Year: 2015

  • Sisters meet Chhota Rajan after 27 years

    New Delhi (TIP): Twenty-seven years after his flight from India following his split with underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, gangster Chhota Rajan met his two sisters at the CBI headquarters in Delhi Friday.

    The meeting was allowed after Rajan’s sisters Sunita Sakkharam Chavan and Malini Sakpal appeared before special CBI Judge Vinod Kumar at his residence on Friday with a plea that they be allowed to meet their brother for ‘Bhai Dooj’. Since there was no lawyer or official present from the CBI, the judge declined to issue any orders and directed the CBI’s investigating officer to “consider the application”.

    The sisters, along with their advocates Rajiv Jai and Gajinder Kumar, then went to the CBI office to wait for several hours while the judge signed his orders and the CBI took a call on their request.

    According to sources, the two sisters were finally allowed to meet Rajan, born Rajendra Sadashiv Nikalje, after 5 pm for about half-an-hour. Sunita’s son-in-law Anil Menon accompanied them. The sisters then left for Mumbai in the evening. Refusing to say anything about the case, Sunita made a tearful plea in front of the cameras outside the Judge’s residence, stating that she had “not seen her brother for 30 years”, and “only wanted to bless him”. “He’s come back after braving storms. We want to see him on ‘Bhai Dooj’,” said Sunita. According to sources, Rajan has reportedly assured his family that he is “safe”. Rajan had left India in 1988.

  • For years Britain shunned Narendra Modi. So why roll out the red carpet now?

    For years Britain shunned Narendra Modi. So why roll out the red carpet now?

    London is set to play host to one of the most dangerous politicians on the planet this week. Not that you’ll hear any such thing when Narendra Modi arrives. Instead, we’ll be reminded that India’s prime minister is the leader of a giant and dynamic economy. That he’s taking tea with the Queen and buddying up to David Cameron. There’ll be fun Modi facts too: how he once sold chai at railway stations; how, aged 65, he boasts of having a 56-inch chest.

    How can someone so Technicolor be so dangerous? Well, imagine any national leader – Cameron, Merkel, Obama – spending a large chunk of his or her life working for a gang of religious fascists – one thatrenowned academics compare to Islamic State. Chuck in a long personal history of inciting religious hostility, a track record of cosying up to big business, and a reputation for ruthlessness towards enemies. Now put this extremist in charge of a nuclear state. Worried yet?

    That, in a nutshell, is the man who will be jetting into Britain. As a boy Modi joined the far-right Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), whose objective is to turn India -which gave the world Jainism and Buddhism and Sikhism, and which has the world’s third-largest Muslim population – into a Hindu superpower. Among its alumni is Nathuram Godse, the fanatic who gunned down Mahatma Gandhi.

    Religious extremism is not some long-faded part of Modi’s past. In 2002, while he was chief minister for Gujarat, a train carriage carrying Hindu pilgrims caught fire in the state. Within hours, without a scrap of evidence, Modi blamed the 58 deaths on the Pakistani secret services, then paraded the charred corpses through the state capital of Ahmedabad.

    His Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) called a three-day strike. There then followed one of the bloodiest anti-Muslim pogroms in modern history. Mobs of men dragged wives and daughters on to the streets to be raped. One ringleader later boasted of slitting open the womb of a pregnant woman. Between 1,000 and 2,000 people were killed – the vast majority Muslim.

    Try as they might, BJP supporters cannot erase the history of these shameful killings or absolve their leader of responsibility. This version of events is not contested by any serious analyst – and at the very least it shows up Modi as a master of hate speech. Asked three years ago whether he felt any regret over the deaths of so many innocent people, the BJP leader replied that he felt the same pain as a passenger in a car that has just run over a puppy.

    But this is all about to be consigned to the past. For years after the massacres Britain. But this week it will roll out the red carpet, even as the atmosphere of thuggish intolerance and violence around Modi grows thicker.

