NRI Top Stories ( Page 20 of 33 )

NRI plans 32,000 km road trip from UK to India! August 27, 2016 10:18

The British citizen of Indian origin Bharulata Kamble is set to go on a 32,000 km road trip through 32 countries in approximately 75 days all by herself. The motive of Kamble'trip is to break stereotypes as well as raise awareness about women's equality while setting a neat world record. The drive also include a 2,200 km journey around the Arctic Circle. If successful, she will be the only woman driver to have covered the maximum distance in the Arctic region alone. The Times of India reported, Kamble will also drive down the Silk Route between China and the Middle East during the trip. Kamble said that, "It will be a rediscovery of this old trade route which played a significant role in the development of the entire region, but has since been neglected due to modern means of trade and transport." "I have always loved driving but to undertake such a long journey is also a big responsibility. Moreover, as we began planning the journey, I came to realize that if I do set the record, I would be representing two nations the UK where I am a citizen, and India, my native country," Kamble said. Kamble also aims to represent and support the Indian government's 'Save Girls, Educate Girls' (Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao) campaign as well. "To ensure that during this long journey we still have some family time, my husband and sons will fly out once a week to meet me while I am driving around Europe. Later, I will see them at the end of my journey in India," she explained. "I will end my drive in my husband's hometown Raigad district, as my husband hails from there," Kamble confirmed. Also Read: NRI architect launches bamboo structure design in Australia! Nandinia

MEA launched Revamped scholarship for children of NRIs, PIOs August 26, 2016 09:29

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) launched a revamped scholarship programme for children of NRIs and Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) to pursue under-graduate courses in Indian universities and institutions. According to the ministry, the Scholarship Programme for Diaspora Children (SPDC) has been extended from 40 to 66 countries, including 17 ECR (Emigration Check Required) countries. The number of scholarships for the 'Children of Indian Workers' in ECR countries has also been increased from 100 to 150. These 50 increased slots, one-third are reserved for children of Indian workers in ECR countries studying in India. Income criteria would be applicable to all categories of students. The children of PIOs and NRIs will be eligible to pursue under-graduate courses in Indian universities and institutes in a range of fields except medical and related courses under SPDC. The scholarship includes the tuition fee, admission fee and post admission services such as hostel fee but excluding payment of food charges. The MEA said that, "The revamped SPDC is now in place from academic year 2016-17." The scholarship will be offered to pursue courses in central universities, institutions accredited 'A' Grade by National Assessment and Accreditation Council and in a number of other institutions, including Schools of Planning and Architecture (SPAs), Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs) and National Institutes of Technology (NITs). A government has developed a portal spdcindia.gov.in to process applications for the scholarship. The deadline to submit applications online is September 23. Also Read: Indian-origin philanthropist named London deputy mayor! Nandini

Indian-origin philanthropist named London deputy mayor! August 24, 2016 10:35

An Indian-origin philanthropist has been named as the deputy for environment and energy of the London mayor Sadiq Khan. Shirley Rodrigues will be responsible for establishing a not-for-profit company aimed at enhancing recycling rates and producing low carbon energy. Mr. Khan said in a statement that, "Shirley Rodrigues brings with her a wealth of knowledge and experience and is the perfect person to deliver my agenda to make London a cleaner and greener city. Shirley will drive forward the urgent action needed to ensure Londoners no longer have to fear the air we breathe and will address the failure to tackle the problem by the previous mayor and government." "I am sure she will be a fantastic addition to my top team, taking on a crucial portfolio that has become an issue of life and death," he said. Earlier, in the last month, Indian-origin Rajesh Agarwal was appointed to the business portfolio to the Khan's team. Rodrigues becomes the second deputy mayor of Indian origin to join the minister's team. Rodrigues said that, "I am delighted to be working with Sadiq on his ambitious plans to make London one of the most environmentally friendly cities in the world." "Sadiq has already proposed a radical and wide-ranging approach to clean up London's dirty air and I feel privileged to be able to lead on this vital piece of work that will boost the quality of life and health for millions of Londoners," she said. Rodrigues was born in Kenya but traces her family roots back to Goa. She is currently the Acting Executive Director for Climate Change at the Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF). It is an independent philanthropic organization which works to transform the lives of poor and vulnerable children in developing countries, where she oversees a 155-million-pounds global strategy and portfolio. Also Read: Indian-origin Pramila Jayapal wins Washington open primary! Nandini

