NRI Top Stories ( Page 24 of 47 )

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

Indian Woman earns UN honour for corporate sustainability initiative June 25, 2016 11:31

An Indian social entrepreneur working for women’s welfare has been nominated among 10 "champions and pioneers" by UN chief Ban Ki-moon for sustainable development goals. Zubaida Bai, the founder of 'ayzh', a for-profit social organization was named under the 10 '2016 Global Compact SDG Pioneers'. It is an initiative launched by UN to search for "entrepreneurs" who can play a pivotal role. The ayzh is providing health and livelihood solutions to impoverished women across the world. The world's largest corporate sustainability initiative, the UN Global Compact, helps companies to do business responsibly by aligning their strategies and operations with ten principles of human rights, environment and anti-corruption; labour, and to take strategic actions to advance broader societal goals, like the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with an emphasis on collaboration and innovation. The UN secretary announced the 10 pioneers at the Global Compact Leaders Summit. Congratulating the honorees, Ban said that he counts on their "strong commitment and engagement" to help businesses seize the opportunities of the SDG era. Ban said that, "All of you are leaders in the campaign for a world without poverty, a thriving planet, a vibrant and inclusive global economy and a life of dignity for all.” "This is the vision of the Sustainable Development Goals, agreed upon by the Member States of the UN in September last year," he said at the summit. "We are at a decisive moment in the shift to sustainable and inclusive markets," continued the Secretary-General. "All businesses, everywhere, can and should play a role in improving our world. That starts with integrity doing business right," he said. Nandini

Deadline for conversion of PIO cards extended! June 21, 2016 12:41

The government has decided to extend the deadline for applying for conversion of Person of Indian Origin (PIO) cards to Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) cards from June 30 to December 31, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj announced. Swaraj said in her annual press conference, that, "I feel that the conversion will not be completed by June 30. So we have decided to extend the last date to December 31." Previously, the government granted an extension from March 31 to June 30 this year. "There will be no charge for conversion during this period. So I will suggest those, who are seeking to convert their PIO cards to OCI cards, use this time line. I want this conversion to be completed by December 31," she said. According to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the OCI and PIO cards will be merged and the Indian diaspora will be given maximum possible benefits. Also Read: NRIs can now apply online for NPS through eNPS! Nandini

NRIs can now apply online for NPS through eNPS! June 18, 2016 12:18

The finance ministry announced that, Non Resident Indians (NRIs) can now open National Pension Savings (NPS) accounts online. The finance ministry said in a statement, that, "NRIs can now open NPS Accounts online if they have Aadhaar card or PAN card." “Through eNPS, a subscriber will be able to open an NPS account from the comfort of his home.” “All he will need is an Internet connection and an Aadhaar/PAN card.” Till now, NRIs could open NPS accounts only through paper applications by approaching bank offices. According to the finance ministry NRIs will get to open these NPS accounts on both repatriable and non-repatriable basis. “On a repatriable basis, an NRI will have to remit the amount through his/her NRE/FCNR/NRO account,” the statement said. “For Non-repatriable scheme, NRIs will be able to join NPS through their NRE/FCNR/NRO accounts. At the time of maturity or during partial withdrawal, the NPS funds would be deposited only in their NRO accounts.” “Both repatriable and non-repatriable schemes will greatly appeal to NRIs who intend to return to India after their employment abroad, in view of their attractive returns, low cost, flexibility and their being regulated by the PFRDA (Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority), a regulator established by the Central Government,” said the statement. The country has the second-largest diaspora in the world. Nearly 29 million people living in more than 200 countries and out of these 25 per cent live in the Gulf countries. Also Read: Indian-origin 9-year-old coder at Apple’s WWDC 2016! Nandini

