97-year-old Indian-origin Man may Become First Centenarian Driving on Dubai Roads February 11, 2019 15:01
A 97-year-old,Tehemten Homi Dhunjiboy Mehta of Indian descent in UAE could become the first centenarian to be driving on Dubai roads in three years as he got his driving licence renewed for the next four…
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‘Allow NRIs to Carry More Gold to India’: Senior Official of DGJG February 11, 2019 13:13
A senior official of Dubai Gold and Jewellery Group (DGJG) on Saturday urged India to allow Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) to carry more gold in personal baggage capacity when traveling back which is a win-win situation for the country and its nationals. Siroya Chandra Prakash, vice-chairman of DGJG, said it would be a practical step to permit NRIs to carry more gold since it will bring down margins for the parallel trade and the yellow metal will also turn more inexpensive for the residents of India. New Delhi, as part of personal baggage, reduced carrying 10kg to 1kg for people flying to India, which is the world's largest consumer of gold. In 2018, India, the second largest bar and coin market in the world, saw annual demand falling four percent to 106.2 tonnes. The weakness of the Indian rupee pushed the gold price to Rs 31,900 per 10 grams during October, its highest level since June 2012. While gold jewelry demand also fell one percent to 598 tonnes. "For personal baggage, an NRI who lived outside India for more than 180 days continuously, could import 10 kilos of gold on the payment of duty. That has been brought down to 1 kilo," said Prakash, who is also the owner of Siroya Jewelers in Dubai. "It is very practical step for India. By increasing the allowance, the margins will go down for the parallel trade and the gold will become more affordable; today everything is streamlined and transparent. Plus, more and more people want to follow the rule of law. So, I think it is high time that the Government of India should reconsider and start charging 4-6 percent duty rather than 10 percent on carrying gold to India," Prakash said on the sidelines of a conference here on Saturday. The conference was hosted by The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) - Dubai Chapter, to discuss the Indian budget. Vipul, India's Consul General in Dubai; B.R. Shetty, chairman, UAE Exchange; Mahmood Bangara, chairman, ICAI's Dubai Chapter; and Raju Menon, chairman, Kreston Menon; among others, also addressed the conference. Mahmood Bangara said considering the huge NRI remittance of about $80 billion annually, any differential taxes on NRI's may ideally be withdrawn. "Furthermore, incentives for NRI investments would facilitate higher foreign exchange inflow which will be more beneficial than the foreign direct investment," he suggested. Bangara noted that the Indian story is turning out to be an integral part of the world's story. "Indian service sector is growing rapidly with a share of about 54 percent, a positive sign of engagement of huge young population and, as many more to be employed," he added. India's consul general Vipul said India economy is good to invest in and it should remain so in the foreseeable future for NRIs and government of UAE and private businesses. "This is one country where one get best of returns." He added that the Indian economy continued its high growth path of more than 7 percent and remains the fastest growing economy among large countries globally. "We are on our way to become $5 trillion economy in the next 5 years or so." -Sowmya Sangam
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NRI Couple Visits Bank After a Decade, Find Locker Empty February 06, 2019 12:56
An NRI couple who visited the State Bank of India’s branch in New Mallepally to withdraw precious items from a locker after more than a decade claimed to have found it empty. According to police, the residents of the United States Ameena and Mozzam Hussain said they have last used the locker in 2005 and they had around 80 tolas of gold at that time, which is currently claimed to be missing. On Saturday, the Non-Resident Indian couple tried to open the locker with their keys, but in vain. And when they again visited bank on Tuesday, with the bank’s help they opened the locker. It was then they realized that the locker was ‘empty’. Although the bank is said to have CCTV cameras outside the locker area, there is no footage found which records activity inside. Investigation officer Narayan Reddy said that inquiries are in process and a case would be booked shortly. -Sowmya Sangam
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NRI Chigurupati Jayaram Killed Over Rs 6 Crore Loan February 06, 2019 12:13