4 PIOs among US' top wealth advisors: Forbes August 05, 2016 12:11

The Forbes's list of America's top wealth advisors includes four persons of Indian-origin. They are among 200 members named in the list who collectively manage $675 billion. The Forbes 2016 'America's Top Wealth Advisors' list contains Raj Sharma and Ash Chopra both working in Merrill Lynch-Private Banking & Investment Group ranked 17th and 129 respectively. While Sonny Kothari of Merrill Lynch Wealth Management is placed at number 176 and Raju Pathak of Morgan Stanley Wealth Management has been ranked 184. According to the Forbes, the 200 members on the list serve clients that range from Silicon Valley billionaires, Wall Street titans to small business owners and family fortunes. Forbes said that, "Most great fortunes have their roots in hard work, brilliant business decisions or savvy investing somewhere along the way (more often than not all three), but once the money is made, growing, preserving and passing it on to the next generation becomes paramount." "That's where a wealth advisor can come in handy." "Each of the 200 advisors on the list have one thing in common: they are trusted to handle the money of wealthy individuals and families, and will do whatever it takes to keep that trust," Forbes said. Also Read: Indian-origin Pramila Jayapal wins Washington open primary! Nandini

Indian-origin Pramila Jayapal wins Washington open primary! August 04, 2016 12:36

Indian-origin Pramila Jayapal has swept the 7th Congressional District in the Washington state. She could make the history if she wins the November general election. If wins, Jayapal will be the first woman from the community to enter the United States House of Representatives. A Chennai-born Malayali, Ms. Jayapal moved to the United States in 1982 as a student. She drifted into politics through her campaigns for the rights of women and immigrants after a stint on the Wall Street. The present member of the State Senate, Jayapal has spearheaded legislation favouring workers and immigrants, and expanding voting rights. "Thank you so much to the voters of the 7th Congressional District! You have fueled the flame of our movement with the clear belief that we together can and will reclaim our government to work for all of us!" Indian-American Jayapal said after the results. “We’re building a movement that can clearly stake out a positive vision for the future of America at a time when too many people feel cynical about change, and when too many people are struggling to make ends meet and put food on the table,” she said. “Pramila is not afraid to take on powerful special interests. She’s fought for immigrant rights, opposed the war in Iraq, and worked to protect Social Security. She’s also running her campaign with our political revolution,” Bernie Sanders had said in an e-mail to donors during her primaries campaign. Also Read: Indian-American appointed as New York's chief digital officer! Nandini

Indian-American appointed as New York's chief digital officer! August 03, 2016 10:49

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio has appointed an eminent Indian-American digital media expert Sree Sreenivasan as the new chief digital officer of the city. Sreenivasan will work on promoting access to local government through technology and support its tech ecosystem. Mayor Bill de Blasio said that, "To move our city’s digital ecosystem into the 21st century, we need to ensure our city’s resources are at the fingertips of every New Yorker. With Sree Sreenivasan’s wealth of experience, I am confident that he will work to promote transparency, access, and progressive values with our digital tools, helping spread access across the five boroughs." Previously, Sreenivasan has served as the first chief digital officer at the renowned Metropolitan Museum of Art's and at Columbia University as well. The mayor's office said in a statement that, Indian-origin Sreenivasan has also been a mayoral appointee on the Commission on Public Information and Communication (COPIC) since October 2015, where he helped the public in obtaining access to city information and helped develop strategies for the use of new communications technologies to improve access to, and distribution of city data. Reacting to the appointment Srinivasan said that, "It's a real honor for me to serve as the CDO of the world's greatest city." "There are so many opportunities to extend the Mayor’s Digital Playbook, collaborate closely across various sectors and help bring more startups here. I will draw on what I've learned working in four critical NYC industries: education, media, arts and culture, and nonprofits, and look forward to building on the great work of my predecessor Jessica Singleton and her predecessor, Rachel Haot." he added. Also Read: Indian-origin scientist leads team to develop drones that navigate like birds Nandini