Indian-origin 9-year-old coder at Apple’s WWDC 2016! June 14, 2016 15:35

A nine-year-old Indian-origin girl has became the youngest app developer at Apple's annual developer conference. Now, she dreams of meeting the tech giant's CEO Tim Cook. Anvitha Vijay from Australia is the youngest developer to attend the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2016 in San Francisco. According to a report in Fortune, she has already built several apps for iPhone and iPad. "It's my dream to go to WWDC and meet Tim Cook," said Vijay. She had applied for a Apple's scholarship program, and Apple selected her to visit San Francisco's Moscone Center for WWDC. Vijay learned coding through watching free coding tutorials on YouTube and the web for a year. "Coding was so challenging. But I'm so glad I stuck with it," she said. Her apps were inspired by her toddler sister, who was learning how to talk and identify animals. Vijay developed the Smartkins Animals app, which uses sounds, and flashcards to help teach children 100 different animals' names and sounds. "Turning an idea for an app involves a lot of hard work," Vijay said. "There are so many components to building an app, including prototyping, design and wirreframing, user interface design and then coding and testing." A report revealed that, winners of Apple's scholarships to attend WWDC were mostly under the age of 18. "Out of 350 recipients, 120 of the lucky winners are students. Submissions increased by 215% and more than doubled from organizations focused on science, technology, engineering, and math," the report said. Also Read: Kulkarni becomes first Indian to bag Commonwealth short story prize Nandini

Kulkarni becomes first Indian to bag Commonwealth short story prize June 10, 2016 15:56

An Indian professor has won the 2016 Commonwealth Short Story Prize. Parashar Kulkarni's Cow and Company beaten almost 4,000 entries for the 5,000 pound award. Judge Gillian Slovo said that, Parashar Kulkarni's Cow and Company "succeeded in exploring serious issues in a way that can make us laugh." Kulkarni was presented the Prize by Man Booker Prize Winner and former short story judge Marlon James at the Calabash Literary Festival in Jamaica. Kulkarni, an assistant professor in Social Sciences at Yale NUS College in Singapore, became the first Indian author to win the award. The £5,000 prize rewards "the best piece of unpublished short fiction in English" by a Commonwealth writer. "I am very happy to receive the Commonwealth Short Story Prize which provides an inclusive, accessible and international platform for participation which is particularly helpful for new writers," Kulkarni said in a statement. Gillian Slovo, Chair of the judging panel, said, "In 'Cow and Company', Parashar has conjured up a large cast and their way of life, and at the same time he has succeeded in exploring serious issues in a way that can make us laugh - and all of this in a few thousand words." Also Read:Goa-born Sayonara Luxton becomes mayor of UK Royal borough Nandini

Goa-born Sayonara Luxton becomes mayor of UK Royal borough June 06, 2016 12:23

Indian- origin Sayonara Luxton appointed as the new mayor of the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in southeast England. Goa-born councillor from Sunningdale left Goa 40 years ago. She worked with Airbus industries in Dubai before moving to the UK with her husband, Ian. Ms Luxton said that, "When I left Goa 40 years ago, I could not in my wildest dreams have dreamt that I could hold such a high office. I mean look at me, the mayoral robe was not designed for my stature, but I promise you that I hold the heart and soul and I will give everything." "I will be working on a special project in Her Majesty's honour and further details will be released soon," she added. Sayonara has served as the Sunningdale deputy mayor for one year. She took over as mayor from councillor Dee Quick. She was also the chairperson of the licensing pane, adult services and health overview and scrutiny panel, and vice chairperson for the foster-parenting panel and a member of other committees. Also read: Government proposes to ease norms for NRIs carrying gold hassle-free Nandini

Government proposes to ease norms for NRIs carrying gold hassle-free May 26, 2016 11:48

The government of India is planning to soften norms for Non-resident Indians travelling into and out of India loaded with jewellery to attend personal functions such as weddings or similar occasions. Such NRIs would need to pay duty on entry and will get it refunded while returning. A framework to ensure hassle-free customs clearances for such travel into and out of India is being prepared by the government. At present, NRI's are facing problems while bringing in jewellery for personal use due to stringent norms that were put in place to curb gold smuggling through personal baggage. The Central Board of Excise & Customs is gearing up to set new norms that will make easier to bring jewellery for personal use under the baggage rules. The Economic Times reported that, "We are examining the norms. We understand that some people get jewellery for weddings and take it back as well," a senior finance ministry official said. The smuggling of gold is on the rise in India. The Indian government seized gold worth Rs. 832.08 crore in 2014-15, while it seized worth Rs. 557.83 crore in 2013-14. Also read: UN honors four Indian peacekeepers posthumously Nandini