    In September he took his cabinet to meet RSS leaders for a three-day summit, where ministers reported on their progress. The RSS has been having meetings with the education ministry to gain greater influence over the curriculum. In Modi’s home state of Gujarat, schoolchildren are already given textbooks written by RSS affiliates.

    Primary and secondary pupils are taught that, while television “was invented by a priest from Scotland called John Logie Baird”, it was actually pioneered thousands of years ago, by Hindu royalty in ancient India. So, for that matter, was the motor car. And so was stem-cell research. These textbooks carry praising endorsements from Modi himself. It is as if the dad off Goodness Gracious Me – who claimed everything was invented in India – has been put in charge of an entire nation’s syllabus.

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    The sad oddity of all this is that India can be genuinely proud of its traditional hospitality towards dissent. A subcontinent of a billion people, of glaciers and deserts, is naturally pluralistic. “There is not a thought that is being thought in the west or the east that is not active in some Indian mind,” wrote.

    Yet Hindu extremists now force major publishers to pulp books they deem offensive. Campaign groups such as the Ford Foundation and Amnesty, whose work on human rights and the environment needle Modi’s officials, are put under so much scrutiny that they can barely continue. An environmentalist invited by British MPs to testify on abuse by mining firms was yanked from her London flight just before take-off. And last Friday the Indian arm of Greenpeace was ordered by the authorities to shut down, on the flimsiest of pretexts.

    Just as with the Gujarat pogrom, the prime minister has no direct part to play in any of this – rather he fosters the environment that makes it all possible. One incident from this September is typical. A Muslim villager is accused by a Hindu mob of eating beef and lynched. The issue of beef slaughter is one that Modi campaigned on before his election. Now he keeps  mum – even while his party colleagues issue justifications. Finally, an interview is given in which Modi voices the most watery regret.

    By his rise to power, by his strategic silences, by his smirking apologies, Modi gives succor to the gathering mob. He was voted in on a ticket of reviving a moribund economy. Supporters pointed to the apparent success story of Gujarat. They didn’t read the auditors’ reports that showed how the development success of Gujarat lay in giving more money to the urban rich, in handing land and soft loans to the business houses.

    Now that Modi is failing to turn around India, he and his generals fall back on the old trick of hunting for an enemy: Pakistan, religious minorities, pseudo-seculars. An environment now exists in which scholars who criticize Hindu idol worship receive death threats, and are then murdered. An intellectual who invites a former Pakistani minister to give a talk in Mumbai is nabbed by Hindu zealots and smeared with ink. Writers, academics and scientists return their national honors to Delhi in protest at the officially sponsored thuggishness.

    Cash-strapped Cameron will never raise these issues with his guest. The permanent secretary at the Foreign Office admitted to MPs just a few weeks ago that human rights no longer count as a “top priority”, and come below the government’s “prosperity agenda”.

    Meanwhile, India’s new leader hugs Mark Zuckerberg; he’ll play to the proud Indian diaspora at Wembley Stadium this week; and rules with a giant mandate and an opposition in disarray. “This is the most dangerous leader India has had in 30 years,” says one of the country’s most acute observers, Mihir Sharma. “He reminds me of Putin: appealing to a glorious past, friend to the oligarchs and to a state religion, clamping down on dissent.”

    This is what real danger looks like nowadays: wearing a business suit and clutching trade deals – while silencing those who disagree.

  • Sorry for Parisians

    Sorry for Parisians

    Paris has long been the city of the best in the world. It has been home to the most refined and cultured people. It has been the cradle of the finest art and literature. It has given to the world the most eminent people in various fields. Parisians are a class by themselves.

    It was a shock to find the City of Paris  being subjected  to a brutal terrorist attack, The attack on Friday, November 13 evening left more than 160 dead.

    Parisians had not yet forgotten the madmen’s attack on the offices of the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo and a kosher grocery store early this year. Twenty people, including three attackers, were left dead in the slaughter.

