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NRI saved from gallowsKUWAIT CITY: Kuwait’s government commuted the death sentence of a Tamil worker to life imprisonment after his impoverished fami-ly raised Rs 30 lakh compen-sation or “blood money” to pay the victim’s family with the help of contributions, including from a young Muslim leader from Kerala –Panakkad Sayed Munaw-warali Shihab Thangal.

“Alhamdu Lillah [Thank God), a human soul could be saved from sure death because of our little effort,” said Munawwarali on re-ceipt of the news about the commutation of Arjunan Athimuthu’s death sen-tence to life imprisonment. “It’s a moment to rejoice for humanity.” PP Narayanan, first secretary for commu-nity welfare at the Indian embassy in Kuwait, had e-mailed Munawwarali laud-ing his efforts to save Athi-muthu.

Hiring of senior executives to register upturn in 2019BENGALURU: Corporate In-dia is witnessing an increased demand for senior executives familiar with business and stakeholder experience, said the India Salary Benchmark 2019 report released by glob-al professional recruitment consultancy Michael Page.

Managing Director at Michael Page India Nicolas Dumoulin said: “Movement among senior level profes-sionals can be attributed to the growth of India’s indus-tries and the availability of talent. This explains the key employment activity within the mid and large manufac-turing organisations special-ising in chemicals, building materials as well as domestic consumer companies.”

“The entrance of new funds within the private equity sector has also led

President Ram Nath Kovind presenting the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards at the closing session of the 15th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas-2019 in Varanasi. Prime Minister of Mauritius Pravind Jugnauth, UP Governor Ram Naik, Union Minister for External Af-fairs Sushma Swaraj, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and other dignitaries were also present (Also see page-6).

NRIs in UAE to get passport in two daysVARANASI: NRIs in the UAE will soon get their passports issued in two working days down from four to five now. The passport issuance time will be cut by almost half through a centralised online passport system which is a precursor to issuing chip-based e-passports.

Speaking at the PBD con-vention here, Prime Minister Modi said work was on to issue chip-based e-passports to Indian citizens under a centralised passport system.

“Our embassies and con-sulates are being connected to the Passport Seva Project worldwide,” he said, ad-dressing the inaugural cer-emony of the high profile PBD-2019. “This will pre-pare a centralised system connected to the passport service for all of you,” he told the over 5000 NRIs at-tending the three-day con-vention. “Going one step ahead, work is on for is-suing of the chip-based e-passport.” Modi also said that work was on to simplify the process of issuing visas to PIO (Person of Indian Ori-gin) and OCI (Overseas Citi-

zen of India) cards.With the new passport

service system coming into place, Indian expats in the UAE will no longer be re-quired to visit the centres

of BLS International, the outsourced agency process-ing passport applications, to submit their applications.

A top Indian diplomats

in the UAE embassy said that the missions were pre-paring for the complete in-tegration of their passport issuance systems with the Passport Seva Kendra proj-

ect back in India. Navdeep Singh Suri, the Indian Am-bassador to the UAE, told a TV channel that the Indian diplomatic missions in the

UAE issued 272,500 pass-ports in 2018. The Indian diplomatic missions in the UAE are preparing for the complete integration of their passport issuance systems

with the Passport Seva Ken-dra project back in India. The embassy in Abu Dhabi issued 61,000 passports and the Consulate General in

Dubai 211,500, he said. Suri said use of technology has minimised the time taken to renew passports. Five years back, to renew a passport in the UAE, the missions had to

wait for approval from pass-port office in India, which originally issued the pass-port. “Today we have online database (Contd. on page 2)

Rlys to provide four lakh jobsNEW DELHI: Railways will be the first government de-partment to implement the 10pc quota for the general cat-egory poor, providing around 23,000 jobs in the next two years, Railways Minister Piyush Goyal has said. He said the railways will recruit around 1.31 lakh employees within the next six months. Goyal said the railways plans to provide around four lakh jobs in the next two years spread over all categories.

The railways has a sanc-tioned strength of 15,06,598 employees. Out of these, 12,23,622 personnel are on roll. The remaining 2,82,976 are vacant posts. The recruit-ment for 1,51,548 posts in the railways is going on, leaving 1,31,428 posts still vacant, the minister revealed. About 53,000 and 46,000 railway employees will retire in 2019-20 and 2020-21, respec-tively, causing an additional vacancy for around one lakh people, he said.

“We have planned in ad-vance so that no posts will remain vacant in railways anymore. As and when re-tirements happen, the posts will be filled. Also, railways

will be the first government department to implement the 10pc quota for the EWS category under the new amendment in which over the next two years, 23,000 jobs will be reserved for them. Nevertheless, this will not affect the present reservation applicable for other categories like SC, ST, OBC and others,” he said.

The recruitments will be done in two phases. The first phase of fresh recruit-ment of 1,31,328 posts shall be initiated in the month of Feb-March, 2019. As per the reservation policy of the government, around 19,715,9,857 and 35,485 va-cancies shall be reserved for SC, ST and OBC candidates (in this phase), respectively. This cycle shall be complet-ed by April-May, 2020. The second phase of recruitment of about 99,000 personnel will be initiated against va-cancies arising out of retire-ments.

As per the reservation policy, about 15,000, 7,500, 27,000 and 10,000 posts shall be reserved for SC, ST, OBC and EWS candidates (in second phase).

e-passports

EPFO data claims 7.3 lakh jobs created in November 2018NEW DELHI: Employment generation in the formal sector increased by 48pc to touch a 15-month high of 7.32 lakh in Nov 2018 com-pared with 4.93 lakh in the year ago month, according to the latest EPFO payroll data. Around 73.50 lakh new subscribers were added to social security schemes of the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) from Sept 2017 to Nov 2018, the data showed.

This indicates that these many jobs were created in the

last 15 months. The EPFO, however, revised downwards its payroll data for Oct 2018 to 6.66 lakh against the ear-lier estimate of 8.27 lakh. It also revised the cumulative job addition data from Sept 2017 to Oct 2018 downwards 16.4pc to 66.18 lakh from earlier forecast of 79.16 lakh.

The lowest number of 55,831 subscribers were added to the EPFO schemes in March last, the data showed. During November 2018, the maximum num-ber of 2.18 lakh jobs were

created in the 18-21 years’ age group followed by 2.03 lakh in the 22-25 years’ age bracket. The EPFO said the data is provisional as upda-tion of employee records is a continuous process and gets updated in subsequent months. This is age-band wise data of new members registered under the EPFO where the first non-zero contribution received dur-ing particular month.

For each age-wise band, the estimates are net of the members newly enrolled, ex-

ited and rejoined during the month as per records of the EPFO, it added. The estimates may include temporary em-ployees whose contributions may not be continuous for the entire year. Members’ data are linked to unique Aadhaar Identity, it added. The EPFO manages social security funds of workers in the organised/semi organ-ised sector in India and has more than six crore active members (with at least one-month contribution during the year).

Can NRIs buy municipal bonds?NEW DELHI: The ministry of housing and urban affairs is currently looking at letting a part of these municipal bonds be issued for subscription by overseas Indians, specifically for Swachh Bharat activities, according to Manoj Bharti, Additional Secretary, MEA.

Municipal bonds are debt obligations issued by mu-

nicipal bodies and municipal corporates to fund day-to-day needs and to finance capital projects such as roads, bridg-es and schools. NRIs, at pres-ent, are not allowed to par-ticipate in these bonds. “The MEA had recommended that overseas Indians be issued municipal bonds, and the MoHUA has responded posi-

tively. But details such as the number of bonds NRIs will be allowed to subscribe to has to be decided by the MoHUA to-gether with the states,” a gov-ernment official said.

The suggestion to allow overseas Indians to subscribe to municipal bonds was made by the taskforce on waste manage-ment at a PBD conference.

to senior level hiring. Fur-thermore, the rise of India’s ecommerce and fintech businesses have increased opportunities for senior tal-ent to move in from estab-lished industries such as the FMCG and banking spaces,” he added. In the technology front, recruitment activities are expected to grow signifi-cantly with new CTO and CIO roles. Rapid advance-ment in the digital space has led to a surge in demand for professionals skilled in big data, machine learning and data science, the report said.

“In addition to the pre-requisite technical abili-ties depending on job title, this new breed of business leaders in India also have to display agility, flexibility, a strategic and commercial mindset as well as mentor-

ship qualities,’’ said the report released by the Lon-don-based firm. As Indian businesses focus their efforts on professionalising their operations, Michael Page India foresees increased de-mand for talent in business partnering functions such as HR, finance and legal.

Dumoulin further added: “India has a strong pool of se-nior leaders on par with busi-ness standards in developed markets. However due to the increased pace of market growth, this has given rise to an acute shortage of available talent at this level. The limit-ed candidate pool has driven up the cost for senior talent over the years. Professionals moving jobs at this manage-ment level can expect 20 to 25pc increases on their com-pensation package.

HAPPY REPUBLIC DAY 2019

2 EMIGRATION Friday, January 25, 2019

Published by IPEPCIL Publications LtdRNI No.: MAHENG/2018/76663

Publisher: Supreet M.J.Editor : E.L. VaidyanathanVolume No.: 1, Issue: 31

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NRI proxy voting a far cry?

This year’s Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) at the temple city of Varanasi could probably be the best and largest celebration of the overseas Indian community. Their

number of delegates was the highest for this 15th edition of the PBD, seminars and deliberations were of top quality, cultural programmes were the very best, food comprised the world famous Benarasi cuisines and above all, it gave a rare opportunity for the delegates to visit the Kumbh Mela at Prayagraj and a trip to Delhi to have a ringside view of the colourful Republic Day Parade. It was all in-one business-cum-knowledge trip.

