NRI News ( Page 4 of 26 )

Indian Community in Seattle counters the Local Politicians on anti-CAA Resolutions February 12, 2020 17:10

A section of the American polity which had been led by Pramila Jayapal and Kshama Sawant has been encountered by the Indian community that is present in Seattle. The Indian community has watered down a resolution in the Seattle city council against the Citizenship Amendment Act, earlier this month.While a resolution has been passed by the council that urges the Parliament of India to repeal the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and to stop the National Register of Citizens (NRC), the Indian community leaders has intervened and watered down the resolution, as learnt by Economic Times.The brain behind the resolution is said to be that of Kshama Sawant who serves on the Seattle City Council and also a member of Socialist Alternative. It has been said that Sawant was the first socialist in order to win the citywide election in Seattle since Anna Louise Strong had been elected to the school board in the year 1916.The Seattle City Council is said to be the legislative body of the Seattle city in Washington. The council is said to be comprising of nine members and would be serving four- year terms out of which seven would be elected by the electoral districts and the remaining two would be elected in the citywide at- large positions where as all the elections are said to be non- partisan.Atul Tankha who is a former development professional from Seattle and also who has been one among the the Indian- Americans who have garnered support against Jayapal and Sawant has said that the community members did not belong to any political group and were spontaneous in the moves that they have made.By Shrithika Kushangi

NRIs are taking active part in the Delhi Campaign, extending their support to AAP February 06, 2020 14:58

A large number of NRIs are taking part in campaign for the Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi. Hundreds of NRIs have flown into the city of Delhi and are taking part in campaigning for the Aam Aadmi Party and are providing their support for the Assembly polls which are scheduled to be on 8th of February.Prithvi Reddy who is the Convenor AAP Overseas has said that nearly 500 NRIs have come to India in order to be a part in the campaigning of Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi in order to seek votes for the party. He added saying that the NRIs are managing the volunteers and are doing all kinds of tasks as they are extending their support to the AAP.He said that although some NRIs have come to Delhi in recent times, several NRIs have come to India and are residing in Delhi for the past two to three months and are supporting the Aam Aadmi Party.Prithvi Reddy says that the support from the NRIs has started as they see Aam Aadmi Party as a ray pf hope for making the country India against corruption. He says that people tend to go to other nations as they get to experience better opportunities and better living standards. However, they would be treated as second- grade citizens in the foreign countries and therefore the NRIs would like to come back to their native country.The NRIs believe that Aam Aadmi Party would lead the country towards development and therefore the NRIs could come back to India and lead a happy life enjoying the same living standards that they had experienced in the abroad countries.Reddy has mentioned that about 20 per cent of the election funding has come from the supporters of the overseas, from the stat of the Aam Aadmi Party. He mentioned the overseas supporters as being from Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States, Singapore, UAE as few among several others.He has added saying that all the NRIs wish to return to their native country India but due to the lack of opportunities, they are not able to do so and are staying abroad.AAP Canada convener Jaskirat Kaur has also expressed that the NRIs wished to see the leader of the Aam Aadmi Party Arvind Kejriwal to become the Prime Minister one day.Preeti Menon who is the co- convener AAP Overseas has said that the Non- resident Indians have been dreaming to see their native country India as a developed country like the countries that they have been living in.The polls in the national capital Delhi is scheduled on 8th of February.By Shrithika Kushangi

Indian-American Man Dies After Suffering Burns in the New Zealand’s Volcanic Eruption February 01, 2020 17:04

An Indian- American business man has died after he has struggled with a body that has been half burnt from the White Island volcano eruption in New Zealand.Pratap Singh who is also known as Paul has been suffering from the burns that were caused from the volcanic eruption that has taken place in New Zealand last year. It is said that he had suffered with 55 per cent burns in the eruption of the volcano that had taken place on 9th of December 2019 and has been transferred from Whakatane Hospital on 10th of December to the Critical Care Unit in the Middlemore Hospital where in he struggled and had fought really hard to live throughout his surgeries and treatments but had later died this weekPratap Singh along with his wife, Mayuri were visiting White Island from a cruise ship when the eruption of volcano had taken place on the 9th of December in the previous year. The death toll that has been caused from the eruption has been increasing and has currently risen to the count being 21 and has severely burnt dozens of people.Pratap Singh has been known for his philanthropy and was said to be the president of Sewa USA’s Atlanta chapter. The nonprofit had said that Pratap Singh was one of the donors who would donate in huge amounts to the Sponsor a child program and had added saying that a lot of local support has been provided to the program under the tenure of Pratap Singh.Mayuri Singh who is also known as Mary and is the spouse of Pratap Singh had burns on 70 per cent of her body that has been caused due to the eruption of the volcano in the White Island. She had died on the morning of 22nd of December at a hospital in New Zealand after experiencing complications from her treatment which also included skin grafts, as said by a family friend.According to the WSB-TV Atlanta, the three children of Pratap Singh and Mayuri Singh who are a couple based from Georgia and the mother of Mayuri Singh has stayed on the ship along with the couple but were not injured in the eruption.By Shrithika Kushangi