    Ironically, just a few hundred miles away, in London, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and British Prime Minister David Cameron, had in a joint press conference declared their resolve to combat terrorism together and had called upon all nations to come together to  tackle the ever growing terrorism in the world.

    The world needs to not only talk of combating terrorism; it needs to come together and combat the devil more effectively and resolutely. Be it any terrorist organization, anywhere in the world, it should be treated as enemy of humanity and neutralized with utmost force. It is time to say enough is enough.

    Meanwhile, we feel sorry for Parisians for having to go through the shock and the tragedy. May those who died in the attacks rest in peace!

  • RSS chief Bhagwat prepared the ground for BJP veterans’ revolt against Modi, Shah?

    RSS chief Bhagwat prepared the ground for BJP veterans’ revolt against Modi, Shah?

    modi amit shah rssIt isn’t official yet, but time has started running out for Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah, whose term comes up for renewal in January. The attempt to remove him from the party’s top post, which was said to have been initiated by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat when the BJP’s rout in Bihar started becoming apparent, gained massive traction late on Tuesday when four party veterans demanded accountability for the poll debacle.

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi, however, is said to be adamant about securing another term for his closest aide, according to a senior BJP leader who is said to be close to both Modi and Shah.

    “Amitji’s contribution to the party cannot be forgotten by defeat in one state,” the BJP leader told Scroll.in soon after LK Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Yashwant Sinha and Shanta Kumar issued a statement on the eve of Diwali obviously aimed at Modi and Shah. “Modiji is aware of this. There is no question of Modiji deserting Amitji.”

    Reservations debate

    However, before the veterans raised their flag, the ground is said to have been laid by Bhagwat, who was under attack from a section of the BJP leaders for throwing the party’s campaign off the rails by seeking a review of the reservations policy in jobs and educational institutions for people from marginal groups on September 21.

    In the end, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance won only 58 seats in the 243-member house.

    Things are said to have been set in motion on November 8, while the counting was still in progress, when Bhagwat indicated during a meeting with Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh that the party must start the process of finding a successor to Shah, according to a senior office-bearer of the RSS.

    For his part, Shah did try to address Bhagwat’s grievances. During an hour-long meeting with Bhagwat on November 9, the BJP president clarified that it was not his controversial reservation remark that led to the polarisation of backward caste voters against the BJP, but the party’s failure to present a credible backward leader in Bihar.

    Sangh’s grievances 

    It is no longer a secret that Bhagwat is upset with being blamed for the BJP’s defeat. “The Sangh is obviously hurt by the attempts to shift the blame for the defeat on Bhagwatji,” said the RSS office-bearer. “But what is even more alarming is the fact that the party has for the first time been put on an individual-centric track. That is not the culture of the Sangh.”

    This concern was echoed in the statement issued by the BJP veterans. “The principal reason for the Bihar defeat is the way the party has been emasculated in the last year,” the statement said. It called for a review that should “cover the way the party is forced to kow-tow to a handful and how its consensual character has been destroyed”.

    It added: “The review [of the Bihar debacle] must not be done by the very persons who have managed and have been responsible for the campaign in Bihar. To say that everyone is responsible for the defeat is to ensure that no one is held responsible.”

    Quick response

    On its part, the party leadership was quick to put up a brave face and to issue a counter statement. “The party has been very fortunate to have been led by Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Shri L.K. Advani for decades,” said the statement issued on behalf of Amit Shah and signed by Union ministers Rajnath Singh, Venkaiah Naidu and Nitin Gadkari. “They had set a healthy precedent of the Party collectively taking up responsibility for victories and defeats. The Party would certainly welcome any guidance and suggestion of our seniors in this regard.”

    Despite a quick counter to the veterans’ statement, the BJP leaders fear that the revolt, which has the backing of the RSS, will embolden more leaders from across the country, particularly from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra, to speak out against Modi and Shah.