UN honors four Indian peacekeepers posthumously May 20, 2016 14:52

Four Indian peacekeepers,who sacrificed their lives while serving in UN peacekeeping operations were awarded posthumously with a prestigious UN medal on the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers. The fallen Indian peacekeepers are among the other 124 military, police and civilian personnel who have been awarded posthumously for their sacrifice in the line of duty. The Indian peacekeepers, who honored with the Dag Hammarskjold Medal are Rifleman Manish Malik, Head Constable Shubhkaran Yadav, Naik Rakesh Kumar and Havildar Amal Deka. Yadav and Malik were serving in the UN Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO). They gave the supreme sacrifice in April 2015. Deka was serving in the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) and died in June last year, while Kumar, serving in the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) died in January 2015. "Today we join together in this solemn ceremony to honour the memory of the 129 men and woman who lost their lives last year while serving under the United Nations flag. These brave personnel came from 50 countries," said United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in the medal ceremony. "The number of people who serve in our operations more than 124,000 demonstrates how much the international community continues to depend on our Blue Helmets," the UN chief said. At present, there are 16 peacekeeping operations are being operated by the United Nations. Also read: Indian wins award at UN's poster contest Nandini

Indian wins award at UN's poster contest May 14, 2016 15:53

A Chennai girl Anjali Chandrashekar has been awarded with third prize at the United Nations Poster for Peace Contest presented by the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs (ODA). 22-year-old Indian artist received the award at the U.N. Headquarters in New York. Two art pieces ‘Break Free’ and ‘Cutting a Peace Deal’ of New York-based designer and "artivist" were selected in the competition. She has been doing this work since long time and participated in the numerous U.N. campaigns in the past. "Nuclear disarmament is usually spoken about on such a high level and I believe that art has the power to humanize some of the most pressing issues that the world faces today," Anjali said at the UN News Centre. "It also transcends barriers of age, language and literacy so I thought this was a great opportunity for me to show that a brush can be mightier than arms." “As an artist, I have tried to make meaning of the world around me visually. And pictures transcend barriers of age, language and literacy. The Poster for Peace was a chance for me to show that a brush can be mightier than arms. The goal of nuclear disarmament has been a tremendously difficult challenge, but this campaign tells us that peace is possible if we all work together towards it,” says Anjali, who works in the U.S. “It took me three months, but I didn’t do it at a stretch. I played with several ideas and finally came up with these,” says the artist. “Pratt influenced my artistic language. It was an incredibly rewarding experience to get an education that helped me with that design thinking process and I think it translates into my recent work too,” she adds. While Congratulating the winners, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that, he commends them for the "talents you have displayed, and for using those talents to highlight such an essential cause." "At a time of many global needs, it is important that young people are aware of the threat posed by nuclear weapons, and the vital importance of disarmament. Young people did not create nuclear weapons, but it may be their task to eliminate them once and for all. The energy and enthusiasm, talent and new ideas we see here today will help to meet that challenge," he said at the award ceremony. Also read: Andhra government launches ‘Non-Resident Telugu Society’ Nandini

Andhra government launches ‘Non-Resident Telugu Society’ May 11, 2016 12:29

The government of Andhra Pradesh established the "Andhra Pradesh Non-Resident Telugu Society" (NRTS). The society is headed by the chief minister and aims to promote "Brand AP" among the Telugu communities settled in foreign countries. The initiative also encourages their efforts in the state development process. The NRTS will also plan to promote and seek investments from non-resident Telugus, industrialists and the foreign investment agencies in several sectors in the state. The state chief secretary Satya Prakash Tucker, said that, "There is a huge interest among non-resident Telugus towards meaningful contribution for the growth and empowerment of people living in Andhra Pradesh.” "There should be an institutional mechanism to channelise their interest towards tangible contributions or investments from Non-Resident Telugus in Andhra Pradesh. Hence, the Society is being set up under the aegis of the state government," Tucker said in an order. The registered office of the society would be located here, while its area of function would be "all over the world", the order said. There are 10-member in the governing body of the Society. The committee would be headed by the CM, the minister for NRI affairs and adviser to government (non-resident Telugu affairs). It also includes principal secretaries of seven key departments as members. The society affairs will be managed by an eight-member executive council, headed by the adviser (NRT affairs), with two NRI members for a three-year term. Also read: NRIs aim to bring back lost artefacts of India Nandini