of them are entitled to be given voter ID cards and the final eligible number would be proclaimed on March 25. In the voters' list published by the Telangana Chief Electoral Officer Dr. Rajat Kumar on February 22, the total number of voters stood at 2.95 crores in Telangana, out of which the Overseas/ NRI voters are at a very low of 1,122. Of the total 1.31 crore population of NRIs across the world, a good number of them belong to both Telugu states. However, the very less NRI voters' number is an indication of how reluctant is the Indian diaspora to cast their franchise in elections. According to Prakash Kapila, a Telugu NRI from New Jersey, the timing of 2019 elections (in mid-April) proved to be a big dampener. "Majority of NRI families from the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia don't prefer to come in hot summer here because it will be quite difficult for families to adjust to the high temperatures. The distance is so long from India that we have to travel with the whole family and the travel expenses itself cost Rs 3 to Rs 4 lakh (for to and fro tickets from the U.S.)," he said. Prakash said: “If NRIs are allowed to vote in Indian embassies in various countries instead of physically present condition, a big change could be seen. Almost all eligible NRI voters would prefer to cast their vote in elections without fail, he stressed.” Prakash added that some of his friends went all the way from the U.S. to Telangana in last winter as the assembly elections were held on December 7, which was very convenient for families to get acclimatized to the weather at that time. As of now, overseas Indians have to register as voters, come to India, go to their constituency with the original passport issued to them when they had gone abroad and cast their vote.By Sowmya Sangam
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Kerala Family Outraged as Wrong Dead Body Arrives from Saudi Arabia March 21, 2019 17:08
The relatives of 28-year-old Rafeeq, who died of a heart attack in Saudi Arabia last month, got a shock when they opened the casket as it had the body of a woman instead of Rafeeq’s.…
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‘We Are Indian Citizens, No Matter Where We Live’: NRIs Fly Down to India Ahead of Elections March 21, 2019 16:36
It seems like election ardor of India has spread across the world as even Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) flying down to their native places in India to exercise their franchise in Lok Sabha elections happening next month. Ajith Kubatoor, who moved to Australia three years back, said he has a track record of not missing a single election be it state or national since he turned 18. “I flew down for the assembly elections in Karnataka last year. The perception that NRIs do not care about their country’s development has changed of late. I even informed my office in advance that I would need to take leave some time in April or May to vote in India,” said Kubatoor.Another Indian nation from Arizona, keen to make it to India in time to vote, Jayanth Kumar and his wife booked tickets even before the election dates were announced. “We assumed it would be held in May, like last time, but as soon as the EC announced the date, we changed our tickets. We moved abroad 12 years back but lived in Bengaluru’s north constituency earlier. I make it a point to vote during the LS elections - we are Indian citizens, no matter where we live,” Jayanth said, adding, “Getting leave from work was not easy, so I will be working from home when in India.”“Each and every vote counts, so we have to be there, no matter where we are settled. Even if government schemes and policies no longer directly impact us, our families and friends back home are affected, which is why it is important for us to vote,” said Pallavi Mysore revealing that election fever has hit Indian communities in the U.S., with everyone talking about it on WhatsApp, Facebook, and other social media platforms.Pallavi who lived in Bengaluru before moving to the United States 10 years back, was unable to travel during the last Lok Sabha elections, as she had just delivered a baby. But she is not missing it this time.“While my husband could not get a leave from work, I will be flying to Bengaluru to vote. Indian parents in the U.S., whose children are young and do not have exams in April, are making it a point to travel and vote this time,” she added. Talking, criticizing and complaining about the government on social media is not enough, said Venkatanath Doreswamy and Nagaraj Koranthota. “We discuss issues on a daily basis on social media, but that does not change anything. Elections are the one opportunity we get to make a difference.”“I will be working from home for two weeks and taking another two weeks off when I come to vote in Bengaluru. My wife and I booked open flight tickets in advance, we only entered our travel dates after the EC announcement,” said Doreswamy, who lives in Australia. Koranthota, who is settled in the U.S., has been coordinating with his colleagues in Bengaluru to get their voter ID issues sorted out. “Several of my colleagues in Bengaluru did not vote in the state elections last time, as they had issues with changing their address and constituencies. I helped them with the process, while also conducting online campaigns,” he added.By Sowmya Sangam
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Rich Indians Buying Green Card in Rise in over Past Two Years March 21, 2019 12:54
An increase in the investment required to obtain a conditional green card under the EB-5 visa programme seems inevitable as the number of Indians getting investment linked EB-5 visas, also known as “cash for green…
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U.S. to Begin Accepting New H-1B Visa Petitions from April 1 March 19, 2019 17:55
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) would start accepting new H-1B visa petitions for the fiscal year 2020 starting April 1, while the employment start date for these visas would be October 1,…