    This is more so in the face of the hardening of positions between Modi and Bhagwat on the question of renewing Shah’s term as the party president. The new battle lines in the Sangh Parivar will decide not just the fate of Amit Shah but also whether the BJP remains totally subservient to Modi.

  • Attorney Vini Samuel Elected First Indian American Female Mayor

    Attorney Vini Samuel Elected First Indian American Female Mayor

    WASHINGTON (TIP): In a first, Montesano attorney Vini Samuel was elected mayor of Montesano, Washington by landslide victory making her the first Indian American female mayor in the United States. Samuel received more than 67 percent of the vote, leading 762 to 366.

    “It’s wonderful, it’s exciting and I’m overwhelmed with gratitude,” Samuel said on November 03, 2015. “This has always been about Montesano and coming together as one town and trying to get things done. I think the race went perfectly. We worked really hard and I appreciate the show of confidence. I think we ran a pretty solid, positive campaign. The goal was always about coming together and keeping the city of Montesano as the focus of the conversation,” she added.

    Samuel, who was born in Quilon, Kerala, and raised in Juneau, Alaska, characterized the tiny town of Montesano as “a little piece of Americana.” Samuel attended Western Washington University, where she received a B.A. in history and English literature; she obtained her law degree from Seattle University.

    Samuel, who has previously served on Montesano’s city council, said she was campaigning on the issue of transparency in city politics.

    The tiny town of Montesano in northwest Washington State has approximately 2,300 registered voters.

    All results on November 03, 2015 were preliminary results. Ballots mailed were still valid and ballot drop boxes throughout the county remained uncounted.

    The election will be certified on Nov. 24. However, Incumbent Ken Estes conceded the race soon after the initial tally of votes by the Grays Harbor County Auditor’s office.

  • BJP MPs lash out at Modi for Bihar assembly elections defeat

    BJP MPs lash out at Modi for Bihar assembly elections defeat

    NEW DELHI (TIP): Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “undignified” language during the Bihar campaign was responsible for the party’s electoral debate, a BJP parliamentarian from the state said on November 10, joining a growing list of local leaders who have blamed the defeat on the national leadership.

    Bhola Singh, the saffron party MP from Begusarai, said the BJP paid the price for Modi deviating from the development narrative and blamed the PM for walking into RJD chief Lalu Prasad’s “trap”, two days after a three-party Grand Alliance led by Nitish Kumar trounced the NDA.

    “The BJP was not defeated in Bihar, it committed suicide. Lalu made Modi speak his language. How can a prime minister use ‘amaryadit’ (undignified) language and take names of the sons and daughters of a rival?” the two-time MP asked, after the NDA lost all seven assembly seats in Begusarai.

    Singh also praised Nitish Kumar for maintaining poise and was critical of the statements made by Modi and other top leaders, particularly before the last phase.

    “The core development issues – roti, kapada and makaan – took the backseat. Raising issues such as beef and saying Pakistan would celebrate with firecrackers if the BJP loses were illogical and in bad taste, leading to our defeat,” he said.

    “He (Nitish) behaved like a statesman. He did not downgrade himself. BJP could not provide an alternative to him.”

    Former Lok Sabha deputy speaker Karia Munda agreed, saying the Bihar drubbing was the result of controversial statements by Modi and BJP president Amit Shah, and the neglect of local leaders.

    “Had the cooperation of local leaders been taken, the party would not have suffered a defeat,” Khunti MP Munda said.

    He warned the BJP of a similar fate in Jharkhand if the workers, government and the party organisation did not work in tandem.

    Singh, an eight-time MLA from Bihar, is the first senior leader from the state to lash out at Modi but several other party MPs –Shatrughan Sinha (Patna Saheb), Hukumdeo Narain Singh (Madhubani), RK Singh (Ara) and Ashwani Kumar Choubey (Buxar) — have blamed the national leadership and the RSS for the drubbing .