Telangana set to launch exclusive portal for NRIs! July 29, 2016 09:48

The government of Telangana State of India is all set to launch an exclusive portal for non-resident Indians (NRIs) as part of its proposed NRI policy. The government is also planning to open a 'Centre for Non-Resident Telanganites' Affairs' in all districts, state cabinet Minister K T Rama Rao announced. The state minister for IT, Industries and NRI affairs, Mr. Rao held a meeting with stakeholders in this regard. The meeting was intended to seeking suggestions for the proposed 'NRI Policy' of the state. Rao said that, "We will be launching an exclusive portal for NRIs with information and online services. We are already conducting skill development initiatives for people who want to migrate in search of livelihood." "We will be building a database of migrants from Telangana to various countries. This will help in speedy resolution of issues, if any and district level offices would be opened for CENTA - Centre for Non Resident Telanganites' Affairs," he said. According to the minister, a special officer would be appointed to assist NRIs who wish to invest in Telangana and they will also establish a Corpus Fund intended for the welfare of NRIs. Also Read: New Kerala budget offers sops for diaspora! Nandini

New Kerala budget offers sops for diaspora! July 09, 2016 13:15

Kerala Finance Minister Thomas Isaac presented the revised budget in the Kerala assembly, which provides an increased allocation for the diaspora across world. The 'alteration memorandum' of the state budget was presented by the state finance minister, as the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M)-led Pinarayi Vijayan government assumed office on May 25 this year. "At present there is an allocation of just Rs 1 lakh in the welfare fund for the return diaspora, and I am increasing it to Rs 10 crore. This is meant to increase the benefits paid out to the needy," said Isaac. The minister also decided to double the allocation from Rs 12 crore to Rs 24 crore in the scheme for rehabilitation of those who have returned. "The previous government had begun a loan scheme jointly with financial institutions for the diaspora who wish to start a business. But that programme failed to take off due to nonpayment of back-end subsidy upfront. We will ensure that the back-end subsidy is paid up front," he said. "There are two sections of our diaspora: Those who seek a rehabilitation once they are here, and the other group that is looking to invest and also seeking jobs. We are planning special parks where the diaspora can invest," Isaac added. Also Read: Odisha set to launch online Odia courses for diaspora! Nandini

Government gears up to help distressed women in NRI marriage! July 08, 2016 11:15

The government is all set to establish a committee to formulate a standard operating procedure (SOP) to be followed while dealing with cases of NRI men abandoning their wives. The move has been taken after plenty of such complaints were received by the Women and Child Development Ministry. The Women and Child Development (WCD) Minister Maneka Gandhi met External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj regarding the issue and requested her to create a joint committee to set up an SOP. Gandhi tweeted "Met EAM @SushmaSwaraj ji and discussed the issue of women in distress on account of NRI marriages. Have requested @SushmaSwaraj ji to set up a joint group to develop a standard operating procedure to tackle the problems of these women." "WCD will proactively work with Indian missions in foreign countries to resolve the situations that these women are in," she said. "A joint committee with one Joint Secretary each from Home Ministry, Ministry of External Affairs and Women and Child Development Ministry will be constituted within this week. SOP will be developed within a month's time," a senior WCD Ministry official said. The officials added that, once the SOP is developed, it will be shared with multiple missions around the world. "We have received several such cases but we often found ourselves handicapped, even for as small a thing as serving summons to the perpetrator. So, we thought we will develop SOP so that Indian missions become proactively engaged in this issue. Once SOP is made, Indian missions will have the responsibility to more vigorously take up these cases." Also Read: Odisha set to launch online Odia courses for diaspora! Nandini

Indian-origin scientist leads team to develop drones that navigate like birds July 05, 2016 10:52