Started by the late Prime Minister and visionary Atal Bihari Vajpayee to attract the India’s over 30million-strong diaspora, the PBD has come a long way from the Vajpayee days. The successive governments as well the present Modi govt continued to pamper the Pravasis and the festival itself travelled from one part of our vast country to the other . This year, Varanasi being Modi’s constituency, the PBD at-tracted more attention. True, the PBD continues to be a ful-crum to attract foreign investors but at the same time, it was also successful in initiating the third generation of Pravasis to their land of origin. This is the greatest success of PBD.

Many landmark decisions were taken in the earlier PBDs. Some of them include dual citizenship for People of Indian Origin (PIOs), PIO card, pension for returning NRIs, property rights for PIOs etc. But the greatest of them was the issue of voting rights for NRIs. But here again, there are hitches as the NRI has to be physically present in his own constituency on the day of voting and produce his passport on which he had gone abroad and then can only be eligible to vote. In other words, the promised online vot-ing has not taken place. But, the Union government is seri-ously thinking of passing a bill to allow proxy voting rights to overseas Indians and make electoral law gender neutral for service voters. Hopefully, this bill will be passed in the ensuing budget session of parliament. If the bill becomes a law, NRIs eligible to vote in India will be allowed to appoint proxies who can vote on their behalf. Now, NRIs in the UAE will get their passports issued in two working day. The passport issuance time will be cut by almost half through a centralised online system which is a precursor to issu-ing chip-based e-passports. Our embassies and consulates are being connected to the Passport Seva Project worldwide and this will prepare a centralised system connected to the passport service for NRIs. Work was on to simplify the pro-cess of issuing visas to PIOs and OCI (Overseas Citizen of India) cards. With the new passport service system com-ing into place, Indian expats in the UAE will no longer be required to visit the centres of BLS International, the out-sourced agency processing passport applications, to submit their applications. So far, so good.

Editorial

LIPSYNCH “The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty.”

— Winston Churchill.

Indian origins Tulsi Gabbard and Senator Kamala Devi Harris.

US presidential election

Will it be Tulsi or Kamala?WASHINGTON: Tulsi (holy basil) and Kamala (lotus) have special significance in Hindu mythology. Their namesakes, Hindu-Ameri-can Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard and Indian-Amer-ican Senator Kamala Devi Harris, also have a special appeal to the Indian com-munity in the US.

With both of them set to enter the 2020 Demo-cratic Presidential primary contest, it is a windfall of pride with a twist of irony for the Indian-Americans. With whom and how the Indian-American communi-ty, which is predominantly Hindu, will throw in its lot, will be the most interesting side show of the primary.

As of now, a number of Hindu-Americans across the country say they are excited about Hawaii Con-gresswoman Gabbard’s 2020 presidential run and have vouched their support to her campaign. The 37-year-old Gabbard, the first Samoan-American and the first Hin-du member of the US Con-gress, is all set to officially

announce her candidacy.The 54-year-old Sena-

tor Harris, who is currently on a book tour, is also an-

nounced her run . The lat-ter’s candidacy, which has been widely anticipated and discussed, will have lot more weightage than the for-mer’s, considering that Har-ris is a high-profile senator from the largest state in the Union representing 40 mil-

lion people, while Gabbard represents a district that has a population of less than seven lakh. Both candidates,

however, have significant profiles in their respective legislative chambers.

Gabbard is a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Ameri-cans. Since she was elected

the first Hindu-American to the US Congress in 2012, Gabbard almost immedi-ately became a favorite of

the Indian-American com-munity, particularly Hindu-Americans.

Gabbard is said to have fully embraced Sanatan Dharma after serious delib-eration and contemplation in her later teens and not because her mother was a

practising Hindu, she’s said in the past. “As a Vaishnava, my perspective of Hindu-ism or Sanatan Dharma comes from the Bhagavad Gita,” she said. She has been studying the Gita since childhood and has, espe-cially beginning in her teen-age years, tried to apply the Gita’s principles of karma yoga and bhakti yoga to ev-ery aspect of her life.

Although she’s been touted the first Indian-American senator in the US, there is a lot of conjecture about Harris identifying her-self as a Hindu-American or an Indian-American. Harris’ mother Shyamala Gopalan Harris was a Tamilian from India, while her father Don-ald Harris was an African-American from Jamaica. Harris and her sister Maya, have been raised by their single mother, deeply rooted in Indian culture and life-style.

Experts believe that Har-ris is at an advantage in what appears to be a crowded Democratic field and could have an edge over others.

Rohini Pande

HARVARD: Rohini Pande, a Rafik Hariri professor of international political economy at Harvard Ken-nedy School and co-direc-tor of Evidence for Policy Design, has been honoured with the 2018 Carolyn Shaw Bell Award for advancing the status of women in economics.

The award is given annually by the American Economic Association’s Committee on the Status of Women in the Econom-ics Profession to recognise and honuor an individual who has furthered the sta-tus of women in the eco-nomics profession. The Indian-American econo-mist will receive the award at the annual CSWEP busi-ness meeting and award ceremony held during the 2019 meeting of the asso-ciation in Atlanta, Georgia.

Calling Pande an accom-plished development schol-ar and gifted academic lead-er, the American Economic

Rohini Pande honoured withCarolyn Shaw Bell Award

Association noted that she “mentors all along the eco-nomics pipeline, from un-dergraduates to graduate students, post-docs to junior colleagues at her own and

other universities, to support their fu-ture success.

Pande earned her doctorate in economics from the London School of Economics in 1999. Earlier in her career, she served

as an assistant professor of economics at Columbia University and as an assis-tant and associate professor of economics at Yale Uni-versity. She has also held visiting professor positions at Stanford and MIT. The Association noted that in addition to her mentoring efforts, Pande seeks “gen-der parity” in economics and has taken deliberate steps to further this goal. “She ensures that the con-cerns women academics have, and the barriers they may face, are given serious attention,” it said.

WASHINGTON: An Indian-American philanthropist and entrepreneur Gurinder Singh Khalsa has been pre-sented with the prestigious Rosa Park Trailblazer award for his campaign that forced US authorities change their policy towards headgear of the Sikh community. Indi-anapolis-based Khalsa (45) was presented the award for his continued demonstration of courage and compassion. In 2007, Khalsa was refused access to board an airplane because of his turban, organ-isers of the event said.

Thereafter, Khalsa mo-bilised more than 67,000 people nationwide for peti-tions and took the issue to all the way to the US Congress, which forced Transporta-tion and Security Admin-istration (TSA) to change its headgear policy towards the Sikh community. As a result, Sikhs can now wear their turban through airport security in the US.

US-Indian bags Rosa Parks Trailblazer award

“I was prevented from boarding the flight because I refused to remove my tur-ban. I took this stand for all those who believe in reli-gious liberty and freedom of faith,” Khalsa, who also heads the Indiana-based Sikhs Political Affairs Com-mittee, said. Khalsa dedi-cated the award to the Sikh community.

“This award is not about me. Change does not ex-ist without the support of a community. I dedicate this award to more than 67,000 individuals from all walks of life across America and to one of the largest Sikh advo-cacy group, Sikh Coalition. Without their countless ef-forts change in the TSA Tur-ban policy would not exist,” he said. The award ceremo-ny was attended by top State officials and eminent com-munity leaders. “Sometimes those who bravely protest for civil rights are stereotyped as somehow threatening

figures --- perhaps simply because of the raw courage required to fight for justice. But in the personalities of both Gurinder and Rosa, we see the great power of quiet resolve,” Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill said.

“I know that Gurinder in his lifetime has experienced and witnessed certain per-ceptions and situations that have been unjust. But in his cheerful and dignified man-ner, he has stood for justice and free speech and freedom of religion and for so many truly American principles that make our nation great,” he said.

Indiana State Assem-bly Speaker Brian C Bosma congratulated Khalsa on re-ceiving the 2019 Rosa Parks Trailblazer award for his principled commitment to faith and his “pursuit of pos-itive change” that embod-ies the American principles of free speech and religious freedom.

India to be global growth leader: IMFUNITED NATIONS: International Monetary Fund’s World Economic Outlook Update, released by chief economist Gita Gopinath, said that India’s economy is expected to grow by 7.5pc in the 2019-20 fiscal year, keeping an up-ward trajectory as the rest of the world slumps. India will continue to be the world’s fastest growing major economy, the report said. IMF saw China’s growth slipping from 6.6 pc last year to 6.2pc this year.

The IMF’s flagship report said that India’s growth was es-timated to be 7.3pc for the current fiscal year and forecast to rise to 7.7pc 2020-21. “India’s economy is poised to pick up in 2019, benefiting from lower oil prices and a slower pace of monetary tightening than previously expected, as inflation pressures ease,” the report said. At the launch of the report in Davos, Switzerland, Gita said: “The global expansion is weak-ening and at a rate that is somewhat faster than expected.”

She said the update projects global growth at 3.5pc in 2019, a downward revision of 0.2pc from the Octo report and 3.6pc in 2020, a reduction of 0.1pc. “We believe the risks to more signifi-cant downward corrections are rising.” Nevertheless, she also said: “While this does not mean we are staring at a major down-turn, it is important to take stock of the many rising risks.” Gita , a former adviser to the Kerala government and highly regarded professor at Harvard University, took over as the chief econ-omist of the IMF in Jan, becoming the first woman to hold the key post in global economic policy-making. She blamed the trade tensions and worsening financial conditions for the bleak outlook. “Higher trade uncertainty will further dampen investment and disrupt global supply chains,” she said. IMF saw China’s growth slipping from 6.6 per cent last year to 6.2 per cent this year. World Bank’s projections published earlier this month for India’s growth in the current and next fiscal years match those of IMF but is lower at 7.5pc 2020-21.