    But the party dismissed Singh’s dissent, saying his outburst was due to the party denying a ticket to his relative. A party leader said the BJP had forced him to move against his wishes to Begusarai from Nawada for Giriraj Singh in last year’s Lok Sabha elections.

    The BJP has been left stunned by its massive defeat in Bihar at the hands of the Rashtriya Janata Dal – Janata Dal (United) -Congress coalition. The saffron coalition banked on PM Modi’s personal popularity and didn’t project a chief ministerial candidate but the strategy appeared to have backfired with the BJP doing poorly even in its former strongholds.

  • Sling International Sponsors Inaugural ‘Cricket All Stars’ Series, Helps Bring Live Cricket to the U.S.

    Sling International Sponsors Inaugural ‘Cricket All Stars’ Series, Helps Bring Live Cricket to the U.S.

    NEW YORK (TIP): Cricket icons from around the world are facing  off on U.S. soil as part of the inaugural “Cricket All Stars,” a three game series sponsored in part by  Sling International.

    The first  match  took  place  November  7 at  Citi  Field  in  New  York, and  will  be followed  by  matches  on  November  11  at Minute  Maid  Park  in  Houston  and November  14  at  Dodger  Stadium  in  Los Angeles. Legendary  cricket  players  Sachin Tendulkar  of India  and  Shane  Warne  of Australia  are  headlining  their  respective teams, “Sachin’s  Blasters”  and  “Warne’s Warriors.”  The  two  teams  feature  former all star  players  from  eight  different countries. Fans  attending  the  Cricket  All Stars  matches  can  visit   the Sling International  booth  to  learn  more  about the  product  and  snap  a  picture  in  the photo  booth.

    “Our  goal  is  to  bring  the  excitement  of cricket  to  fans  living  in  the  U.S., and  we wanted  to  show  our  support for  this  rare opportunity  to  see  some  of the  game’s greatest  players  live  and  in–?person,”  said Chris  Kuelling, senior  vice  president  of International  Programming  for  Sling  TV. “Not  only  is  the  Cricket  All Stars  series  a must see  event  for  lifelong  cricket  fans, it’s an  opportunity  to  engage  a  whole  new audience  who  may  never  before  have experienced  the  game.”

    Sling  International’s  sponsorship  of the Cricket  All Stars  stems  from  the  brand’s support  of the  game  and  commitment  to entertainment  that  connects  viewers  with their  culture. A  leading  provider  of global content  to  viewers  in  the  U.S., Sling International delivers over 200 international  channels  including  many  top rated  South  Asian  channels  such  as Willow  Cricket, Sony, Aapka  Colors, ZeeTV, Star  Plus, Aaj  Tak, TV  Asia, ARY  Digital, Geo  TV, Maa  TV, Sun  TV  and  ETV.

    Customers of Sling  TV  who  have  the “Best  of Live  TV”  package  can  watch  the Cricket  All Stars  matches  on  ESPN3  for  no extra  cost  by  entering  their  Sling  TV username  and  password  on WatchESPN.com  or  within  the  WatchESPN app. Sling  customers  who  wish  to subscribe  to  “Best  of Live  TV”  and  receive access  to  ESPN3  can  do  so  by  logging  into their  account  at  www.sling.com  and  adding the  “Best  of Live  TV”  package. For  more information  regarding  the  Cricket  All Stars  series  please  visit www.cricketallstars2015.com

    slingAbout  Sling  TV  

    Sling  TV  L.L.C., a  subsidiary  of DISH Network  Corporation  (NASDAQ: DISH), provides  over the top  television  services including  domestic  and  international  live and  Video On Demand  programming. It  is available  on  televisions, tablets, computers and  smartphones. The  Sling  TV programming  portfolio  includes  content from  Disney/ESPN, HBO, AMC, A&E, Turner, Scripps, EPIX, Univision  and Maker  Studios. Sling  Latino  offers  a  suite of standalone  and  add on  Spanish language programming  packages  tailored  to  English dominant, bilingual  and  Spanish dominant U.S. Hispanics. Sling International currently  provides  more  than  200  channels in  18  languages  across  multiple  devices  to  U.S. households. Sling  TV  is  a  next-generation  service  that  meets  the entertainment needs of todays contemporary viewers.