A team of researchers led by Indian-origin scientist is building biologically-inspired drones which can navigate just like birds and other flying insects. Such drones will be able to fly without any human input, radar or satellite navigation. The group of scientists at the University of Queensland in Australia is conducing study on flying techniques like budgerigars and bees share. They are applying their findings to Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) control programmes. Professor Mandyam Srinivasan, who is leading the research, said that, "We study how small airborne creatures such as bees and birds use their vision to avoid collisions with obstacles, fly safely through narrow passages, control their height above the ground and more." "We then use biologically-inspired principles to design novel vision systems and algorithms for the guidance of UAVs," Srinivasan said. "Bees' brains weigh a tenth of a milligramme and carry far fewer neurons than our own brains; yet the insects are capable of navigating accurately to food sources over 10 km away from their hive," said Srinivasan. "Birds too can perform incredible aerobatics and navigational feats. These animals are clearly using simple and elegant strategies, honed by thousands of years of evolution," he said. "These animals are clever, can be easily trained, and possess sophisticated visual systems that are not unlike those of our own," said Srinivasan. "The study of their behaviour could also reveal some of the basic principles of visual guidance in a number of organisms including humans," he said. "The biologically-inspired principles we uncover will foster a new generation of fully autonomous UAVs that do not rely on external help such as GPS (Global Positioning System) or radar," said Srinivasan. "These UAVs could be incredibly useful for applications like surveillance, rescue operations, defence, and planetary exploration," he said Also Read: Indian Woman earns UN honour for corporate sustainability initiative Nandini

Odisha set to launch online Odia courses for diaspora! July 04, 2016 11:07

The government of Odisha is planning to introduced the online certificate courses in Odia for the benefit of Non-Resident Odias (NROs) across the world and students residing outside, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced. “I would like to announce that the government of Odisha has decided to facilitate Odia Certification Courses on online basis for the benefit of Non-Resident Odias (NROs) globally and for the students residing outside Odisha from 2017," CM Naveen Patnaik said. The scheme is scheduled to be launched next year. The Board of Secondary Education (BSE) will conduct the lower Odia test, which will be equivalent to Class 8 standard Odia. "For this, the Odisha Society of Americas (OSA) and other organisations had made an appeal to me earlier. This will benefit the second generation of Odia children living outside the countries and will carry forward the grand legacy of our language," he said. The introduction of Odia curriculum and lower Odia test would benefit the children of the Odia families residing overseas, said School and Mass Education Minister Debi Prasad Mishra. The BSE will conduct the online test once or twice a year by the BSE. The Odia curriculum for the certificate course has been developed and uploaded to the BSE website. According to the minister, the NRO students will have to pay $100 to appear in the examination, while the students residing outside the state will need to pay Rs 1,500 for the examination. Also Read: PIO meeting demands voting rights, Rajya Sabha seats for NRIs! Nandini

PIO meeting demands voting rights, Rajya Sabha seats for NRIs! June 30, 2016 11:35

An international meeting of people of Indian-origin (PIO) in the United States has sought the voting rights for Indian citizens living outside India and Rajya Sabha seats for Non-Resident Indians (NRIs). The Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) said in a resolution passed during its annual meeting in New York, that, "The Election Commission of India should finalize the procedure for electronic voting before the next general election in India takes place." It alleges that, there are nearly10 million NRIs who are citizens of India, have no involvement in the decision making process of the country of their citizenship. "We urge the Government of India to nominate a few prominent NRIs as members of the Rajya Sabha (the Upper House of Parliament) so as to reinforce and further integrate the bonds between India and the overseas Indian community," GOPIO said. The annual GOPIO convention was attended by more than 200 delegates from 20 countries. "The clearance process through the Home Ministry is very time consuming and needs to be streamlined and made more efficient," it said. "We want the government to enact legislation to designate Fast Track Courts for NRIs/PIOs for the speedy settlement of their property, business, inheritance and other legal issues in India," it added. "We call upon the Government of India to enact another legislation to provide Title Insurance to ensure that their ownership in real estate is protected against forged signatures on the deed and for any such fraudulent transfer of their properties," GOPIO said. "We strongly feel that those who are getting their social security benefits from outside India should receive tax parity similar to Indian retirees and request the Finance Ministry to change the rules. Of course, such person's Indian income must be taxed as per the rules," it said. Also Read: Deadline for conversion of PIO cards extended! Nandini