Con who Targeted NRI Plot Owner Arrested in Gurugram January 25, 2020 14:17

A con has been booked for allegedly posing as a land owner in order to claim a prime property in the city. The accused is said to be a resident of sector 10 A in Gurugram while the original owner of the land is said to be a Non Resident Indian who lives in London.Rajesh Yadav and few other unknown persons have been booked as they were trying to con Vikram Bahl who is an NRI living in London. A complaint has been filed against Yadav saying that he has tried to pose as Bahl before the officials of HSVP in order to claim the plot.The attempts made by Rajesh Yadav has been foiled as the reals owner of the plot has been found who was identified as an NRI living in London. This has resulted in the court- ordered Special Investigation Team which will be investigating the case and will now probe if HSVP officials were involved in the con.The case has been registered under the sections 419, 467, 468, 471 and 120 B of Indian Penal Code at Sector 14 police station.It has been found out that a RTI application has been filed earlier by Yadav by using his original identity in order to get the details of the plot in Sector 43. once he has collected the details, he has posed as the owner of the land Vikram Bahl who is an NRI living in London.Rajesh Yadav has approached the High Court seeking an alternative plot claiming that the size of the land that has been allotted by HSVP was different from what the original owner of the plot has applied for. The act has come into light when an e-mail has been sent to Bahl asking for explaining his grievance in person.Vikram Bahl has who was residing in London has informed the High Court and HSVP that no petition has been filed by him. He has also requested the HSVP to cancel the cheque of excess payment after he has received a notice from the High Court.Bahl has been refunded with Rs 68.69 lakh which has been the total of Rs 23.80 lakh and 7% interest per annum and the cheque has been withheld by the HSVP.The bench of Punjab and Haryana High court has been comprised of Justice Rajan Gupta and Justice Karamjit Singh in its order on January 16. the police has been directed to register an FIR and a detailed investigation has been ordered.Subhash Boken who is a police spokesperson has said that the economic offence wing has been investigating the matter and a case has been registered on the direction of the court.The police have been asked to file a report regarding the status by 27th of February.By Shrithika Kushangi

Indian American Twins Honored with ‘Everyday Young Hero’ by Youth Service America January 18, 2020 11:25

The Indian American twins are striving hard to spread the knowledge of the disastrous side effects that are caused due to consumption of drugs, smoking and vaping.Seventeen-year-old Indian American twins from New York were recognized with the ‘Everyday Young Hero’ award by Youth Service America. The twins, Renee and Rhea Mendonca are said to be seniors at Susan E. Wagner High School in New York and also the founders of Wings of Hope.A press release has said that, the twins have started an organization at the age of 10, when they had been prompted to do so after the death of their grandfather which was caused due to pulmonary fibrosis. The aim and mission of the twins is to educate the young and the youth and also to spread the knowledge regarding the dangers and the disastrous effects of vaping.The seventeen -year- old twins have a 24-hour online helping on instagram and email where in they can be contacted by vaping addicts anonymously. The instagram account being @wings_ofhope and the email being This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. // It is said that around 150,000 youth have been reached out by the Wings of Hope. The youth were said to be from around several countries which includes the US, Haiti, Congo, Malawi,, Nicaragua, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Columbia among the others.The twins had also written letters to the governors of 50 States in the US and the President Donald Trump, in order to ban e-cigarettes in the US as they had observed that 85 per cent of students between the age 12-17 were hooked on becoming a slave to flavored e-cigarettes. A letter has also been written to the JUUL, which is an e-cigarette company, as they protested against the social media advertisements which are misleading the teenagers for the usage of e-cigarettes.It has been said that, the marketing campaigns and flavored pods that are targeted towards underage teenagers have been withdrawn by JUUL. The press release has also said that it had been first banned in New York which was then followed by ten other states.A song, “Break Free Of All Addictions” have also been composed and sung by the twins in order to get their message spread across. Various online articles have been initiated in order to spread their message and a blog has also been created, which is called as Anti-Vaping Mondays, wherein the stories of youth across the globe who were addicted and how they gradually came out of it and set themselves free from addiction with the help of Wings of Hope, is being written.The President and CEO of YSA Steve Culbertson has said that, everything that YSA looks for in the young leaders has been exemplified by the twins Renee Mendonca and Rhea Mendonca.By Shrithika Kushangi