LONDON: Brexit will not af-fect the chances of Indian students who wish to come to the UK for higher education, more so with the Pound’s like-lihood of plummeting after the exit, a senior official from the Universities UK Interna-tional has opined.

“Indian parents do not have to worry about their chil-dren’s prospects of coming to the UK for study post-Brexit. India has always been our priority, besides other Asian countries like Malaysia, Sin-gapore, and China,” Vivienne

Brexit not to affect Indian students in UKStern, Director of Universi-ties UK International said.

As the fear about the breaking away with the Euro-pean Union rises, the pound is likely to weaken — as what happened when the British voted for an exit from the union — and this will be all the better for Indian students coming here to study, Stern suggested. Nevertheless, she said Europe has always fig-ured among the UK’s top targets for fishing for foreign students.

“We would always want

more from both the regions. But as things stand, any re-duction in the student intake from the European Union will certainly benefit the Indian students. “There is clearly an opportunity for India. There’s no reason it should worry about the Brexit,” she said.

The Universities UK Inter-national is an association of UK universities and works as a policy advocate and a facili-tator between foreign students and the universities in the UK. It has as its members 136 uni-versities from across the UK.

NRIs in UAE to get passport in two...(Contd. from page 1)to check the status, which has sped up the procedure. It used to take a few weeks in the past,” he said. Suri said what the prime minister announced is the next generation reforms as part of the government’s commit-ment to ease the process.

“We have to be ready with various types of scanners and other equipment for this. We are in the process of arranging them. It will be done within a few weeks,” Consul General of India in Dubai Vipul said. Once that is done, he said, a team from India would be visiting the missions to finalise the online integration of the systems.

As the online process will cut down physical movement of applications, he said the missions would be able to issue passports in two working days. “Though we mention five working days as expected time of issuance, we are issuing passports in three to four working days. When everything becomes online and automated, that will be reduced to two working days.”The next stage of the centralised passport system will see the issuance of the chip-based e-passports. Also known as biometric or digital passports, these passports will have a microprocessor chip em-bedded in them. Applicants will have to provide their biometric features for these passports.

Murder accused extradited from CanadaNEW DELHI: The Punjab police have taken the cus-tody of Malkit Kaur Sidhu and Surjit Singh Badesha in the Jassi murder case from Royal Canadian Police at the New Delhi airport.

Both were extradited from Canada on Wednes-day night 19 years after the murder of Jassi allegedly by contract kill-ers. Earlier also, Punjab police had tried to extra-dite the two in Sept 2017 but they suc-ceeded in stalling their extradition. Jassi had married Mithu secretly in March 1999. In June, con-tract killers allegedly at-tacked the couple, killing Jassi while Mithu survived. Malkiat is the mother of Jas-

si while Badesha is her ma-ternal uncle.

Following the devel-opment, Jassi’s husband Sukhwinder Singh Mithu thanked the Canadian gov-ernment and hoped justice would prevail. “I had lost all hope. It has been 19 years. Now my life’s desire is to confront Jassi’s mother and

ask her if our love was such a big crime. I have had a false case registered against me and spent three years in jail in my pursuit of justice,” Mithu alleged.

Sukhwinder Singh and Jaswinder Kaur.

3GULF JOBS & OPPORTUNITIESFriday, January 25, 2019

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N A T I O N A L

MUMBAI: A latest survey shows that hiring activity is set to rise in the com-ing six months. Eighty four per cent recruiters surveyed anticipate a rise in hiring activity between January to June, a twenty per cent increase in comparison to July to December period last year, bi-annual survey by job portal Naukri.com said.

In the first six months of 2019, while fifty per cent of the recruiters ex-pect both new job creation and replacement hiring, other twelve per cent of the recruiters anticipate only replacement hiring to take place, the survey also showed. IT, BFSI and BPO would be the major industries driving the hiring growth, it added.

Hiring to rise in next six monthsIT, BFSI, BPO to generate maximum jobs

Maximum hiring could be in the experience band of 3-5 years followed by 1-3 years, the report also said. The survey also shows that

there is a drop in the layoff numbers with only one per cent of the total recruiters anticipating layoffs.

“The Hiring Outlook highlights positive hiring sentiment among the re-cruiter community with both replacement hiring

and new jobs creation tak-ing place simultaneously in the first half of the year. Key industries have continued

to show growth,” Sumeet Singh, Chief Marketing Of-ficer, InfoEdge India said

However, amid this opti-mism, there remains worries related to talent crunch. The issue of finding right talent could deepen in the coming six months, said forty two per cent of the recruiters. The maximum talent crunch is expected to be in the ex-perience band of 3-5 years, it added.

While sixteen per cent of the recruiters expect the in-crement upwards of twenty per cent, fifteen per cent expect it to be between fif-teen to twenty per cent. The rate of increment would be anywhere between ten per cent to 15 per cent, about one third of the recruiters surveyed said.

NEW DELHI: The Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore is inviting applications from eligible candidates to enrol for several courses at the in-stitute. The courses on offer include research programmes – PhD, M Tech, course programmes – M Tech, M Des, M Management, Integrated PhD pro-grammes and research under external regis-tration programmes. For the research pro-grammes, a PhD is a must.

Applications will begin on February 1 and the last date to apply is March 25, 2019. The application link will be deactivated post 11:59 pm, March 25, 2019. Applicants possessing a bachelor’s degree in an appropri-ate field of engineering/technology or master’s degree in physical sciences, mathematics, statistics, geology, in-strumentation, electronics, computer applications with a valid GATE 2017 / 2018 / 2019 score are eligible to apply.

Particular eligibility for each course is different for each course/programme.

IISc PG admission notifi cation releasedIISC Admissions 2019: How to applyStep 1: Visit the official website, iisc.ac.inStep 2: On the homepage, scroll down to find, the admissions pictureStep 3: Scroll over the picture to reach the link ‘PG research programmes’

Step 4: Select the programme you wish to apply for, M.Tech (research)/PhdStep 5: Click on applyThe link will be activated only in February 2019.IISc PG admission: Application feeCandidates will have to pay an application fee worth Rs 800. For candidates belonging to SC/STPwD category the fee is Rs 400 and for ERP candidates it is Rs 2,000.

NEW DELHI: Foreign investors have pulled out more than Rs 4,000 crore from the Indian capital markets so far in January, highlighting their cautious stance towards the country.

This comes following a collective net inflow of over Rs 17,000 crore in the capital markets both equity and debt by Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) during November and December.

Prior to that, they had pulled out a massive Rs 38,905 crore in October.

According to data available with the depositories, FPIs withdrew a net amount of Rs 3,987 crore from equities and a net sum of Rs 53 crore from the debt market, taking the total outflow to Rs 4,040 crore during January 1-18.

Market experts believe that FPIs are continuing with their ‘wait and watch’ approach towards India.

Going ahead, the focus would be on the budget, progress on the economic growth front and general elections, they added.

Other factors such as movement in crude prices and currency as well as US-China trade relations will also play a role in FPI flows, they added.

FPI outgo cross Rs 4,000cr in Jan so far

NEW DELHI: In a first-of-its kind move in Indian academia, Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin and Columbia Uni-versity in the City of New York have jointly launched their latest teaching col-laboration, the Dual BA Program between Trinity College Dublin and Colum-bia University, in Mumbai, India.

The programme tran-scends traditional study abroad opportunities by providing the opportu-nity to pursue a rigorous undergraduate liberal arts education spanning two continents. Upon comple-tion of the four-year pro-

Trinity College Dublin, Columbia varsity foray into Indiagramme, graduates earn two bachelor’s degrees, one from each institution.

Nilanjana Shihn, Coun-try Adviser India at Trinity College Dublin on the oc-casion said, “Indian stu-dents have proved their mettle in universities and careers across the world. I am proud to launch this important new programme in India which was earlier launched in New York in the month of February.” We at Columbia are very excited about this new programme, and that we are Trinity first interna-tional dual degree partner at the undergraduate level. There has been tremen-

dous enthusiasm among both faculty and students for the programme, which demonstrates how well-aligned both institutions are for a partnership of this kind.

Trinity is Ireland pre-mier university, and we are thrilled at the oppor-tunity to build upon the relationships that made this programme possible, and to continue developing

collaborations that span the Atlantic from New York to Dublin,” added Jessica Sarles-Dinsick, Associate Dean for International Pro-grams and Special Projects at the Columbia Univer-

sity School of General Stud-ies.

S tudent s spend their in i t i a l two years at Trin-i ty Col lege Dublin study-ing within one of four pro-gram tracks: English Stud-ies, European Studies, His-

tory, or Middle Eastern and European Languages and Cultures, after which they matriculate at Columbia, completing one of several approved majors and the University core curriculum in years three and four. Trinity College Dublin is delighted to partner with Columbia University, one of America’s leading universities, to deliver this groundbreaking pro-gramme.

Trinity has produced some of the world great minds across the arts and humanities, including the Nobel Laureate, Samuel Beckett, and more recently the Booker Prize winner,

Anne Enright. Similarly, the Arts and Humanities are pillars of Columbia University stellar reputa-tion, bringing the world’s best art and ideas to our attention. Together, both institutions draw on both the traditional and innova-tive, encouraging students to challenge themselves and develop an under-standing of an increasingly globalised world.

This programme pro-vides a truly international educational experience for our students,” said Profes-sor Zuleika Rodgers, the Programme Director of the Dual BA at Trinity College Dublin.

KOCHI: The Kerala govern-ment’s Pravasi Chitty, a financial savings scheme for expats from the state, is estimated to net Rs 25,000-crore business this year, finance minister TM Thomas Isaac has said. The margins are likely to boost the inflows into the Kerala Infrastructure and Investment Fund Board (KI-IFB), the state government’s extra-budgetary fundraising kitty.

