NRIs returning to India for female foeticide February 10, 2012 18:13
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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Financial support to deserted Indian wives abroad: Ministry February 10, 2012 17:56
The ministry has also come up with a booklet on the issue, titled ‘’Marriages to Overseas Indians” which discusses about the safeguards available to women who are abandoned by their NRI partners, the booklet offers…
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High rate of denial of H-1B, L-1 visas to Indians: report February 10, 2012 17:55
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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NRI scientist invents device for diabetic treatment February 10, 2012 17:44
Dr. Kumar, a medical doctor hailing from Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh has done thorough research on diabetics and developed technology to identify diabetic neuropathy. Jairaj Kumar, an NRI Indian scientist has come up with a diagnostic device, Diasense, which proves to be a great advantage in the treatment of diabetics. The device is capable enough to identify if there are any hidden chances of danger due to the disease. The Central Government offered a helping hand by funding the project, as they understood the importance and potential of the device. The project will be funded through Technology Development Board, which is under the Ministry of Science and Technology. The complications arising as a result of diabetics can be prevented with the help of this device, as it enables the screening of individuals. Diasense is very sensitive and can identify changes even in short intervals of time. As a result major or minor downfall and reversal of the situation can be detected. Dr. Kumar, a medical doctor hailing from Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh has done thorough research on diabetics and developed technology to identify diabetic neuropathy. He has been honoured with many awards such as Phillips Best Inventor Award in the year 2009, DST-Lockheed Martin Gold Medal in 2010 and Best Medical Electronics Product of the year 2011, USA. He has also come up with more than 50 international research papers and has filed more than 13 patents.
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Govt Introducing various schemes for Overseas Indians: Pranab Mukherjee February 01, 2012 12:33
Praising overseas Indians for their hard work, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said the community members through their soft power have increased the stature of India at international arena. Mukherjee, who met with the community members…
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Lithuanian charged with Indian's murder commits suicide February 01, 2012 10:25
A Lithuanian charged with the murders of an Indian-origin man and his British wife at their home in Birmingham has committed suicide in police custody, a media report said. Avtar Kolar, 62, and Carole Kolar,…
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Case of 17 Indians to be heard on Feb 15: Sharjah Civil Court January 31, 2012 13:51
The hearing in a Dh1.5million civil compensation suit against 17 Indians who had earlier won a reprieve from death sentence will continue in the Sharjah Civil Court of First Instance on February 15. The civil…
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Hight Court slaps Rs.20,000 fine on NRI January 31, 2012 13:39
Abusing the process of law by questioning investigating agencies and maligning the judiciary has cost a non-resident Indian (NRI) Rs.20,000. The Delhi High Court order came on a plea of NRI N.S. Hoon seeking compensation of Rs.5,000 crore from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for allegedly implicating him in a criminal case. He sought action against the erring officials of CBI for harassing him for 25 years. Justice M.L. Mehta said: “In the present petition, not only the CBI and police are questioned but even the judiciary and the government are sought to be maligned in a highly derogatory and utterly contemptuous manner. The unparliamentary language used by the petitioner is evident by words like ‘slave magistrate’, ‘obliging judge’, ‘corrupt CBI’.” The court said that such petitions were nothing but a waste of precious judicial time and mockery of the legal process. “The conduct of the petitioner is highly condemnable and deserves no consideration even due to his age as he has unabatedly abused the process of law in intimidating and obstructing public officials from discharging their duties,” the court said. Hoon, who had acquired British citizenship, had argued that the officers of CBI acted against him at the instance of some influential people and they should be prosecuted under law. He claimed to have undergone mental agony and physical suffering in the past 25 years and sought financial compensation. “I was arrested on May 14, 1987 despite an anticipatory bail order from the Delhi High Court. They seized my passport for such a long time causing huge losses to my business abroad,” Hoon said. He added even the trial court had acquitted him from all the charges under the Foreigners Act. According to the CBI, Hoon concealed his identity as a British citizen during his stay in two different hotels, in 1986-87, which was a criminal offence. The CBI alleged that during his stay in Delhi’s Ambassador Hotel, the petitioner paid the hotel tariff in rupees whereas he should have paid in British pounds. Similarly, he stayed at an hotel in Jaipur and paid Rs.8,000 in Indian currency. Justice Mehta called the petitioner a “chronic litigant” who filed cases against the authorities whenever any step was taken against him due to his activities which were contrary to law.
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Ex-IITian NRI's 5 mn dollar gift to cancer research project January 30, 2012 10:01
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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Aneesh Chopra, Obama's Indian American IT head, quits January 30, 2012 09:38
Aneesh Chopra, President Barack Obama's information technology honcho, who was the highest ranking Indian American in the Obama administration, is leaving the White House, apparently to try his hand at politics. Announcing the departure of Chopra, Assistant to the President and the federal government's first Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Obama said "Chopra did groundbreaking work to bring our government into the 21st century. "Aneesh found countless ways to engage the American people using technology, from electronic health records for veterans, to expanding access to broadband for rural communities, to modernizing government records." "His legacy of leadership and innovation will benefit Americans for years to come, and I thank him for his outstanding service." While the official announcement gave no reason for Chopra's resignation from White House, the Washington Post citing unnamed Democrats said he is widely expected to announce that he will run for lieutenant governor in Virginia. Chopra has flirted with running for statewide office in Virginia for years, building up support among Democratic activists and serving on Obama's transition team in 2008, it said. The timing of his resignation allows Chopra to campaign this year for his two former bosses: former governor Tim Kaine, who is running to replace retiring Senator James Webb this year; and Obama, who will face a tough fight in the swing state of Virginia. He is expected to attend Virginia Democrats' biggest fundraiser of the year, the Jefferson-Jackson dinner, Feb 11 in Richmond, where those who are looking to run statewide host parties and mingle with more than 1,500 activists, the Post said. The eldest son of Indian immigrants, Chopra, 40, was sworn in into his White House job on May 22, 2009 after serving as Secretary of Technology for the Commonwealth of Virginia from January 2006 to April 2009. He previously served as Managing Director with the Advisory Board Company, a publicly-traded healthcare think tank. Chopra was named to Government Technology magazine's Top 25 in their Doers, Dreamers, and Drivers issue in 2008. Aneesh Chopra received his BA from The Johns Hopkins University and his MPP from Harvard's Kennedy School.
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8 people of Indian origin in Padma list January 27, 2012 09:23
Ten people of Indian origin and foreigners have been awarded India's prestigious Padma awards announced on Wednesday. While seven have got the Padma Bhushan, three are listed for the Padma Shri. Amongst the eminent NRIs getting the Padma Bhushan are sculptor Anish Kapoor (Britain) and judge PC Rao (Germany). The list also includes four people in the literature and education category -- Vidya Dehejia, Arvind Panagariya and Jose Pereira from the US and Homi K Bhabha from Britain. Also in the Padma Bhushan is George Yong-Boon Yeo, Singapore's former Foreign Affairs Minister. Another Singaporean, Gopinath Pillai, is slated to get the Padma Shri in the trade and industry category.Shoji Shiba from Japan (trade and industry) and US-based professor Jagadish Shukla (science and engineering) are also in the list.
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India to Norway: Settle issue of Indian kids with family January 25, 2012 10:46
India on Monday conveyed to Norway that it should work out a settlement with the immediate family of two kids who are now under foster care on the orders of a local court there. External…
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