The death mystery of Florida-based Non-Resident Indian Chigurupati Jayaram, have found to be revealed after grilling many people including his relatives. Andhra Pradesh Krishna District's Superintendent of Police Sarvashresht Tripathi told reporters that realtor Rakesh Reddy, the main accused, and his driver Srinivas murdered Jayaram as the latter had failed to repay a Rs 4 crore loan. Jayaram, also a Managing Director of Express TV, a now inoperative Telugu channel, had come to Hyderabad from the United States a few days ago. As Reddy was demanding the money, he had blocked his mobile number. The accused contacted Jayaram on WhatsApp from some other number, using the display picture of a woman and started chatting with him. 'She' asked Jayaram to come unaccompanied to a house in Jubilee Hills. When the businessman reached there, Reddy and his driver gained control over and inflicted pain on him. The realtor demanded Rs 6 crore including the interest. As Jayaram had only Rs 6 lakh with him, Reddy, in a fit of rage, banged him against a sofa. Jayaram sustained a head injury and died on the spot. The accused then shifted the body to Jayaram's car and took it to Krishna district and left it in a field adjoining the national highway to make it seem like an accident. Before shifting the body, Rakesh spoke to two police officials of Hyderabad over phone. Police gathered clues from the CCTV footage from different toll gates on the Hyderabad-Vijayawada highway. Reddy, who was driving the car, also stopped at a wine shop at Nandigama to buy liquor. Empty liquor bottles were later found in the car along with Jayaram's body. Police investigations revealed that Reddy had come into contact with Jayaram after the latter had sought his help to deal with the problem created by lockout in his company on the outskirts of Hyderabad. Rakesh at that time became friends with Jayaram's niece Shikha Chowdary. The SP said their investigations were continuing to find out if any other person or persons were involved in the murder. -Sowmya Sangam
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UAE NRI Files Plea in SC Seeks Free Transportation Of Bodies February 05, 2019 14:29
UAE based NRI files Petition in Supreme court seeking the centre to arrange free transportation of bodies of Indians who die abroad. The plea has been filed by one Ashraf Thamarassery, presently working in United…
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Eliminate Lottery System for H-1B Visas, Say Techies in India February 04, 2019 18:24
Amid arrests of Indian students in the United States and the possible threat of facing deportation for committing visa fraud, the techies in India said its high time the U.S. eliminate lottery system to grant…
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Financial Dispute Behind the Murder of NRI Jayaram, Says Police February 04, 2019 12:11
Officials investigating the death case of NRI (Non-Resident Indian) Chigurupati Jayaram said financial dispute might have been the reason for the murder. The police who picked up a few suspects including his niece Sikha Chowdary and her boyfriend Rakesh Reddy said the accused had conceived to kill him in Hyderabad and executed their plan. According to sources, the NRI businessman borrowed money from Reddy and had a dispute over it in the past few months. The NRI, who was found dead in his car recently under the Nandigama police sub-division limits in Krishna district is suspected that he might have been killed in Telangana and miscreants left the body along with his vehicle in the Krishna district. The police said he might have been poisoned to death. The police squad deployed in Hyderabad interrogated the family members of the Chairman of the defunct Express TV on Sunday. “Financial disputes and other reasons are said to be the reasons. The accused have been taken into custody,” a top police officer was quoted as saying by The Hindu. Senior officials told The Hindu: “The apparent reason for the murder is ‘financial dispute’. We have traced the evidence establishing the role of the accused. The details of the dispute and the modus operandi will be announced on Monday.” -Sowmya Sangam
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NRI Businessman Jayaram Chigurupati Found Dead in His Car February 01, 2019 15:11
A prominent Non-Resident Indian businessman Jayaram Chigurupati was found dead in his car on the Hyderabad-Vijayawada highway on Thursday night. Jayaram was the Managing Director of Express TV, a Telugu news outlet based in Hyderabad. He was also the Director of Coastal Bank and also owned a pharmaceutical company called Hemarus. Speaking to reporters on Friday morning, a police officer said, "At around 11:30 pm on Thursday night, we received a call from the patrolling vehicle that a car had swerved off the highway and there was a dead man lying inside between the front seat and the backseat. We rushed to the spot immediately." Through his driving license found on the body, police were able to find out his identity, police said. "He had left his house day before yesterday. He had a driver and personal security but chose to drive the car himself and leave. Since then, he was not in contact with anyone. On Thursday evening, he messaged one of his employees in Vijayawada and stated that he was coming and asking the employee to arrange lodging for him,” the police officer added. The police also said that the car passed the Panthangi Toll Plaza at 8:30 pm on Thursday night. “However, someone else was driving his car. The driver’s photo was not clear but he was wearing a white shirt. We suspect foul play. This is a suspicious death. We suspect that someone killed him and abandoned the car here to make it look like an accident. We are trying to make further headway into the case,” the police said. Since bottles were found in the car, the police said that they had to find out if anyone consumed the alcohol. A case has been registered. “It is not a natural death, that is for sure. We will complete the investigation soon,” the police added. The body has been sent for a postmortem and the police anticipate that the medical results will help them make further progress in the case. In 2014, Jayaram was the Managing Director of Express TV, which had shut shop after failing to pay salaries to its employees. -Sowmya Sangam