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Hyderabad Woman Trafficked to Kuwait, MEA Appeals to Police to Crack Down on Illegal Travel Agent March 18, 2019 17:30
The Ministry of External Affairs has written the Telangana Director General of Police to crack down on an illegal travel agent Mohd Aleem in Hyderabad for allegedly trafficking Mehraj Begum to Kuwait. In February, the…
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Candidates Offering Free Air Ticket to NRIs for Casting Vote Will Face Disqualification: Election Commission March 18, 2019 15:52
Ahead of Lok Sabha elections in India, the Election Commission of India (ECI) is issuing stringent mandates to steer clear of anything below the belt. Similarly, any candidate canvassing for votes overseas found luring Non-Resident Indian (NRI) voters with a free air ticket to cast vote may lose his/her candidature or end up in jail, election commission warned.In exhaustive guidelines laid out by the EC on the conduct of candidates and voters in the upcoming Lok Sabha Elections, the top poll conducting authority has said the candidate was free to go overseas for canvassing."All expenditure incurred by those candidates, their party agents or party leaders on their travel, boarding, lodging etc. who travel to overseas countries for the purpose of canvassing in their favour to seek votes of overseas electors residing there, would be deemed to be the expenditure incurred or authorized by the candidates in connection with their election and will have to be included in their account of election expenses," the EC said."Moreover, any inducement to overseas electors by way of air tickets or any other allurements to them, in cash or kind, to come to India for the purpose of voting at the election would amount to the electoral offence of ‘bribery’ within the meaning of section 171B of the IPC as also the corrupt practice of ‘Bribery’ within the meaning of section 123(1) of the Representation of the People Act.” There are 71,735 overseas electors enrolled in the current electoral rolls in India. The EC has made it clear that there is no provision of online voting or proxy voting yet for NRIs. All the NRI voters will have to travel in person to India carrying Indian passport as identity proof to cast their vote, go to the booth where the person’s details are registered and vote.By Sowmya Sangam
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Lok Sabha Elections: Social Media Platforms Much in Demand Among Indians Abroad to Propel Support March 18, 2019 10:56
As Indian general election is scheduled to take place next month, not only country’s residents, but also Indians living out of the country are making an effort to make their favored party triumph in the elections. Indians living in the United States are using social media platforms to reach out back home. The Overseas Friends of Bharatiya Janata Party USA (OFBJP USA), a volunteer group, has been organizing ‘Chai Pe Charcha’ meets across the United States. Krishna Reddy, president of the OFBJP USA said the places where meets have been planned include Tampa, Washington, D.C., Sacramento, Boston, New Jersey, Chicago, Atlanta, Los Angeles, and New York. The preliminary meets began Friday and were to continue over the next few days. According to Reddy, volunteers are reaching out to their friends and relatives back home asking for support for the BJP and using their WhatsApp groups to share content in favor of the political party. “We understand the power of technology. Each volunteer can reach out to at least 200 people in their network and spread the message in favor of the Modi government,” said Reddy. On Friday, the OFBJP held a meet at Tampa, Florida, for which around 350 people turned up to show their support. A similar meet was held on Saturday night in Washington, D.C. with claims of about 300 people in attendance. Adapa Prasad, vice-president of the group, who was at the helm at the Washington meeting, spoke about the heavy participation of the Telugu community. He said, “While we have over 600 volunteers in the Washington, D.C. area, about 250-300 would be Telugus.” Not just the OFBJP, but the wider campaign ‘Nris4Modi2019’ of which the group is also a part, is seeing volunteers take up several unique initiatives. (Image source from: Facebook/BJPOFUSA) In Charlotte, North Carolina, Aravind Modini the social media in-charge for ‘Nris4Modi2019’ said volunteers were heading to local Indian grocery stores to offer a cup of tea and speak to the people there about why the BJP deserves their as well as their family’s vote. In fact, Telangana Rashtra Samithi is also striving. Arvind Thakkalapalli, secretary TRS USA, says WhatsApp groups have been formed for each parliamentary constituency with Non-Resident Indian (NRIs) supporters specific to that region “We have had conference calls with a few MP candidates during the process of forming campaign groups. These groups will comprise a local Telangana team as well as TRS activists who will reach out to voters with the help of local cadre,” said Thakkalapalli. Besides this, he said digital pamphlets are being circulated at the village level and content is being spread via social media. “Our NRI team will be visiting India for campaigning, the way we did for the Assembly election,” he said. The Indian general election is scheduled to be held in 7 phases from 11 April 2019 to 19 May 2019 to constitute the 17th Lok Sabha. The counting of votes will be conducted on 23 May 2019 and on the same day the results will be declared. By Sowmya Sangam
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Tollywood Comedian Surya Prasad, Two More Arrested in NRI Chigurupati Jayaram Murder Case March 15, 2019 12:13