“Although Pravasi Chitty is meant to harness the sav-ings of over two million ex-pats from Kerala spread out worldwide, currently it has been introduced only in the UAE. Soon, it will be ex-

Pravasi Chitty to net Rs 25,000cr this yeartended to cover the state’s diaspora in GCC countries and later to countries like UK too,” Isaac said.

As much as `10,000 crore raised with the help of Pravasi Chitty in KIIFB is earmarked to finance

two new road projects, Hill Highway and Coastal Highway. The state gov-ernment-run NBFC Kerala

State Financial Enterprises (KSFE), which recently launched the Pravasi Chit-ty, has similar chit schemes

responsible for nearly half of its `50,000-crore annual business.

“A portion of the turn-over of the Pravasi Chitty would be invested in the bonds of KIIFB, in the name of KSFE. Earlier, the Kerala government had hiked vehicle taxes by 10pc and clamped cess on petro-products. This extra income is used as the government’s guarantee to return the investments in Pravasi Chitty,” PV Unni-krishnan, director, KSFE, sources informed.

For the NRI investor, Pravasi Chitty offers 8-18pc returns, free life insur-ance, insurance for partial

or full disability and an optional pension benefit. Eyeing Gulf subscribers, it is also designed Shariat-compliant, interest-free, fully digital and easy to operate through a smart-phone, he said.

Debt-ridden and reve-nue-squeezed, the Kerala government had no option last year, but to design an extra-budgetary finan-cial instrument as Pravasi Chitty to raise funds for infrastructure building.

Following the devastat-ing floods in August 2018, the thrust on leveraging its diaspora savings had become crucial, as never before.

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government is eyeing investments worth $15 billion in the aerospace and defence sectors in the next 15 years to make the state a preferred hub for the two industries.

This was revealed in the ambitious aerospace and defence policy unveiled by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on the inaugural day of the second edition of the Global Investors Meet. The objective of the policy is to make Tamil Nadu the preferred hub for aerospace and defence industries in India in the areas of engi-

TN eyes $15b investments in aerospace, defence

NEW DELHI: Huawei an-nounced the 5G modem Ba-long 5000, which is described as the most powerful modem in the world.

The head of Huawei’s con-sumer business group, Rich-ard Yu, said it was the world’s first 5G modem that fully sup-

Huawei unveils the world’s most powerful 5G modem

ports both Non-Standalone (NSA) and Standalone (SA) 5G network architectures.

China’s Huawei Tech-nologies Co Ltd unveiled

its 5G modem Balong 5000, which it described as the most powerful 5G modem in the world.

neering, design, manufacturing and allied activities. Sitharaman had on January 20 inaugurated the Tamil Nadu Defence In-dustrial Corridor in Tiruchirappalli, about 300 km from Chennai. Investments worth over Rs 3,038 crore in this defence cor-ridor were announced with the majority of them from public sector undertakings.

The Aerospace and Defence Policy aims to attract an estimated investment of about $ five billion in a five-year period and another $ 10 billion in 10 years in the aerospace and defence sector.

NATIONAL JOBS & CAREERS 5Friday, January 25, 2019

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Sudoku PuzzleRules: To solve a Sudoku

puzzle, every digit from 1

to 9 must appear in each of

the nine vertical columns,

in each of the nine hori-

zontal rows and in each

of the nine boxes.

Solution for Puzzle # 31

will be in next issue.

Fun Corner

Sudoku Puzzle 30 Answer

Your wellness

It turns out that scien-tists who are striving to create more effective

treatments for diabetes are turning towards stem cells.

Stem cells can be trans-formed into cells that pro-duce insulin, the hormone that controls sugar.

However, the amount of insulin produced by these cells is difficult to control.

By tweaking the recipe for coaxing human stem cells into insulin-secreting beta cells, a team of re-searchers at Washington University School of Medi-cine in St. Louis has shown that the resulting cells are more responsive to fluc-tuating glucose levels in the blood.

The scientists found that when they trans-planted the beta cells into mice that were unable to make insulin, the new cells began secreting insulin

Stem cells can be used to treat diabetes soonwithin a few days. They continued to control blood sugar in the animals for months.

The study was pub-lished in the journal Stem Cell Reports.

Speaking about the study, principal investiga-tor Jeffrey R. Millman said, “We’ve been able to over-come a major weakness in the way these cells previ-ously had been developed. The new insulin-producing cells react more quickly and appropriately when they encounter glucose.”

Millman, PhD, an assis-tant professor of medicine and of biomedical engi-neering added, “The cells behave much more like beta cells in people who don’t have diabetes.”

The researchers believe that it may be time to evaluate whether the same stem-cell approach could

produce insulin and effec-tively control blood sugar in people.

Millman was earlier part of a research team at Harvard that, in 2014,

converted skin cells into stem cells, and, in 2016, did the same thing with skin cells from a patient with diabetes. Each time, the stem cells were then treated with various growth factors to coax them into insulin-secreting beta cells. The beta cells, however,

didn’t work as well as the researchers had hoped.

However, for the new study, Millman’s laboratory still grew beta cells from human stem cells, but they

m a d e numer-o u s changes to the “recipe” for pro-ducing insulin-produc-ing beta c e l l s , treating

the cells with different factors at different times as they grew and developed to help the cells mature and function more effectively.

Once complete, the re-searchers transplanted the beta cells into diabetic mice with suppressed im-mune systems so that they

wouldn’t reject the human cells. Those transplanted cells produced insulin at levels that effectively con-trolled blood sugar in the mice, functionally curing their diabetes for several months, which, for most of the mice in the study, was about the length of their lives.

As laboratory researcher rather than a clinician, Millman said he can’t pre-dict exactly when such cells may be ready for human trials but believes there are at least two ways that stem cell-derived beta cells could be tested in hu-man patients.

The first, he says, would be to encapsulate the cells in something like a gel, with pores small enough to prevent immune cells from getting in but large enough to allow insulin to get out. He added, “Another

idea would be to use gene-editing tools to alter the genes of beta cells in ways that would allow them to ‘hide’ from the immune system after implantation.”

According to Millman,

if stem cell-derived beta cells are proven safe and effective for people with diabetes, his method of manufacturing the cells could be increased up to an industrial scale.

Climbing stairs for just a few minutes at short intervals throughout

the day can significantly improve heart health, a study has found.

The research, published in the journal Applied Phys-iology, Nutrition and Metab-olism, suggests that virtually anyone can improve their fitness, anywhere, any time.

“The findings make it even easier for people to incorporate ‘exercise snacks’ into their day,” said Mar-tin Gibala, a professor at McMaster University in Canada.

“Those who work in office towers or live in apartment buildings can vig-orously climb a few flights of stairs in the morning, at lunch, and in the evening and know they are getting an effective workout,” said Gibala.

Stair climbing can boost heart healthPrevious studies had

shown that brief bouts of vigorous exercise, or sprint interval training (SIT), are effective when performed as a single session, with a few minutes of recovery between the intense bursts, requiring

a total time commitment of 10 minutes or so.

For the study, researchers set out to determine if SIT exercise snacks or vigor-ous bouts of stairclimbing performed as single sprints spread throughout the day would be sufficient enough to improve cardiorespiratory

fitness (CRF), an impor-tant healthy marker that is linked to longevity and cardiovascular disease risk.

One group of sedentary young adults vigorously climbed a three-flight stair-well, three times per day,

separated by one to four hours of recovery.

They repeated the protocol three times each week over the course of six weeks.

The research-ers compared the

change in their fitness to a control group which did not exercise.

“We know that sprint interval training works, but we were a bit surprised to see that the stair snacking approach was also effec-tive,” said Jonathan Little, an assistant professor at

the University of British Columbia in Canada.

“Vigorously climbing a few flights of stairs on your coffee or bathroom break during the day seems to be enough to boost fitness in people who are otherwise sedentary,” Little said.

In addition to being more fit, the stair climbers were also stronger compared to their sedentary counterparts at the end of the study and generated more power dur-ing a maximal cycling test.

In future, researchers hope to investigate different exercise snacking protocols with varying recovery times, and the effect on other h e a l t h -r e l a t e d i n d i c a -tors such as blood pressure and glycaemic control.

Researchers at IIT Mandi have devel-oped a novel system

that can detect early signs of kidney damage by mea-suring even low levels of a protein marker in urine and blood samples. The test, which detects the pres-ence of a protein albumin in urine and blood, can serve as an early indicator of various health disorders such as renal dysfunction as well as diseases that result from diabetes.

At present, dipstick tests are available in the market to detect albumin in urine. However, analysing micro-albuminuria -- a condition in which kidney leaks small

a m o u n t s of albumin in to the u r i n e - - and other

nephritic disorders in their early stages is difficult us-

New test can detect kidney damage earlying these tests.

“The urine dipsticks available in the market can correctly estimate albumin concentration in urine up to 30 microgrammes per decilitre (mg/dL), whereas

with our technique one can measure levels as low as 3.3 mg/dL,” Shubhajit Roy Chowdhury, an assistant professor at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Mandi, said.

The system compro-mises of a chamber that ac-cepts urine or blood serum

and a florescent dye. “The dye, which we developed at IIT Mandi, binds with the albumin molecules in the urine. This composite then absorbs near infra-red (NIR) radiation of 740 nanometre

wavelength, and emits radiation at 806 nanometre wavelength,” Roy Chowdhury said.

A s p e c t r o -scopic analysis can then reveal albumin concen-tration in the sample, he said. “We have con-

ducted a clinical trial with 15 patients, with promising results,” Roy Chowdhury said. Now, the team is set to conduct a more extensive trial over the next five to six months on a range of patients to understand how he performs for different types of disorders.