Fire at Rann Utsav, Four Tents of the NRI Families Burnt to Ashes January 10, 2020 16:32

The state government’s annual desert festival, Rann Utsav has witnessed a major fire that broke out in the tent city. The incident took place in Dhordo village near Bhuj on Thursday morning. The fire is suspected to be caused by a short-circuit and was doused by the two fire tenders who deployed at the tent city. Investigation is in process although there were no casualties recorded.Three NRI families from the US were present when the incident had taken place. The NRIs are said to have come in order to participate in the festival from Ahmedabad.The manager of the tent city, Anil Gupta said that the fire broke out in one of the tents when the NRI families headed to the dining hall for breakfast. No sooner did the fire broke out than, all the four tents caught fire and were reduced to ashes which also included the belongings of the NRI families.An official from the Khavda police station has said that the tent city contained 400 tents in total and luckily the NRI families were out of their tents carrying their passports along with them when the fire broke out. He said that two firefighters were deployed at the tent city who doused the fire and had prevented it from spreading to other tents. Investigation to know the exact cause of the fire is being made.A member from the NRI family said that the fire has completely destroyed the four tents and no efforts were made by the management to douse the fire causing loss of clothes, valuables, credit cards, driving licenses and two passports.By Shrithika Kushangi

NRI Suffered Serious Injuries after Car Overturns January 09, 2020 15:14

Kirit Thummar, an NRI who lives in Ahmedabad has experienced a crash as his car collided with a truck and then into the traffic island on Udhna-Magdalla Road on Wednesday. The NRI who lives in Ahmedabad was returning in a car with two others after visiting a friend’s house in Vesu. Kirit has suffered serious injuries as he was sitting beside the driver and was taken to the New Civil Hospital (NCH) and then to Mahavir Hospital in an unconscious state.The NRI’s daughter who is a doctor at a hospital in Sola area of Ahmedabad did not want to register any complaint, said an official from Khatodara police who is investigating the case.By Shrithika Kushangi

Indian students in UK Protest against the ‘brutal crackdown’ on Universities January 08, 2020 16:11

A protest against the Narendra Modi governments’s “brutal crackdown” on universities and minority communities will be held in UK by a group of students under the banner of South Asians Against Fascism and the SOAS India society.This protest is scheduled to be from 8am to 8pm being a day long sit-in protest in front of London’s India House. This is to resist the Indian government’s repressive moves. The demonstration also consists of poets, artists, and academics who will be engaged in teach-ins and performances.The organizers of the event released a statement saying that,” the working class is also going for a national strike on the same day against the anti-people, anti-workers policies of the government…students across India will boycott classes and come out to the streets…”The strike is said to be a nationwide strike by the central trade unions with the slogan “Educate! Agitate! Organize!” which is a against the policies of the government.The general secretary of AITUC Amarjeet Kaur said, the 10 central trade unions participating in the nationwide strike included AITUC, INTUC, CITU, AICCTU, CUCC, SEWA, LPF along with several sectoral independent federations.The protest has been supported by the Congress leader Rahul Gandhi as he has tweeted showing his support. The Modi-Shah Govt’s anti people, anti labour policies have created catastrophic unemployment & are weakening our PSUs to justify their sale to Modi’s crony capitalist friends. Today, over 25 crore workers have called for #BharatBandh2020 in protest. I salute them. — Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) January 8, 2020 The protest has also gained support by several Left-leaning farmer’s bodies and the expected people to join the all-India strike is over 25 crore.By Shrithika Kushangi

