Ind-American jailed for 20 yrs for money laundering January 23, 2012 11:42
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.
Read More
NRIs to get right to vote in Indian elections: PM January 11, 2012 09:31
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.
Read More
Involve overseas Indians as partners: President Pratibha Patil January 10, 2012 10:20
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.
Read More
President Pratibha Patil will give Pravasi Bhartiya Samman on Monday January 09, 2012 10:03
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.
Read More
Indian economy to grow at 9% - 10% in medium term: Manmohan January 09, 2012 13:24
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”.
Read More
Need to increase the share of healthcare in GDP to 2.5% from 1.0% : Ghulam Nabi Azad January 09, 2012 12:41
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’.
Read More
Alok Gupta murder: No racist angle in the attack, says Canadian envoy January 05, 2012 18:54
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.
Read More
Bidve murder accused Kiaran Stapleton due in crown court January 03, 2012 13:38
The man accused of the Boxing Day murder of Indian student Anuj Bidve will appear in court later. Kiaran Stapleton, 20, from Salford, is due to appear before a judge at Manchester Crown Court - his second court appearance in 24 hours. At magistrates' court on Monday he referred to himself as "Psycho Stapleton" when asked his name. Mr Bidve, a 23-year-old micro-electronics student, was shot in the head at close range. He had been studying at Lancaster University and was visiting friends in Greater Manchester over Christmas. As they walked along Ordsall Lane, Salford, at about 01:30 GMT on Boxing Day, Mr Bidve was shot. He died later in hospital. Mr Stapleton appeared at City of Manchester Magistrates' Court following his arrest last Thursday. Mr Bidve's father, Subhash, described Anuj as a "loving son, a super-caring brother and first and forever a friend for many". He was critical of the way British and Indian authorities initially handled the case after learning of his son's death on the social networking site, Facebook. 'Pay our respects' Two senior officers from Greater Manchester Police flew out to India to meet the family in their home town of Pune in India. Assistant Chief Constable Dawn Copley, of Greater Manchester Police, said it was important "to make personal contact with the family and offer them every support". "We need to explain to them in person where we are up to in the investigation and what we are doing to ensure Anuj's body is released to them as soon as possible," she added. On Monday evening a crowd of about 200 people gathered in Ordsall Lane, Salford, to hold a candle-lit vigil for Mr Bidve. Organiser Vikrant Gupta said "a lot people have turned out and mainly the local community has come out and they're showing their support". The student's death was "an incident which has happened out of the blue" and the only thing they could now do was to "support the family back in India and pay our respects".
Read More
4000 Patients Benefited With Free Health Camp in Parkal December 28, 2011 13:11
The North American Telugu Association (NATA) has flagged off a ten-day ‘Seva Days' in Andhra Pradesh, as part of its run up to its bi-annual convention scheduled in Houston Texas on June 29. The service week included a two-day health camp in Nidiguntapelem village, where over 650 villagers were given free consultation by specialist doctors and free medicine, and Guntur where 1,400 patients were covered. Another health camp was held in Parkal in Warangal district, where 4,000 patients were given Rs 12 lakh worth medicines. “More than 45 doctors, 40 pharmacist and 150 volunteers participated in the camp, where 4,000 patients were treated in a single day,” Mr A.V.N. Reddy, President NATA, said. He said the association has also joined hands with the Rotary Club of Hyderabad to fight the incidence of flurosis in Nalagonda district. The programme will culminate with a medical seminar on December 29 in Hyderabad.