With the grow-ing demand and applicability of

artificial intelligence (AI), Indian Institute of Technol-ogy Hyderabad (IIT-H) is

set to launch a full-fledged B.Tech program in AI start-ing from the academic year 2019-2020.

It has become the first Indian Educational Institu-tion to offer such a full-fledged B. Tech program in AI and likely the third

India gets its fi rst AI B. Tech course in IIT-Hinstitute globally - after Carnegie Mellon University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), both of which are in the US.

Admiss ions to the

course will be accepted based on the JEE Advanced score. With this, IIT Hy-derabad becomes the first Indian educational institu-tion to offer a full-fledged B. Tech programme in AI and reportedly the third in-stitute globally after Carn-

egie Mellon University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the US. The course will reportedly only take in only 20 students.

Students pursuing other degrees such as B. Tech in chemical engineering or mechanical engi-neering can also pur-sue a minor in AI as well from the coming academic year onwards.

Along with this, the Department of Liber-al Arts in collabora-tion with faculty from Computer Science and

Electrical Engineering in IIT Hyderabad has also launched a minor in AI and Humanity.

IIT Hyderabad is al-ready offering an MTech program in AI and ML, and an MTech in Data Science since 2015-16.

The Uttar Pradesh Po-lice Recruitment Board (UPPRB) is expected to

release the admit card for the Reserved Citizen Police and Reserved Regional Armed Con-stabulary examination anytime soon.

UPPRB will conduct the exam for the posts of Reserved Citizen Police and Reserved Regional Armed Constabulary on January 27 and January 28, 2019.

The exam is being held to fill 49,568 posts. Candidates

UPPRB admit card to release soon

should keep visiting the official website of UPPRB regularly to know the latest updates.

The admit card for the exam is expected to be released on the official website – uppbpb.gov.in.

The written exam will have of questions from General Knowledge, General Hindi, Nu-merical and Mental ability, and Reasoning Ability. The exam will be of 300 marks. Candi-dates who clear the written exam will undergo certificate verification and physical ef-ficiency test (PET).

Indian Institute of For-est Management has commenced the online

application process for ad-mission to the Post Gradu-ate Diploma in Forestry Management (PGDFM), and Post Graduate Diploma in Sustainability Management (PGDSM) courses for the academic session 2019-21.

The candidates can ap-ply online through the official website, iifm.ac.in. The online window of the application process will close on February 20, 2019.

The candidates who have applied for the CAT/ XAT examinations can only apply for the following programmes.Eligibility criteriaEducational qualification:

A candidate must hold a bachelor’s degree in any discipline with at least 50%

IIFM starts online application processmarks or equivalent CGPA (45% in case of candidates belonging to Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST) and Differently Abled (DA) (it may also be re-ferred to as Persons with Disability (PWD) catego-

ries), awarded by any of the universities accredited by University Grants Com-mission (UGC).How to applyStep 1: Visit the official website, iifm.ac.inStep 2: Click on ‘download application link’

Step 3: Submit your ‘ap-plication fee’Step 4: Download the formStep 5: Fill the form and send it to ‘Director, Indian Institute of Forest Man-agement, Bhopal’ with a demand draft of Rs 1000

(Rs 500 for SC/ ST).Selection procedure:

The candidates will be selected on the basis of their CAT/ XAT 2019 score.

The written test and personnel interview (PI) for the shortlisted candidates will be held at Bhopal, Ban-

galore, New Delhi, Kolkata, Guwhati and Kochi in the months of March or April.The examination will be conducted for the 40 va-cant seats.Scholarships:The students belong to SC/

ST category will get schol-arships as offered by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India.Important dates: Last date to apply online: February 20, 2019Examination: March/ April 2019.

Indian Institute of Tech-nology Madras (IIT-M) has launched a start-up to

train workers on Artifi-cial Intelligence (AI) at a nominal cost. The start-up, One Fourth Lab, has an online school, ‘Pad-hAI’, which will offer India-specific courses on AI and also invite top performing students every year to a ‘summer garage’, an AI residency programme at IIT Madras Research Park. The start-up founded

IIT-M launches online course in AI

by Mitesh M Khapra and Pratyush Kumar, Assistant Professors, Department of

Computer Science and En-gineering, IIT-Madras, will also create AI-driven apps by collaborating with Small and Medium Enterprises.

The Delhi University (DU) will consider only Class 12 board exam

results for undergraduate ad-missions, at least for the next two years, instead of having an online entrance test as proposed by the administra-tion recently.

The university receives more than 2.5 lakh applica-tions for 56,000 seats every year.

University officials said when and if entrance exams are held, it will be completely online. However, they said the admission committee is not considering implementing it

No entrance exam for UGs till 2020the next two academic years.

“It takes a lot of planning before executing a plan like switching to entrance-based admission process for 66 af-filiated colleges. The admis-sion committee is not even considering implementing it in the recent future. However, we are not ruling it out at a later stage,” a member of the admission committee said.

Currently, DU conducts online entrance-based admis-sions for nine undergraduate courses, including BA (Hon-ours) business economics, bachelor of management studies and BSc in physical

education, health education and sports, among others. It also conducts entrance exams for all postgraduate courses.

DU vice-chancellor Yo-gesh Tyagi had said last December that the university might switch to the entrance-based admission process for undergraduate courses in 2019.

However, Union human resource development (HRD) minister Prakash Javadekar ruled it out and said the admission process would be conducted as per the existing norms— on cut-off marks based on class 12 results.

6 IN FOCUS Friday, January 25, 2019

I need information on overstaying after a residency visa has been cancelled. My hus-band and I cancelled our residence visas this week, which allows us 30 days before we have to leave or do a visa run. We are leaving the UAE so don’t really want the hassle of a visa run. We are hoping to stay in Abu Dhabi until March 1, which would be 15 days over the 30-day allowance. Do we get an extra grace period after the 30 days and if not, what are the fines each day?

Once a residency visa has been officially cancelled, a person has a 30-day grace period and must exit the UAE before this expires to avoid fines for illegally overstaying. The additional nine-day extension is a conces-sion and is only for people with certain passports who are on tourist/visit visas. If a person overstays after a residency visa is cancelled, the fine for the first day is Dh125 and then a further Dh25 for each subsequent day. This increases to Dh50 a day after six months. It is also worth noting that if some-one significantly exceeds the grace period -– by a period of 30 days or more -– they could find that they are further penalised and even added to an immigration blacklist, which could prevent them from re-entering the UAE at a later date. The amnesty for overstayers, which was available for many months in 2018, has since expired. The fines for overstaying on a tourist visa are different.

UAE driving licenceI live in Abu Dhabi and have just received my visa and Emirates Identity card. My company has also given me a car. I have a valid driving licence from Oman, so is it possible to drive the car for a few days until I change to a UAE licence? Is there any option available to change the licence without a test? Do I have to get some kind of special permission or can I just go ahead?

Anyone with a UAE residency visa must only drive a private vehicle on a UAE driving licence. This includes any company owned vehicles. You cannot drive the company car on your driving licence and that now includes any rental vehicles as the law states that once a residency visa application is underway, an individual can only drive in the UAE on a UAE driving licence. If an individual is an Omani national, he/she can easily convert the Oman licence. Any non-GCC national who has a licence issued in Oman, will need to take lessons and a test before they can obtain a UAE driving licence and must not drive here without it. The ex-ception is for people with certain passports and original driving licences from one of the countries that permits quick conversion of their original licence, (Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Fin-land, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Kuwait, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Poland, Por-tugal, Qatar, Romania, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, UK and US). In all cases the sponsor must provide NOC for an individual to apply for a test or licence.

Notice period I have been made redundant by my em-ployer. I am on a two-year limited contract. The company is buying a return ticket to my home country on a cheap airline where I have to pay the airline with my own money to take any luggage. From Dubai to my country there are going to be two stops so I have to pay on each stop for my two bags, which it will be too expensive for me. Can the company do this? I was given notice on Jan 6 and Feb 3 was going to be my one-year anniversary with the company. They didn’t give me a notice period but they said they were going to pay the one-month notice period. Am I also entitled to the gratuity pay?

As you have been made redundant and will be leaving the UAE, the cost of

How much fi ne for violating UAE visa?the return flight is the responsibility of the employer. Article 131 of UAE Labour Law states: “The employer shall, upon the termination of the contract, bear the expenses of repatriation of the worker to the location from which he is hired or to any other location agreed upon between the parties.” An amendment to the original law in 1986, adds that: “In the implementation of the provisions of the preceding article, repatriation expenses shall mean the price of the travel ticket as well as the rights of the worker stipulated in the employment contract or the regulations of the establish-ment with regards to the travel expenses of his family and the cost of shipping of his personal effects.” This is referring to the contract of employment where family are concerned but it is reasonable to assume that the intention of the law is that a person should be able to take personal belongings with them, at least a suitcase. In this case the employer should either pay for the cost of at least one bag or upgrade the ticket to include luggage.

You were not given a notice period but, by law, an employer must give an employee notice of at least 30 days or more if speci-fied in a contract. All benefits must remain in place for the notice period and this is deemed part of the period of employment. As this will be for more than one calendar year at the date of the official end date, an end of service gratuity is payable. This is calculated as 21 days of basic salary for each year of service. In addition, as you were on a fixed-term contract and termi-nated part way through, the employer is obliged to compensate her. Article 115 of Labour Law states: “Should the employ-ment contract be of a determined term, and the employer rescind same… he shall be bound to compensate the worker for the damage incurred thereto, provided that the compensation amount does not exceed in any case the total wage due for the period of three months or for the remaining period of the contract, whichever is shorter un-less otherwise stipulated in the contract.” You are therefore entitled to a payment of three months’ salary. As the employer is not adhering to the law, I recommend you contact the Ministry of HR (freephone number 800 60) or local Tasheel office, as a matter of urgency to register a case and claim what is due.