NRI Woman’s 18 Lakh Diamond Necklace Stolen January 07, 2020 12:25

In recent news, a United Stated based NRI woman lodged a complaint against an unidentified woman for allegedly stealing her diamond necklace worth INR 18 lakh. The same is believed to have happened from the counter of a beauty parlour located in Sector 16-17 of Hisar. The complaint had been lodged and the police have already started working on the case but no leads have been found yet that could lead to the accused woman. The case had been lodged under the Section 380 (theft) under the Indian Penal Code. The NRI woman, Prem Gaur is originally a resident of the Sargathal Village in the Sonipat district. In the issued complaint, Gaur clarified saying that she lives in America with her husband and children and has been in India for the last 10 months.Further emphasizing and clarifying on the situation, Gaur stated saying that on December 30, she came to visit her brother Peshl Kumar Sharma at his house which is located in Sector 9-11 in Hisar. It was on the same day that she and her sister in law, Rajbala went to Chugh beauty parlour which is stationed at the house of Monika Chugh. During her facial treatment, Gaur opened her diamond necklace and handed it over to her sister in law who was busy talking to someone else on the phone. Rajbala clarified saying that she kept the diamond necklace on the counter.After the treatments done, when Gaur and her sister in law returned home, they realized that they didn’t have the necklace with them. In panic, they all went back to the parlour to retrieve the necklace but couldn’t find a trace of the same around.By Somapika Dutta

Rallies in support of CAA, NRC by Indian-Americans in US December 26, 2019 15:11

Dispelling the misinformation and myths surrounding the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC), a large number of Indian-Americans have come out in order to support the law.According to the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the non-Muslim communities i.e., Hindus, Sikhs, Buddists, Jains, Parsis, Christians who have come from the three neighbouring nations Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh on or before December 31, 2014 and who are following religious persecutions will be getting Indian citizenship.Protests are being held across India from the day CAA was introduced in the Parliament earlier this month.The organizers said that these rallies are aimed at eliminating the misinformation and myths about the law as well as to counter the propaganda of hate, lies and the absurdities. A pro-CAA rally has been held by Indian-Americans in Seattle at Victor Steinbrueck Park in December, in Austin near Capitol Building on December 22 and in Houston on December 20 in front of the Indian Consulate.“We held this rally to counter the fear-mongering of Islamic and leftist organizations about the CAA and the NRC and their bizarre statements that the NRC in combination with the CAA is designed to expel Muslims from India,” said one of the organizers from rally that was held at Dublin Ohio, Vineet Goel.The rally that was held in Raleigh in North Carolina was joined by more than 70 eminent doctors and community leaders. They said that, the reason was to support Narendra Modi. The enactment of the CAA was welcomed by Ashok K Karmakar, chairman of Bangladesh Hindu Buddist Christian Unity Council (BHBCUC).Protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) are being held across various parts of India. Peaceful protests were held in several areas which included Jantar Mantar, Jamia Milia Islamia Nizammudin, Alaknanda and Connaught Place.By Shrithika Kushangi

Indian-American Appointed 1st Woman Chief Technology Officer at FCC December 23, 2019 11:39

Dr Monisha Ghosh, an Indian-American has been appointed as Chief Technology Officer at the Federal Communications Commission which is the most powerful in US government. She replaced Dr Eric Burger.Ghosh will be advising the Indian-American Chairman of the FCC Ajit Pai and she will be working closely with the Office of Engineering and Technology as she takes charge on January 13 the next year.The interstate and international communications by radio, television, wire, satellite and cable in all the fifty states included in the District of Columbia and US territories will be regulated by FCC.FCC is an independent agency of the US government that has been overseen by Congress. It is a federal agency which takes the responsibility of implementation and enforcement of America’s communications law and regulations.“As the FCC moves aggressively to advance American leadership in 5G, Dr Ghosh’s deep technical knowledge of wireless technologies will be invaluable,” says Chairman Pai.He added saying that, Dr Ghosh has been a part of both conducting as well as overseen research into the cutting-edge wireless issues in academia and industry and that her expertise ranges from internet of things, medical telemetry, and broadcast standards. Chairman Pai said that, Gosh would lead a path inspiring the young women in considering careers in STEM fields.“Dr Ghosh has both conducted and overseen research into cutting-edge wireless issues in academia and industry. Her expertise is also broad, ranging from the internet of things, medical telemetry, and broadcast standards. And it bears noticing that this is a historic appointment: I am proud that Dr Ghosh will be the FCC’s first female CTO, and hope her example inspires young women everywhere to consider careers in STEM fields. I’m grateful to her for serving in this important position at this important time,” he said.Ghosh is a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and has done her B.tech from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur in 1986. She received her Ph.D in Electrical Engineering from the University of Southern California in 1991.Ghosh conducts research on wireless technologies for internet of things, 5G cellular, next generation Wi-Fi systems and spectrum coexistence as a research professor at the University of Chicago."Dr Ghosh has done outstanding work during her time at the National Science Foundation (NSF). "As a program director within our Division of Computer and Network Systems, she has contributed to programs supporting advanced wireless research including innovative uses for spectrum and wireless spectrum sharing. We congratulate Dr Ghosh on her appointment as Federal Communications Commission's Chief Technology Officer; we know the Nation will benefit from her technical expertise in wireless networks," says NSF's acting Assistant Director for Computer Information Science and Engineering, Erwin Gianchandani.Erwin Gianchandani says that Dr Ghosh being a program director has given her contribution in supporting advanced wireless research that includes innovative uses for spectrum and wireless spectrum sharing.By Shrithika Kushangi

