NRIs Expect Big Reforms in India Budget 2019 July 04, 2019 06:10
India’s finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman is set to announce Indian budget 2019 on July 5 and Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) are expecting a host of reforms that would ease the rules for them to conduct business in India and increase their involvement in helping boost India’s economy.A massive show of support by NRIs was seen as to a certain extent responsible for the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s resounding victory in recent elections which got him a second five-year term in office.“I would expect that the outreach towards NRIs will continue,” Reshmi Khurana, Managing Director and Head of South East Asia at Kroll was quoted by Connected to India. Indians abroad have been demanding for relieving of norms governing their investments in gold, real estate, fixed income. They also urge the Modi government to be less stringent with taxes on their investments. Though their wishes may get fulfilled to some extent, with the economy still in recovery mode, Sitharaman may not adopt a stance that was too accommodative to Indians living abroad.One of the key points of the 2018 Budget that impacted NRIs was the introduction of a 10 percent long-term capital gains (LTCG) tax imposed on profit above INR 1 lakh which will, in all probability, continue this year.Whether through bank accounts, real estate investments, remittances or foreign portfolio investments, most Indians abroad have a portion of their assets and wealth in India. Moreover, India has been the world’s largest recipient of remittances from the diaspora for the last three years, reaching a whopping USD 79 billion last year.By Sowmya Sangam
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Why NRIs Must Have Health Insurance in India? July 02, 2019 08:43
Quite often, Indians travels abroad for the sake of jobs or business and plan to reside there for just a few years besides planning to reside there permanently. Those planning to stay back in the…
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Auli Wedding Row: NRI Gupta Brothers Fined Rs 2.5 Lakh for Littering, Open Defecation July 01, 2019 06:52
South Africa-based Gupta family has been slapped with a penalty of Rs 2.5 lakh for scattering waste material in Auli, Uttarakhand where the weddings of their sons were held early this week, an official said on Saturday. "We have imposed a fine of Rs 2.5 lakh on the Gupta brothers," SP Nautiyal, Executive Officer of the Joshimath municipality, said. While the Rs 1.5 lakh penalty is for scattering garbage, Rs 1 lakh penalty is for defecating in the open. A copy of the challan has also been sent to the event management firm, which made arrangements for the weddings, he said. Besides, the municipality is as well preparing a bill of Rs 8.14 lakh for accumulating the garbage left behind after the weddings that were held amid environmental concerns. The Gupta brothers have thus far deposited Rs 5.54 lakh with the municipality which also includes Rs 54,000 as of user charges. After the grand weddings, the Joshimath municipality has up to now collected 306 quintals of waste material from the marriage site with the municipality pressing 3-4 trucks every day to collect the waste. According to officials, they would be able to clean the entire site by Sunday. (Image source from: The Financial Express) In the meantime, the issue of refund of the Rs 3 crore security deposited by the Gupta brothers with the Chamoli district administration will be decided on July 8 by the Uttarakhand High Court. As per the high court orders, a group of 13 officials from the Forest Department, the State Pollution Control Board, the Chamoli District Administration, the Uttarakhand Jal Sansthan, the Revenue Department, and the Public Works Department monitored and videographed the wedding. (Image source from: Newzz) Top officials said they did not come across any harm to the flora and fauna of Auli. Since the court barred the use of helicopters in Auli, the choppers landed in Ravigram near the Joshimath helipad from where the guests were taken to the wedding venue in cars. The court had also fixed the number of invitees at 150. Chief Minister of Uttarakhand Trivendra Singh Rawat and yoga guru Baba Ramdev were among the VIPs (Very Important Persons) who blessed the newlywed couples. A large number of Bollywood stars, including Katrina Kaif, performed at the weddings. CM Rawat had defended the marriages saying environmental issues were not justified and Auli could be developed as a big tourist destination. By Sowmya Sangam
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Three Members of Indian Origin Family Killed in Road Accident in Saudi Arabia July 01, 2019 04:47
Three people of an Indian origin family died in a road accident in Saudi Arabia in the intervening night of Friday and Saturday.The incident took place when the family of four members, hailing from Hyderabad…
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Trump Administration Begins Process for Revised H-1B Visa Norms June 29, 2019 06:28
The United States has begun the process for its new rules that would mandate companies who seek H-1B visas for its workers to register first online before applying for the work permit, a move that…
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Indian American Teen Avi Gupta Wins $100k in Teen Jeopardy Contest June 29, 2019 06:14
The 17-year-old IndianAmerican has won the 2019 Teen Jeopardy contest taking the $100,000 prize in America's most-watched individual quiz show. Avi Gupta's victory televised on Friday marks a near-clean sweep of popular student contests in the past year by IndianAmericans. He is from Portland, Oregon, and completed high school recently, although he was still a high schooler when the program was pre-recorded several weeks ago. He beat out three other IndianAmerican teens in the contest, which featured a total of 15 students. During the show, he told the host, Alex Trebek, that people questioned the value of accumulating a trove of trivia when they could be googled. But he said that building a wide range of knowledge was important because arguments and ideas can be built only on facts. (Video Source: Jeopardy!) The 2018 College Jeopardy, which also carried a prize of $100,000, was won by Dhruv Gaur. The 2019 National Geography Bee, which tests knowledge of geography, was won by Nihar Janga. In the 2019 National Spelling Bee last month seven of the eight co-winners were of Indian descent. In the previous 10 years, only IndianAmericans had been winners. IndianAmericans have made their mark in science contests also. Although there were no winners among them, 16 of the 30 finalists in the nation's top contest, the Regeneron National Science Talent Search, were on Indian descent. In the Broadcom Masters science contest for middle school students, eight of the 30 finalists were IndianAmericans. By Sowmya Sangam