Separate A/CI have a question about a husband and wife having individual separate accounts in the same bank. What happens in the event of the husband’s death? If the wife is sponsored by her husband, is her bank account also frozen? Would she be able to operate her account?

In the event of the death of any indi-vidual, all assets in the UAE are frozen and that includes all banks accounts. Where there are accounts in joint names, they will be frozen in the event of the death of either of the accountholders. Where a wife has an account in her own name with the same bank as her husband, whether her account will be frozen in the event of his death depends on how the account was set up. Banks often note that the accounts are “linked”, especially if the wife does not have her own salary and/or the account was set up as a subsidiary of the husband’s account. This is a concern as it is likely that her account could also be frozen. My advice is for all women is to have their own, entirely separate bank accounts. This should be with a different bank so there is no confusion or doubt as to whether a bank has linked accounts in some way. A number of banks offer accounts that do not require a regular salary to be paid in; these come with cheque books, an ATM card and online banking.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Prime Minister of Mauritius Pravind Jugnauth at the inauguration of the 15th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention 2019 in Varanasi.

VARANASI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said he considered NRIs as India’s brand ambassadors and the symbols of its capacities and capabilities. Modi was inaugurating the 15th PBD in his parliamentary con-stituency Varanasi. “People of Indian origin are in leadership roles in coun-tries such as Mauritius, Portugal and Ireland,” he pointed out.

Modi alluded to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gan-dhi’s comment that only 15 paise of Re 1 reached the masses and observed that the Congress govern-ments had done nothing to stop the leakage. His government had stepped in to rectify the situation. The “85pc loot” taking place during the Congress regime had been plugged “100pc ” through technol-ogy. “We have given about Rs 5,80,000 crore to people, transferred to their bank accounts through various schemes. Imagine, if the country was being run on the older system? Then Rs 4,50,000 crore would have vanished,” he said. Efforts to stop the “leakage” could have been made earlier as well but there was no intention and willpower.

Pravasis our brand ambassadors: Modi“Our government is moving towards ensuring that the aid given by government is directly transferred to ben-eficiary accounts through direct benefit schemes,” he stated.

Mauritian Premier Pra-vind Jugnauth, who was the chief guest for the three-day event, also spoke on the occasion. Jugnauth hailed India’s transforma-tion through initiatives such as the Skill India and the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao schemes. He also praised Modi’s global stew-ardship in promoting clean energy and for setting up the International Solar Alli-ance. Jugnauth announced that his country will hold a Bhagwad Gita Mahotsav next month and a Bhojpuri Festival next year.

Modi has said the over-seas Indian community can play a role in shap-ing Indian start-ups and announced that NRI men-tors will be soon brought on the same platform as Indian start-ups. “The government is trying to bring India’s start-ups and NRI mentors on the same platform. Defence manu-facturing can also be an important sector for you,” Modi said, addressing the

5,000 overseas Indian par-ticipants at the conclave.Modi, however, did not elaborate on what ben-efits NRI mentors would be eligible for once they are brought on the same platform as start-ups.

OVER 350 NRIs FROM UAE: Tears rolled down from their eyes and a unique feeling of connect-ing with the motherland grasped the vast members of Indian diaspora as their flight touched down at most modern Lal Baha-dur Shastri International Airport at Varanasi to par-ticipate in the Pravasi Bhartiya Divas. More than 5,000 members of the In-dian diaspora descended on this holy city, out of which 350 members are from the UAE.

Members of the Indian diaspora visited the Baba Vishwanath temple, Ghats on Ganga, Banaras Hindu University and other tour-ist places of this ancient city.

PBD is an important platform to engage and connect with the overseas diaspora. The theme of PBD-2019 is “Role of In-dian diaspora in building a New India.”

Vasu Shroff from UAE

has been attending PBD for the past 14 editions. He was awarded the Pravasi Samaan in 2017.

Earlier, detailing the programmes at PBD, Vipul, Consul-General of India in Dubai, said: “PBD will see recommendations based on panel discussions aimed at how help can be given to distressed Indians abroad and how can Indian di-aspora help, especially in areas such as renewable energy, cybersecurity etc.”

On Jan 24, special buses transported the partici-pants from Varanasi to Prayagraj for the Kumbh Mela and the same night special trains took them to New Delhi. Special ar-rangements had been made for them to participate in the Republic Day Parade. Air India had given 50pc discount to groups of 100 that registered online.

Ta lk ing about the uniqueness of PBD of this year, Vipul said: “The time is longer with a visit to the Kumbh Mela and the Republic Day parade. Many NRIs wish to attend such events but it has always been difficult to co-or-dinate but this time the government is taking the opportunity.”

Pravasi Bharatiya Samman awardees-2019 SR.NO. NAME COUNTRY FIELD

1 Nihal Singh Agar Australia Social Service

2 Rajinder Nath Khazanchi Bhutan Civil Engineering

3 Ramesh Chotai Canada Business

4 Amit Waikar China Business

5 Indian Community Association in Egypt Egypt Community Service

6 Malini Ranganathan France Academics & Arts

7 Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha Guyana Community Service

8 Bitthal Das Maheshwari Italy Business

9 Guna Sekhar Muppuri Jamaica Medical Science &Entrepreneurship

10 P. V. Sambasiva Rao Kenya Technology

11 Prakash Madhavdas Heda Kenya Medical Science

12 Rajpal Tyagi Kuwait Architecture

13 Banwarilal Satya Narayan Goenka Myanmar Business Management

14 Bhavdeep Singh Dhillon New Zealand Business

15 Himanshu Gulati Norway Public Service

16 Vinodan Verambally Thazhikuniyil Oman Business

17 Jagdeshwar Rao Maddukuri Poland Entrepreneurship

18 Purnendu Chandra Tiwary Qatar Training & Simulation

19 Anil Sooklal South Africa Diplomacy

20 Swami Saradaprabhananda South Africa Community Service

21 Rajendra Kumar Joshi Switzerland Science

22 Shamim Parkar Khan Tanzania Public Service

23 Girish Pant UAE Business

24 Surender Singh Kandhari UAE Business

25 Zulekha Daud UAE Medical Science & Business

26 Rajesh Chaplot Uganda Chartered Accountancy

27 Chandra Shekhar Mishra USA Science

28 Gita Gopinath USA Academics

29 Gitesh Jayantilal Desai USA Structural Engineering

30 Kiran Chhotubhai Patel USA Medical science

I worked in Abu Dhabi for three years and left in 2014 purely on account of a family illness. I have recently had an interview, which went very well with a view to return. I am confident I will pass any medical but I have just turned 74 and would like to know if I will qualify for a work visa?

Until Jan 2011, there was a nominal retirement age for expats working in the private sector of 60 and that was then increased to 65. It is possible however, for people to be employed above the age of 65 at the time of application. This is dependent on the indi-vidual’s occupation, expertise, qualifications and experience, which should be relevant to the company offering the position. The visa must be approved by the Ministry of HR Resources and Emiratisation. For an employee of this age, a visa is issued annually and, as per the standard law, the employer must bear this cost as well the cost of providing medical insurance for anyone on a Dubai or Abu Dhabi visa.In this case, I assume the company that interviewed you is aware of your age and want to employ you precisely for your unique skillset. It is not common for individuals over the age of 60 to be offered positions, but there are options for employers looking to hire an older individual if they are an expert in a field and the employer is willing to pay additional costs to do so.

At 74 will I get a job?

CORPORATE NEWS 7Friday, January 25, 2019

Union Minister for Steel Vishnu Deo Sai delivering valedictory address at a session of “INDIA STEEL – 2019” 4th International Exhibition and Conference on Steel Sector in Mumbai.

India Steel – 2019 event held in Mumbai

The board of directors of Vodafone Idea has approved Rs 25,000

crore fund-raising plan by way of rights issue to existing eligible equity

shareholders, the company said in a regulatory filing.

“The board has, con-sidered and approved the offer and issue of fully paid-up and/or partly-paid up equity shares of the

Vodafone Idea to raise Rs 25,000cr via rights issue

company and/or other se-curities convertible into equity shares of the com-pany, including but not limited to, compulsorily convertible debentures, for

an amount aggregating up to Rs 25,000 crore by way of a rights issue,” it said.

The promoter share-holders – Vodafone Group and Aditya Birla Group have reiterated to the board

that they intend to contrib-ute up to Rs 11,000 crore and up to Rs 7,250 crore, respectively as part of such rights issue, it added. The promoter shareholders have

also said that in case the rights issue is under-subscribed, each of the pro-moter shareholders reserves the right to subscribe to part or whole of the un-subscribed portion, subject to applicable law.

The board has authorised the Capi-tal Raising Commit-

tee to decide the nuances of the Rights Issue, includ-ing the instrument, issue price, rights entitlement ratio, record date, timing of the Rights Issue and other matters.

The total investment made by venture cap-ital investors (VCI) in

the Indian startups stood at $7.9 billion in 2018, the third highest tally of the decade.

A report released by global audit firm KPMG said that the deal sizes in India grew considerably last year, a sign of increasing matura-tion of the India VC market.

According to the report, the VC investment in India gained strength in 2018 with a number of notable investments in Q4 2018 including Swiggy’s billion dollar raise in December and restaurant search and rating platform Zomato’s $360 million raise in Oc-tober.

Fintech firms continued to be a big bet for VC in-vestors in India throughout the year, in addition to marketplace platforms and

VCI invest $7.9b in Indian startupsride hailing.

“Deal size grew consider-ably in the reporting year, which is a sign of the in-creasing maturation of the

VC market here. Fintech continued to be a big bet throughout the year, apart from marketplace platforms and ride-hailing apps,” the report said.