Read More
NRI couple loses kids to foster homes over 'emotional disconnect' December 28, 2011 12:52
India has taken up with Norway the issue of an NRI couple whose children have been placed under foster parental care by the local authorities there on grounds of an “emotional disconnect” between the children and their parents. On May 11, two-and-a-half-year-old Abhigyan and four-month-old Aishwarya were taken away from their parents — Anurup and Sagarika Bhattacharya — by Norway’s child selfare services, Barnevarne. A local court on November 30 ordered that the two children be put in separate foster homes till they reach the age of 18. The court permitted the couple to meet the children twice a year, for one hour at a time. The ministry of external affairs, in a statement, said, “Indian embassy in Oslo has been in contact with both the couple and the Norwegian authorities. The ministry of foreign affairs of Norway has been sensitized about the matter informally.” The MEA has also taken up the matter with the Norwegian embassy in New Delhi. The MEA said it has advised legal recourse to the couple. It said the embassy in Oslo would continue to extend possible consular assistance to the couple. The Norwegian authorities claimed Sagarika was incapable of taking care of her children. The evidence cited by them, the couple claim, is that their four-month-old child looked at the faces of other people around her instead of her mother, and that Abhigyan didn’t mix up with other children in kindergarten. The local authorities, the father reportedly claimed, also objected to the fact that they were sleeping in the same bed with the children.
Read More
Doctors fly abroad; India's Healthcare deteriorates December 23, 2011 13:47
It’s reported that over 70 percent of rural population in Andhra Pradesh depend on unqualified doctors for health checkups. The demand for more medical professionals is increasing on a daily basis while the glamour of the profession is said to be decreasing in the country. It’s reported that there are over 40,000 Indian physicians in UK while U.S. has over 50,000 doctors. Nearly 20 percent of physicians practicing in Australia have received their basic education in India and one out of 10 doctors in Canada has some Indian connections. The sad stories about poor health conditions and facilities are heard across the nation. It’s reported that over 70 percent of rural population in Andhra Pradesh depend on unqualified doctors for health checkups. The demand for more medical professionals is increasing on a daily basis while the glamour of the profession is said to be decreasing in the country One doctor for every 2000 people in the country – and yet we hope for better health system in the country, aren’t we expecting too much? As the doctor-population ratio hits an all time low of 1:2000, the blame goes back to our age-old sad story of brain drain and it seems that we can do nothing but to lament over the thousands of trained physicians flying to the green pastures – the Western Countries. The global doctor-population ratio is 1.5:1,000. While Somalia has one of the worst ratios with one doctor for 10,000 people, Germany, U.S. and U.K. fared well in the list with 1:296, 1:350 and 1:469 respectively. Thailand’s doctor-population ratio is at 1:500, while Japan has a healthy ratio at 1:606. According to the latest data, there are only six lakh active allopathic practitioners in India whereas it’s found that 8, 56,065 allopathic doctors have been registered in the country as of July 31, 2011. The curse of brain drain is crippling the Indian medical system. The Medical Council of India (MCI) reveals that over 767 physicians have left the country in search of foreign meadows by the first half of 2011. Many have reportedly asked for Good Standing Certificates (GSC), a certificate mandatory for doctors to work abroad, issued by MCI and the medical council reportedly issues thousands of GSCs every year. GSC gives a rough estimate of how many physicians go abroad each year, although it doesn’t give the absolute numbers.
Read More
10 Indians stand tall with Mark Zuckerberg December 21, 2011 13:01
An Indian is rubbing shoulders with the likes of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and pop star Lady Gaga as one of the top achievers in the world under the age of 30. Kunal Shah, 29, managing director at Goldman Sachs, is one of the 10 Indians on the Forbes list of under-30 achievers after he became the firm's youngest MD at 27 last year. A promotion to the post of a managing director before 30 is rare at Goldman Sachs, the most profitable securities firm in Wall Street history. Shah is an emerging markets trader for Goldman in London. The Cambridge math graduate joined Goldman in 2004, analysing interest rate products, before trading on the global macro desk, according to Forbes, which looked at people across 12 different categories, including law, social, mobile and technology. In finance, Forbes has also featured Vikas Mohindra, financial advisor at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. The 25-year-old broker gathered $38 million in three years from scratch. Also on the list is Manvir Nijhar, co-head of European equity derivatives sales at Citigroup. The 28-year-old London School of Economics graduate left BNP Paribas after four years to give "Citi's derivatives business a jolt".
Read More