    Visit www.Sling.com Follow @Sling on Twitter.

    http://www.twitter.com/Sling  #Tiebacks

    Contact Nita Bhasin at media@asbcommunications.com for any queries.

     

  • Indo American Celebrates 10 Years of Business Success

    Indo American Celebrates 10 Years of Business Success

    RUTHERFORD, NJ (TIP): INDO AMERICAN , one of the largest distributors of Natural Stones in the Tri State celebrated their 10th anniversary at the Renaissance in Rutherford. It was a grand event with a lot of speeches, wine, dine and dance. A very dazzling evening full of light and music in which several associates and dignitaries were felicitated at the Party. Only the major customers and vendors were invited for the event, according to Mr. Devraj Aiyar, President of Indo American. About 160 people attended the function.

    Having both the suppliers and buyers on a single platform was highly unusual   “We have absolutely no issues with that. Our business module hinges on the excellent rapport and relationship we share with both our buyers and sellers. We fulfill the needs of both. The Price and service we offer to our buyers and the volume of business we provide to our vendors cannot be substituted. Our transparency in our dealings is a comfort that only we are able to provide.” as per Sandeep Chadha, Manager for NJ.

    Usha Devraj CFO at her opening speech gave a brief note of the manner in which the company took off 10 years ago and progressed from there. It was an excellent take off for the event as she described how the business took off from the basement of their house in Flushing, NY, 10 years back and turned into a multi- million dollar business house from its humble beginning a decade ago.

    CEO of Indo American Devraj Aiyar spoke of the company's growth and future plans
    CEO of Indo American Devraj Aiyar spoke of the company’s growth and future plans

    There was a 30 minute AV presentation, immediately after through which the entire journey of last 10 years was presented to the guests.

    Vice President, Ganpat N Aiyar in an inspiring speech talked about how he joined the Company 6 years back and shared a secret of Indo Americans astounding growth. “We don’t worry about making the right decisions. We simply keep making decisions first and then keep making them right” It is this unbelievable response system and the speed in which hurdles are crossed, on a day to day basis that has led to the astounding growth of Indo American.

    CEO Devraj N Aiyar announced that the goals of INDO AMERICAN was not to be leaders in the stone distribution business but as a Company that served the cause of Humanity. “We would like to leave behind a legacy, by which Indo American would be known by its Philanthrophy more and less as a distributors of Stones.” Referring to competing companies, he stated that “They are the one that keep us focused, alert and more importantly maintain our price levels healthy. God Bless them”

  • Banning Smoking in Public Housing Is a ‘Commendable Goal’, says Mayor de Blasio

    Banning Smoking in Public Housing Is a ‘Commendable Goal’, says Mayor de Blasio

    NEW YORK CITY (TIP): Mayor Bill de Blasio said, November 13, that he supported a federal proposal to ban smoking in all public housing nationwide, though he admitted there were challenges with enforcement his administration “would have to work through.”

    “The goal is a good one,” Mr. de Blasio told WNYC’s Brian Lehrer. “We’ve gotta figure out
    how to make it work on the ground. There’s a lot to work through but you cannot have second-hand smoke pervading a public housing building without creating a real health danger to its residents.”

    Mr. de Blasio said the “bottom line” was the plan would not take effect for another year, giving the city time to work through the logistics of such a sweeping change within its public housing stock. “The goal here is commendable…I think what’s becoming clear is a no-smoking policy protects the health of our people, particularly our children and our seniors.”