Telugu film industry comedian Surya Prasad, including two others, were arrested on Thursday for involving in the murder of Florida-based Non-Resident Indian (NRI) entrepreneur Chigurupati Jayaram, police said. Besides Prasad, the police also took Kishore and Anji Reddy into custody. Deputy Commissioner of Police A.R. Srinivas told reporters that they have almost completed the investigations into the case and it has been confirmed that Jayaram's niece Shikha Chowdary had no role in the murder, investigations revealed. According to police, main accused Rakesh Reddy had hatched a conspiracy to extort money from Jayaram. Surya Prasad and Kishore brought Jayaram to his house in Jubilee Hills, where Jayaram was murdered. Anji Reddy reached Rakesh Reddy's house after the murder but did not inform the police. On allegations that Rakesh Reddy spoke to few police officers after the murder, the DCP said they were conducting investigations. He said while Rakesh Reddy had relations with politicians, there was no evidence of any political involvement in the crime. The body of Jayaram, 55, who was director of Coastal Bank, was found on the back seat of his car off the national highway near Nandiagama close to Vijayawada on January 31. Jayaram, also a Managing Director of Express TV, a now inoperative Telugu channel, had come to Hyderabad from the United States a few days earlier before his murder. The crime was first investigated by the Andhra Pradesh Police, which arrested Rakesh Reddy and his security guard, though later the case was transferred to Telangana after it was revealed that Jayaram was murdered at a house in Hyderabad and his body was dumped in Andhra Pradesh. Jayaram's wife Padmashri has also demanded a probe against Shikha, who was allegedly in a relationship with Rakesh Reddy. She had said that after the murder, Shikha barged into their house in Jubilee Hills and that some key documents and valuables were found lacking subsequently. By Sowmya Sangam
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Lok Sabha Elections 2019: 92% of India’s Overseas Registered Voters Are Keralites March 14, 2019 15:57
Amid confusion over NRI voting in India’s Lok Sabha elections that are scheduled to take place next month, 92 percent of Kerala descents staying overseas registered themselves as NRI voters, making it literal that Malayali’s are obsessed with politics and ones who are active in voting ardently. There’s a saying that if you take put Malayali’s out of the country, they will still turn up to vote. The state has witnessed an increase in the number of overseas elector’s i.e from 12,653 in 2014 to 66,584 as of January 30, 2019. The increase is recorded to be fivefold regardless of the fact the number is small inn fraction compared to the country’s total NRI population of 1.3 crores. The majority of 71,735 overseas electors registered in the country hail from Kerala and that evidence shows enthusiasm among non-resident Keralites to take part in the polling.Statistic data further reveals that of the total 66,584 overseas electors from the state, 3729 are women and eight third gender persons have registered.The expat organization has conducted mass online voter enrolment drives, especially after Lok Sabha passed a bill in August 2018 to allow NRIs to appoint proxy voters who can vote for them.Till now, NRIs can vote in their hometown after getting registered as an overseas voter. As of now, there is no provision for online voting despite the fact that many are keen to do so.As of now, in order to cast their votes, overseas Indians have to register as voters, come to India, go to their constituency with the original passport issued to them when they had gone abroad.An expert committee of the Election Commission of India had said no to e-voting for NRIs but approved proxy voting. Recently, a bill to extend proxy voting to NRIs was passed in the Lok Sabha, but it is pending in the Rajya Sabha. It is set to lapse on the dissolution of the present Lok Sabha on June 3.By Sowmya Sangam
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Hindu Man in New Zealand Eats Beef Mislabeled Lamb, Reaches Store to Fund Purification Trip to India March 13, 2019 12:18
An Indian origin Hindu man in New Zealand is fighting a David vs Goliath battle against a local supermarket after he ended up eating beef because of a mistake made by the store. Jaswinder Paul, who moved to New Zealand two decades ago, had asked the store to fork up round-trip airfare to India so that he can purify his damaged inner being. Jaswinder Paul says Hinduism mandates that he now come back home and "do sacred things for four to six weeks, and be purified by priests". "It's a long process," Paul told Stuff.co.nz, a local news website. Paul's fight with the grocery store dates back to September earlier this year when he bought a package of "roast lamb". According to Stuff.co.nz, Paul, who runs a barbershop, cooked the meat and ate it before realizing it was actually beef and not lamb, that the label on it claimed. And ever since, Paul said, his family has turned down to talk to him. Paul realized that he must cleanse his soul in order to "continue on (his) religious path". And so, Paul approached the supermarket - Countdown in New Zealand's Blenheim town - and asked them to fund his 'yatra' back home. The supermarket apologized for mislabeling and consequently offered Paul a gift voucher, according to a spokesperson for the supermarket who spoke to Stuff.co.nz. But Paul declined, in hope that the supermarket would come to its senses and pay up the money required for a cleansing trip back home. However, the supermarket did no such thing. And now, according to Stuff.co.nz, Paul is considering knocking on a court's door, even though he does not want to. "I don't want to go to court against a big corporation. I just want to go home," Paul said, adding that it may look like a "simple matter" but for him, it is "very hard". "I know my society back from my home will not accept me with this breach of the religion's conditions." By Sowmya Sangam
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