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New H-1B System to Prioritize Qualification, Talent Out February 01, 2019 11:07
The new visa system announced Wednesday, that will kick off from April 1, will turn things bad as it will give priority to foreign workers who hold advanced degrees from various American universities taking no…
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Guide to Vote in 2019 Indian General Elections If You Are Serviceman/NRI January 31, 2019 11:26
Ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in India this year, the government is making an effort to encourage voters to exercise their franchise, not only for its citizens but also for servicemen and Non-Resident Indians (NRIs). As a huge chunk of votes gets wasted every election as people away from constituency could not exercise their franchise, the government is easing out the electoral registration process. The option of service vote was already available for servicemen posted abroad. But now, overseas voters can also shortly cast their votes through proxy voting if a bill which is currently still pending in Rajya Sabha is cleared this budget session. Here is a look at the process of servicemen and NRI voting in India: How to Enroll as an Overseas or NRI Voter After an NRI or person of Indian origin traces the polling station and gets the contact information of Election officers in the region, they can fill up Form 6A online on http://www.nsvp.in or from the Election Commission of India website and then upload the needed documents showing proof which can either be submitted through post or in person. Documents Required One recent passport size photograph, self-attested photocopies of the applicable pages of the passport and valid visa endorsement. As soon as the documents are submitted, for the verification process, a Booth Level Officer visits the home address mentioned in the passport and just in case of declaration for proof, it is sent to the concerned Indian Mission. The decision is and so communicated by post and through SMS, apart from which electoral rolls are also available on the ECI website under the “Overseas Electors” section. How to Vote? An NRI voter will not be issued an EPIC card and will be allowed to vote in person at the polling station on the production of original passport. The bill for proxy voting which allows NRI voters to exercise their right through e-postal ballots is yet awaiting in Rajya Sabha. Who Can Enroll as Service Voter? A person who is in the Armed Forces of India, or belongs to the Assam Rifles, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police Force (ITBPF); General Reserve Engineer Force (GREF) in Border Road Organization; Central Industrial Security Force or is employed under the Indian government in a post outside the country or is a member of the Armed Police Force of a state and serving outside the state can enroll as a service voter. How to Enroll? Once the voter finds out the name of the constituency that he/she belongs to, they can fill the enrollment form, Declaration form and then submit it to the Record or Nodal officer. This will guarantee that the service voter’s spouse will be enrolled on their behalf as mentioned in the declaration. As an alternative, the serviceman can also choose to enroll as a general elector at the place of posting, if it is a peace posting. How to Vote? The Returning officer of the constituency sends the service voter the postal ballot in which the service voter can register their vote and seal the cover. The voter has to sign the declaration in Form 13A after which the Commanding officer of the unit will certify the voter’s signature which is required to be given to the Returning Officer by messenger or post. -Sowmya Sangam
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Guidelines for NRIs to Buy a Property in India January 29, 2019 12:51
No matter how the real estate market in India behaves, Non-Resident Indians for good and all prefer a place back in India, not merely for investment return but similarly to remain rooted in their country…
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3 Indians from UAE Receive Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards January 24, 2019 11:11
Three Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) from the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday were among others who won the prestigious Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award (PBSA). President of India Ram Nath Kovind conferred the award on Surender Singh…
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