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Over 20 Indians Living Abroad Facing CBI Probe for Financial Irregularities June 28, 2019 10:59
There are 24 Indians living abroad who are involved in financial irregularities with banks and are under criminal probe in Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) cases for the last three years, the Indian government informed…
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8,189 Indian Nationals Jailed Abroad: Government June 27, 2019 05:31
About 8,189 Indians were lodged in jail overseas, according to the government data released Wednesday tabulated until May 31, a rise of around 6 percent from last year’s figure of 7,737. Saudi Arabia is home to the largest number of Indian nationals lodged in foreign prisons, followed by the United Arab Emirates and Nepal. The data released is the part of a statement by external affairs minister S Jaishankar in the Lok Sabha in response to a question by a Member of Parliament (MP). Saudi Arabian jails have 1,811 Indian nationals, UAE 1,392, Nepal 1,160, United States 689, and Pakistan 48. In all, six Gulf countries are home to approximately half of all Indians lodged in jails abroad. Pakistani jails contained 471 Indians last year, meaning the number has dropped steeply in the past year. “Indian missions and posts abroad remain vigilant and closely monitor the incidents of Indian nationals being put in jail in foreign countries for violation of local laws or alleged violation of local laws,” said the statement. Many countries do not share information, or provide details of individual cases, because of strong privacy laws, added the statement. The minister’s statement also said that 3,087 Indians received amnesty or commutation of their sentences in the Gulf countries since 2016. After several incidents of harassment of Indians abroad, the government has asked Indian workers to register with local consular services, and started distributing information to intensify their awareness of local laws, customs and regulations. By Sowmya Sangam
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3 Factors to Consider Before Selecting the Best University for Studying Medicine Abroad June 26, 2019 10:14
Recently, the report by Reserve Bank of India (RBI) stated that a growing number of Indian students are now deciding on to go abroad to pursue their higher education. It is found that Indians spent…
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After Expending Rs 200 Cr for Wedding in Uttarakhand, NRI Gupta Family Will Pay Rs 54k for Clearing Dump June 25, 2019 12:51
South Africa-based controversial Indian Gupta family has deposited Rs 54,000 with the Municipal Corporation in Uttarakhand in India and also agreed to pay the entire cost of cleaning up after their mega Rs 200 crore wedding functions left the town of Auli with major waste management problems. The Municipality has deployed 20 workers to clear the waste lying around in the area. The High Court has likewise directed the Pollution Control Board and District Administration to submit a report by July 7 on the harm caused to the environment due to the waste material. The next hearing in the matter is scheduled for July 8. "The Gupta family had deposited Rs 54,000 as of user charge. Over 150 quintal waste has been cleaned up till now. After the cleaning work is complete the total bill of all the expenses, including manual labour and vehicles, will be sent to them. The family has agreed to pay the entire bill and also provide a vehicle to the Municipality," said Shailendra Panwar, Municipality President. (Image Source: The Economic Times) The wedding ceremony of Suryakanth, son of Ajay Gupta took place in Auli in Uttarakhand from June 18 to 20, while the wedding ceremony of Atul Gupta's son Shashank was held from June 20 to 22. (Image Source: The Economic Times) Earlier, a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed stating the extensive wedding preparations were damaging the environment. Many celebrities, including chief ministers, B-Town stars like Katrina Kaif, yoga guru Baba Ramdev had attended the wedding. A two-hour yoga session was also conducted by yoga guru at the wedding. Choppers were hired to ferry the guests. Almost all the resorts and hotels were booked and flowers were imported from Switzerland for the two high-profile marriages. By Sowmya Sangam
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Guide for NRIs Seeking Home Loan in India June 25, 2019 07:21
If you are a Non-Resident Indian (NRI) looking to avail a home loan in India, below given are few things for you to keep in mind while applying. Documents Required for NRI Home Loan 1.…
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Fresh Bill to Allow Proxy Voting to NRIs June 24, 2019 05:30
The Indian union cabinet will take a call Monday to introduce a fresh bill in parliament to extend the facility of proxy voting to Indians abroad after the similar bill has lapsed following the dissolution of the 16th Lok Sabha last month. According to sources, the union cabinet will consider introducing the bill in parliament, which proposes that Indians abroad, who are entitled to casting vote in India, can appoint a proxy voter on their behalf. At present, overseas Indians are permitted to cast their votes in constituencies they are enrolled. The Bill seeks to give them the option of proxy voting, which is currently available to service personnel only. There are about 3.10 crore Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) living in different countries across the world, according to estimates of the Ministry of External Affairs. Back in 2015, an expert committee of the Election Commission, working on the issue, forwarded the legal framework to the Ministry of Law and Justice to amend the electoral laws to allow the overseas Indians to use proxy voting. An unofficial data with the Election Commission shows that only 10,000 to 12,000 overseas voters have exercised their franchise owing to the reason that they do not want to spend foreign currency to come to India and vote. The bill said the necessary provision of coming to India to cast ballot caused hardship for overseas electors. Amendment bill’s another provision, according to the provisions in the electoral law, relates to the spouses of service voters. Currently, an army man’s wife is eligible to be enrolled as a service voter, but a woman army officer’s husband is not. The bill proposes to replace the word ‘wife’ with ‘spouse’, hence making the provision gender-neutral. Members of the central armed police forces, armed forces, employees of the center posted outside India, and personnel of state police forces posted outside their state are eligible to be enrolled as service voters. By Sowmya Sangam
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