NZ announced Culturally Arranged Marriage visitor VISA for spouses December 16, 2019 16:01

IT system engineer, Raman Singh found out a solution to fix a problem where his wife couldn’t visit him in New Zealand as they tied a knot in India in January.Singh is NZ citizen as he had migrated with his parents as a child. As he loved Indian culture, heritage and wanted to stay connected to the same, he had planned for and Indian wedding.“I love my Indian heritage and wanted to stay connected to it. So, I agreed with my parents on having a culturally arranged marriage, “ he told Times Of India (TOI).An estimate based on hearsay suggests that 1,200 applications for visitor visa that were filed by spouses have been rejected from when the introduction stricter interpretation norms were made.The authorities in the immigration have made changes in the visa guidelines last month by as a response to an outcry from the Indians in New Zealand.The General Manager Enablement at Immigration New Zealand said that, the instruction in the New Zealand Immigration previously allowed visitor visa to an individual for arranged marriage with a residence class holder or a citizen but a visitor visa was not granted to individuals who have entered into arranged marriage overseas. Later on, he added saying that the NZ government made changes in the instruction and is allowing individuals to be granted visitor visa regardless of where the arranged marriage took place.“INZ immigration instructions previously allowed granting of a visitor visa to an individual to enter NZ for an arranged marriage with a citizen or a residence class visa holder. However, a visitor visa was not granted to those who had entered into an arranged marriage overseas,” General Manager Enablement, at Immigration New Zealand,Stephen Dunstan,told TOI.“In November, the NZ government made a small change to the arranged marriage instructions to better reflect the intention of the policy. It now allows a visitor visa to be granted to individuals who have entered into an arranged marriage, regardless of where that marriage took place,” he adds.Alastair McClymont told TOI that the guidelines that are being amended enable the applicants to gain a visitor visa for three months who had a traditional cultural marriage outside the country so that, they can be with their partners which means that, no proof of the couple being together is needed for the approval of visa but the genuinity can now be about the traditional elements in the marriage.“The amended guidelines enable applicants who had a traditional cultural marriage outside the country, to gain a three-month visitor’s visa to NZ to be with their partners. This means, the couple do not have to prove that they have been living together before qualifying for the visa. So, the test of what a genuine partnership is, can now be about the traditional cultural elements of the marriage, rather than the duration of living together,” founder of the immigration law firm McClymont & Associates, Alastair McClymont told Times Of India.Dustan explains that the new guidelines will allow individuals who have not lived together as an arranged marriage, an opportunity to live together in New Zealand and to later on satisfy the partnership visa requirements.The NZ immigration authorities advised Singh to get a general visitor visa for his wife prior to the introduction to the stricter interpretation was made in May. Unfortunately her application for visa was denied as she was not a bonafide visitor visa applicant.Considering the new guidelines, under the Culturally Arranged Marriage visitor visa, the spouse would be eligible to visit NZ if a visitor visa is applied within three months of the arranged marriage and a general visitor visa may be granted to the spouse if the three months time has lapsed.McClymont said that the immigration officials expect proof of the couple’s parents discussing the plans about the marriage as evidence failing to which leads to rejection. “Immigration officials expect couples to provide independent and verifiable evidence of their parents meeting to discuss the marriage plans. Officials have traditionally rejected support letters from family members as having very little evidential value,” he says.“It’s too early to tell whether or not the amendments to policy will help. If the immigration officials wish to take a pragmatic and common sense approach to the applicants, only then will the guideline changes potentially help,” sums up McClymont.Till date, 800 individuals whose visa was declined have been sent emails inviting to submit a new visitor visa application and their fees have been waived.By Shrithika Kushangi

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