    Mr. de Blasio revealed that he suffers from asthma and said the reduction in second-hand smoke would help people like him. “I go by smoke, I feel the effects immediately,” he said, arguing it was especially important to reduce second-hand smoke in low-income areas.

    The Department of Housing and Urban Development, where Mr. de Blasio once worked, is seeking to ban indoor smoking in all public housing nationwide. The rule would include, in addition to apartments, all common areas and administrative offices. What officials have yet to determine is how the smoking ban would be enforced inside apartments, and if residents will ultimately choose to comply. Critics of the plan say it infringes on the privacy rights of public housing residents.

    Shola Olatoye, the chairwoman and chief executive of the New York City Housing Authority and a de Blasio appointee, sounded less enthusiastic about the proposal in a recent interview with The New York Times.

  • Indian-origin woman charged with making false declarations of salaries

    Indian-origin woman charged with making false declarations of salaries

    SINGAPORE (TIP): An Indian-origin woman director of a Singapore company was on Nov 12 charged with making false declarations of foreign employees’ salaries to the government to obtain Employment Passes (EPs).

    Parmjit Kaur, a former director of bar and dining chain Harry’s International, was charged with 20 counts of making false declaration of salaries in the work pass applications to the Controller of Work Passes.

    The Ministry of Manpower said Kaur made the declaration between April 8 and September 2, 2013. Investigations reported that Kaur instructed her subordinates to declare that the fixed monthly salaries of the foreign employees would be 3,100 dollars, salary requirement to obtain EPs.

    Kaur allegedly knew that the 20 foreign employees would be paid less than what was declared in their work pass applications, the ministry said.

    Her case has been adjourned to December 10.

    If found guilty, she faces a maximum fine of 20,000 dollars and could be jailed for up to two years.

    The ministry said it conducts stringent checks to detect and enforce against false applications.

    The ministry is currently investigating other similar false declaration cases involving 241 foreigners hired by 95 employers.

    The EPs allows foreign professionals, managers and executives to work in Singapore. Candidates need to earn at least 3,300 dollars qualifications.

    In April 2014, the ministry charged eight employers who were franchisees of convenience store 7-Eleven for making false declarations and fined them between 8,000 dollars and 56,000 dollars.

    In November 2014, the ministry also recovered 32,000 dollars as fine from the director of Indian restaurant Blue Diamond for making false declarations.

  • CHILDREN’S DAY | NATION PAYS TRIBUTE TO NEHRU ON HIS 126TH BIRTH ANNIVERSARY

    CHILDREN’S DAY | NATION PAYS TRIBUTE TO NEHRU ON HIS 126TH BIRTH ANNIVERSARY

    Children’s day (also known as Bal Divas) in India is celebrated every year on 14th of November to increase the awareness of people towards the rights, care and education of children. Children are the key of success and development of the country as they would lead their country in different and new technological way. They are adorable and shine same like the precious pearls. Children are the God gifts to their parents by the almighty. They are innocent, admirable, pure and loved by everyone.

    14th of November is the birth date of the first Indian prime minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. He became the prime minister of India just after the independence of India. The Children’s Day is celebrated every year to let the people specially parents aware about the importance of celebrating this day.

    CHILDREN’S DAY2Why Children’s Day is Celebrated

    The birthday of Chacha Nehru, a great Indian leader, is celebrated as Children’s Day. He worked great for the well being of children as well as youngsters after the independence of India. He worked so much for the education, progress and welfare of the children of India. He was very affectionate towards children and became famous as Chacha Nehru among them. For the progress and development of the youth of India, he had established various educational institutions such as Indian Institutes of Technology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences and Indian Institutes of Management.

    He made a five year plan which includes free primary education, free meals including milk to the school children in order to prevent children from malnutrition in India. The deep love and fervor of Chacha Nehru towards the children is the big reason of celebrating the Children’s Day at his birthday anniversary.