After experiencing no new unicorns in 2017, In-dia saw four new unicorns emerge during 2018. The new unicorns reflected the

growing diversity of India’s startup ecosystem with each unicorn representing a dif-ferent industry — (Byju (edtech), Policy Bazaar (fin-

tech), Swiggy (food deliv-ery) and Oyo (hospitality).

Heading into Q1 2019, the report noted that the VC investments in these industries is expected to continue to grow. There will also likely be an increase in a number of niche innova-tion areas such as digital platforms to facilitate used

cars sales.“India is the fastest

growing large economy in the world, so anything with a consumer story is very at-tractive to investors today. We’re seeing a lot of action in consumer solutions — in addition to industrial, automotive and healthcare. The outlook is very positive going forward,” said Nitish Poddar, partner and na-tional leader, private equity, KPMG, India.

The report highlighted venture capital investors growing interest in artificial intelligence and machine learning throughout 2018 with VC investors across Asia drawn by a variety of solutions applicable across multiple industries. Facial recognition was a particu-larly hot technology of interest in Asia in addition to motion detection and natural language processing.

Kotak Mahindra Bank (KMB) has report-ed a 22.5pc year-

on-year (y-o-y) rise in its standalone net profit at Rs 1,291 crore for the third quarter of FY19. The profits were driven up by a good growth in the top line and also due to a write-back in provisions.

While provisions in Q3FY18 totalled Rs 212.77 crore, in the December 2018 quarter there was a write-back of Rs 32.3 crore. The bank’s pre-pro-visioning profit grew at just 6.5pc year-on-year to Rs 1,938.5 crore even though the net interest income grew 22.7pc y-o-y to Rs 2,939 crore. This was due to a sharp rise in expenses.

Expenses during the quarter rose 25pc year-on-year to Rs 5,275.8 crore. The management attributed the higher expenditure

Kotak Mahindra Bank Q3 net upto spends on advertising and promotions. Jaimin Bhat, CFO, KMB, said the lender had spent on more advertising and promotion campaigns.

The net interest mar-gin (NIM) rose 20 basis points (bps) to 4.3pc with the management confirm-ing that the lender was able to dis-burse loans at a higher rate of inter-est. Bhat said the NIM had improved on account of a higher rate of interest charged to bor-rowers.

Dipak Gupta, joint man-aging director, KMB, said strong advances in the De-cember quarter were partly due to a bigger exposure to the MSME sector. He added that the lender’s exposure

to the NBFC sector and the oil and gas sector had fallen. Advances grew 23pc to Rs 1.96 lakh crore.

The asset quality saw an improvement, with gross non-performing as-sets (NPAs) falling 8 bps sequentially to 2.07pc of the loan book. Net NPAs

were down 10 bps sequen-tially at 0.71pc.

Total deposits grew 34pc year-on-year in the De-cember 2018 quarter to Rs 73,958 crore. The share of CASA stood at 50.7% at the end of December 2018 compared with 46.7pc in December 2017.

In a bid to cut costs, Catholic Syrian Bank has decided to reduce

the retirement age of its officers from 60 years to 58 years with effect from April 30, 2019.

The Kerala-based pri-vate sector bank, in which Canadian billionaire Prem Watsa’s Fairfax India Hold-ings Corporation owns a majority stake, currently has 114 employees aged 58 years and above.

In a circular, the bank, which was established in 1921, said that officer em-ployees, who have already completed 58 years and above/ will be attaining 58 years as on May 1, 2019, will be relieved from ser-vice on superannuation/ retirement with effect from

CSB plans to retire officers at 58April 30, 2019.

“The board…has now taken a policy decision…This circular may be treated as notice to all concerned officer employees…All of-ficer employees are advised to go through the circular carefully,” said the circular.

CVR Rajendran, MD and

CEO, observed that salary expense is very high for the bank, accounting for 23pc of income against

the industry average of about 10 pc. The bank has about 3,000 employees on its rolls.

This move, however, has not gone down well with the All India Bank Officers’ Confederation. According to Soumya Datta, General Secretary, the move is anti-

employee and will further vitiate the industrial rela-tions climate in the bank.

“When the industry-

wide retirement age is 60 years, the bank cannot unilaterally reduce it to 58 years…This is the most unsettling and retrograde decision, disrupting the life of several officers who had planned for a normal retirement at 60 years. We will explore legal options to challenge this arbitrary reduction in retirement age,” said Datta.

The AIBOC leader sought the intervention of the Department of Financial Services in this matter.

Rajendran said though the average salary in his bank is above industry av-erage, at about Rs 11 lakh, productivity is low. Hence, the bank has embarked on a transformation path to revive its fortunes.

HG Infra Engineering, a leading player in the road construc-

tion sector is declared L-1 bidder by National High-ways Authority of India (NHAI), New Delhi for new EPC Project in Rajasthan un-der Bharatma-la Pariyojana. The cost of the project is Rs 997 crore.

The project work includes construction of 8 lane car-riageway starting at Hary-ana-Rajasthan border and ends at junction with SH44 (Km 78.800 to Km 115.700) section of Delhi-Vadodara Green Field Alignment (NH-148N) on EPC Mode.

HG Infra bags NHAI ProjectThe company had re-

cently also bagged an order worth Rs 565 crore under NHAI road proj-ect in the state of Hary-ana on January 11, 2019. With this, the company

has bagged two orders worth Rs 1562 crore in the month of January 2019, taking the order book of the company to Rs 6062 crore as on date.

Commenting on the

development, Harendra Singh, CMD, HG Infra Engineering Limited said, “We are delighted to an-nounce that the 2019 has begun on a very positive note. We have been able

to bag two back-to-back high value orders in the same month from NHAI. This proves our order do-main expertise and strong execution capabilities in the infrastructure sector.”

Markets regulator Sebi has come out with a new format

for asset management com-panies (AMCs) for monthly cumulative reporting. From April 2019 onwards, AMCs will have to submit the MCR to Sebi in the new format by the third working day of each month, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) said in a circular.

Under the existing guide-lines, a mutual fund scheme is permitted to invest cer-tain percentage of AUM in schemes of same mutual

New format for MFs Mly reportfund or other schemes. In order to avoid such invest-ments being considered by both the investee and invest-ing scheme, the Sebi said that the investing scheme will have to exclude the same while reporting the data on AUM in the MCR.

In the monthly cu-mulative report or MCR, AMCs will have to sepa-rately disclose about num-ber of schemes in each segment, including open ended schemes, close ended schemes and equity oriented schemes.

Indian Oil will be invest-ing Rs 16,641 crore in Tamil Nadu in the next

five years. The investment, which will create 20,000 direct and indirect employ-ment opportunities, will be made in the marketing as well as pipeline divisions.

As part of the initiatives to reach out to the market, Indian Oil will invest Rest 7941 crore in next five years, the company in-formed in the side-lines of the Global Investors Meet.

Of this, Rs 5100 crore

Indian Oil to invest Rs 16,641cr in TNwill be invested in retail outlet network expansion. This is expected to gener-ate a direct employment for 9000 persons and in-direct employment for another 9000 persons.

Further in the next three years, Indian Oil plans to upgrade its storage infra-structure and fuel handling facilities at its Petrol Oil and Lubricant terminals located in Tamil Nadu with an investment of Rs1824 crore. This investment would result in an indirect

employment generation for 1000 persons. Indian Oil also has planned to invest Rs 214 crore towards LPG infrastructure augmenta-tion in Tamil Nadu.

Besides, Indian Oil is investing Rs 803 crore in modernization and capac-ity enhancement of its En-nore Lube Complex.

As part of the pipe-line division expansion, Rs 8700 crore will be invested in two mega projects of gas distribution within three years. Ennore

– Thiruvallur – Bengaluru – Puducherry – Nagapat-tinam – Madurai – Trichy R-LNG Gas Pipeline Proj-ect would be executed by December 2020 with an investment of Rs 4500 crore. City Gas Distribu-tion Project at Salem and Coimbatore geographical areas will be undertaken for an investment of Rs 4,200 crore.

“Indian Oil looks for-ward to walk along with the state of Tamil Nadu in its quest for excellence in

Industrial and Manufac-turing sector4

We are ready to fuel the growth of these sectors in terms of logistics, ease of supply points, acces-sibility and availability of fuel. With a contribution of around Rs 6800 crore to the state exchequer per annum, Indian Oil in Tamil Nadu would like to play a stellar role in the state’s growth,” said R Siddhartha, Executive Director I/c (TamilNadu and Pond) of Indian Oil.

8 Travel / Entertainment

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Friday, January 25, 2019

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EXCHANGE RATESEXCHANGE RATES

Rates are subect to change without notice. Errors &omissions excepted

As on 24th January, 2019 (In rupees)

Currency Buying Selling

Australian Dollar 49.35 51.85Bahraini Dinar 184.55 194.55British Pound 91.60 94.60 Canadian Dollar 52.10 54.60 Emirati Dirham 18.90 19.90Euro 79.85 82.35Kuwaiti Dinar 230.00 240.00Omani Rial 180.35 190.35Qatari Riyal 19.10 20.10Saudi Riyal 18.50 19.50 Singapore Dollar 51.15 53.65 Swiss Franc 70.15 73.15US Dollar 70.30 72.30

Source:

Footprints tracedby Prince Manjalil

The tableau of the railway ministry passes through the Rajpath during the full dress rehearsal for the Republic Day Parade-2019 in New Delhi.

Know about Emirates’ new baggage rulesEmirates has reduced the

baggage allowance on select economy fares.

Emirates has announced new baggage rules for passengers travelling on Economy Spe-cial or Saver fares, with al-lowances dropping by 5kg to 15kg and 25kg respectively.

The new measures apply to all routes, except destina-tions in the Americas and travel from Africa. Only tick-ets issued from Feb 4, in the specified categories, will be affected so if you travel after this date but booked your tickets before it, you will not face any changes. The Dubai-based airline says the move comes after careful review of customer feedback and travel preferences. ECONOMY SPECIAL: As the name suggests, these are promotional fares and will al-ways offer the lowest price for

your trip. But, while they may be cheap, they are not flexible -– you can’t make any changes or cancel the ticket after you have bought it. The new bag-gage allowance means you will only get 15kg of check-in allowance, plus the standard 7kg carry-on, and you’ll have to pay if you want to reserve your seat in advance. ECONOMY SAVER: This is the best value year-round fare and the new check-in allowance means passengers flying on Saver fares have a 25kg allowance plus a carry-on bag. These fares are not fully flexible, but you can request changes or a refund for a fee. Advanced seat reservations will also add to your bill. Earning potential for miles is better than on Special, but you will still only get about 35pc

of the miles you fly. If you

do want to upgrade, you can use your miles or pay to do so, but the rates tend to be high and you can only do so at check-in or once you are on board.ECONOMY FLEX FARES: These are never the cheapest but they are more flexible, so are a good choice if you think your plans may change. You will get 30kg check-in bag-gage, plus a carry-on, and you can reserve your seat in advance for free. Change and cancellation fees are lower and, when it comes to earning miles, you will get around 60pc of the miles you fly, but again this depends on origin and destination so use the calculator to find out more. You will get more tier miles than you would flying Special or Saver, which is good if you’re trying to move up in the Emirates Reward

programme. If you want to upgrade, you can do so at any time before departure, but you can’t use your miles.ECONOMY FLEX PLUS FARES: The premium of economy, you will part with the most cash on Flex Plus fares, but will get a bundle of benefits that might make these fares work for you. For one thing, you can make changes to these flights with-out paying any penalties, although you will have to pay for any change in fare for your new flight. When it comes to baggage, as well as your carry-on, you will get 35kg check-in allowance and can check in as many pieces as you want to up to this limit, as long as no single item weighs more than 32kg. Advance seat reservations are included and you will get 100pc base miles earning.

Perrie Edwards, Jesy Nelson, Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Jade Thirlwall of Little Mix Pop Band during a press meet in Dubai.

POP EXTRAVAGANZA IN DUBAI

Liam Payne, Rita Ora and Little Mix are coming to Dubai for a

pop extravaganza on March 23. The UK acts will take over the Dubai Media City Amphitheatre for an event called The Assembly: a Global Teacher Prize con-cert, launched by the Varkey Foundation. The concert aims to celebrate the es-sential work of teachers. It is ticketed and open to the public.The Assembley will take place on the evening of the Global Teacher Prize 2019 ceremony, where one teacher from around the

world is awarded a cash prize of $1 million for their extraordinary contributions to the field.Payne, Ora and Little Mix are no strangers to the country. Payne last year performed his first UAE solo concert at the Global Village, while Ora is a regular on the music festival circuit in Dubai. Little Mix performed an intimate and exclusive set in 2015 for the launch of X Factor Arabia. The Top 10 finalists of the Global Teacher Prize will join the musicians on stage and their inspirational stories will be shared live with the crowd.

GoAir to fl y daily on Muscat-Kannur routeBudget carrier GoAir

has been granted go-ahead by the Public

Authority for Civil Aviation (PACA) to operate seven weekly flights from the new-

ly opened Kannur Airport to Muscat. The new service will start on Feb 1. According to sources, the flight is sched-uled to leave Kannur at 8 pm and arrive in Muscat at 10.15 pm local time. Return flight will leave Muscat at 11.15 pm and arrive in Kannur at 4.15 am local time. GoAir was recently licensed by the Indian authorities to start ser-vices to Abu Dhabi, Muscat and Dammam from Kannur.

GoAir will be fifth Indian airline after Air India, Jet Airways, Indigo and Spice-Jet to operate from Muscat.

Jet Airways is expected to wind-up Oman operations from Feb 10. Though Air India Express is expected to start services, it has not made any announcement so far. SalamAir, Oman budget carrier, has shown interest in operating from Kannur. “The Indian authorities have not yet opened the airport for foreign airlines. Whenever the option is available, we will give it top priority.”The new service will help a large number of Indian expatriates from Kannur and nearby areas.

AI may enter leisure travelAiling Air India is

planning to enter the holiday pack-

ages business to enhance its share in the fast-growing leisure travel segment. The airline has floated global bids for selecting a service provider for this purpose. Besides international carri-ers, most domestic airlines, including the budget carri-ers, also offer tailor- made holiday packages to their customers to rake in addi-tional non-ticket revenue.

Air India invites techni-cal and commercial propos-als only from reputed and experienced IATA-accred-ited /non-IATA travel com-panies, for the technology platform, content, manage-ment and marketing of web-based booking of holiday packages, according to the tender document floated by the flag-carrier.

As per the document, Air India will offer a one-stop shop for holiday packages, which would cover flights, hotels, transport and sight-seeing options. The selected bidder will provide the tech-

nology, content and op-eration of Air India holiday packages, including devel-oping, hosting and managing the website of its new busi-ness vertical. The contract will be valid for three years

from the commencement of the launch of the Air India holiday product and it will have to commence services within seven weeks of the awarding of the contract. “It is a very good move. The airlines world over offer such services which fetch them good revenue other than the ticket sales. Besides promoting destinations, it also promotes flights,” Sub-hash Goel, chairman of the Delhi-based travel firm Stick Travels said.

According to the bid

document, the applicant/bidder who quotes the high-est assured revenue for the three year would be of-fered contract. The bidder will have to have own ar-rangements/ agreements

for competitively priced hotel inventory and related ground services including return airport transfers/ local transfers, meals, sight-seeing and travel insurance. Air India will offer inclusive tour fares for the holiday package. The selected bidder will put together the package components and offer an all inclusive price, and host it for sale on the holiday packages website to direct customers and airline’s au-thorised agents, as per the document.

New Emigration Bill will ruin recruitment business, feels Mr Deepak Chhabria

Representative of two federations --- FIMCA and FORAI --- repre-

senting members of recruit-ing agents for GCC countries, discussed and apprised Gen VK Singh, Minister of State for External Affairs, on Nov 30, 2017, seeking exemption from 18pc GST for overseas employment which resulted in Gen Singh directing the Secretary MEA, Dr Dyanesh-war Mulay, to take up the matter with the Ministry of Finance, but till date no ac-tion is taken, Mr Deepak H Chhabria regretted.

Indian emigrants seeking overseas assignment in GCC countries, in some cases, are required to pay service charges as per Emigration Act 1983, on which the poor emigrants are also required to pay 18pc GST, which ac-cording to Mr. Chhbria, is unfair.

Mr Chhabria cited many reasons to abolish this ad-ditional burden of 18 pc GST on service charges. The youth who seek overseas em-ployment mostly hail from remote places of India. Being

Deepak H Chhabria

poor, they mortgage their little savings, for a bright future accompanied by skill upgradation and good earn-

ings. These emigrants find the job themselves, get their skill upgraded and remit their earnings through much sought foreign exchange. He feels that the decision of the government to reduce tax slab of non-essential commodities like gold and diamonds, while taxing the poor emigrants, was disap-pointing. Gold and gold-related jewellery are taxed at a rate of three per cent, the making charges are re-duced from 18pc to five per

cent and GST on diamonds reduced from three per cent to 0.25pc while the poor emigrants are levied 18pc GST. Mr Chhabria demands complete exemption of GST on service charges for over-seas employment.

Mr Chhabria believes

that the new Emigration Bill proposed by the government will kill the overseas recruit-ment industry because if the Bill proposes to vests enormous power to Protec-tor of Emigration (POE) to prosecute the recruitment agent, who violate the rules, with seven years of impris-onment and also forfeiture of Rs 10 lakh from the bank guarantee, which the re-cruitment agents furnish to procure their licence. He is of the opinion that the violators should be subjected to stringent punishment,

but the decision should be taken by higher authori-ties of Ministry of External Affairs, Home and HR col-lectively, after assessing the magnitude of the violation and instead of forfeiture of Rs 10 lakh, Mr Chhabria sug-gested that the proportion-

ate amount required for the repatriation of the stranded workers abroad should be appropriated. He also raised the question of how Indi-an government can punish the recruitment agents for the violation of contractual agreement between the for-eign employer and Indian worker, like, non-payment of salaries and other benefits? Moreover, this new Emi-gration Bill will help only multi-national companies (MNCs) and small and me-dium size recruitment agents will eventually have to down

their shutters, Mr.Chhabria feared.

The recruitment federa-tion has been pushing their demand for bringing in a rule where anyone who is involved in transporting any person on Visit Visa for the purpose of employment, to be treated as human traf-ficking and the Emigration Officer should be vested with the power to stop such activity if he/she feels that the person travelling on Visit Visa is a potential job-seeker. This will not only result in controlling such activity of travelling on Visit Visa in search of employment by labourers, but will also keep a check on the Emigration Officer, which in turn will bring more transparency to the system, Mr Chhabria suggested.

(Mr. Deepak H Chhabria is the Chairman of Varsha Consultancy Services Pvt Ltd and Chairman of Fed-eration of Indian Manpower Export Promotion Councils & Associations (FIMCA).

NRI wins $1m in Dubai raffl e

An Indian national won $1million in Dubai Duty Free raffle while

two other expats—a teen-age boy and a woman—won luxury vehicles in the lottery game. Abhishek Kathel, who is based in Sharjah and works as cabin crew for a UAE-based airline, won $1 million.

“Thank God for this wonderful news! I cannot believe that I will win this big with my first ever ticket for the Dubai Duty Free Mil-lennium Millionaire. Thank you so much Dubai Duty Free,” he told a TV channel.