    The childhood is the great moments in the life of everybody which should be necessarily given a right track to become successful in the future as an asset of the country. Without the right track they may miss living a good life. This can be done only by giving a right education, care and way to progress.

    About Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru

    Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was a great leader of India and led the India as a first prime minister of India just after getting the independence in 1947. He was born on 4th of November in the year 1889 to the renowned lawyer, Motilal Nehru and Swaroop Rani in the Allahabad. Because of being very brilliant he was named as Jawaharlal. He got his later education from the England and after returning to India he started helping Indians and struggle for independence of India. After independence of the India he became the first prime minister of the India. He was also a great poet; some of his famous writings are ‘Glimpses of World History’,
    ‘Discovery of India’ and etc.

    He was really fond of children as well as roses that’s he said that children are like the buds of the garden. He said that children are the country’s actual strength as they would make developed society in future.

    Children’s Day Celebration

    Children’s day is celebrated every year with a lots organized programs including cultural and fun activities all over the India. Government and non government organizations, schools, NGOs, private bodies and other conducts variety of competitions as well as events for the children to let them known about their rights and make them happy and cheer. TV channels also demonstrate the interesting programs for the children on 14th of November.

    Parents take part in this event very enthusiastically to make their children happy; they distribute gifts, greeting cards to their sons and daughters. They go on picnic, long drive and enjoy the day with party.

    Jawaharlal Nehru was born in Allahabad, India in 1889. His father was a renowned lawyer and one of Mahatma Gandhi’s notable lieutenants. A series of English governesses and tutors educated Nehru at home until he was 16. He continued his education in England, first at the Harrow School and then at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he earned an honors degree in natural science. He later studied law at the Inner Temple in London before returning home to India in 1912 and practicing law for several years. Four years later, Nehru married Kamala Kaul; their only child, Indira Priyadarshini, was born in 1917. Like her father, Indira would later serve as prime minister of India under her married name: Indira Gandhi. A family of high achievers, one of Nehru’s sisters, Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, later became the first woman president of the UN General Assembly.

    Entering Politics

    In 1919, while traveling on a train, Nehru overheard British Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer gloating over the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. The massacre, also known as the Massacre of Amritsar, was an incident in which 379 people were killed and at least 1,200 wounded when the British military stationed there continuously fired for ten minutes on a crowd of unarmed Indians. Upon hearing Dyer’s words, Nehru vowed to fight the British. The incident changed the course of his life.

    This period in Indian history was marked by a wave of nationalist activity and governmental repression. Nehru joined the Indian National Congress, one of India’s two major political parties. Nehru was deeply influenced by the party’s leader, Mahatma Gandhi. It was Gandhi’s insistence on action to bring about change and greater autonomy from the British that sparked Nehru’s interest the most.

    The British didn’t give in easily to Indian demands for freedom, and in late 1921, the Congress Party’s central leaders and workers were banned from operating in some provinces. Nehru went to prison for the first time as the ban took effect; over the next 24 years he was to serve a total of nine sentences, adding up to more than nine years in jail. Always leaning to the left politically, Nehru studied Marxism while imprisoned. Though he found himself interested in the philosophy but repelled by some of its methods, from then on the backdrop of Nehru’s economic thinking was Marxist, adjusted as necessary to Indian conditions.

    Marching Toward Indian Independence

    In 1928, after years of struggle on behalf of Indian emancipation, Jawaharlal Nehru was named president of the Indian National Congress. (In fact, hoping that Nehru would attract India’s youth to the party, Mahatma Gandhi had engineered Nehru’s rise.) The next year, Nehru led the historic session at Lahore that proclaimed complete independence as India’s political goal. November 1930 saw the start of the Round Table Conferences, which convened in London and hosted British and Indian officials working toward a plan of eventual independence.

    After his father’s death in 1931, Nehru became more embedded in the workings of the Congress Party and became closer to Gandhi, attending the signing of the Gandhi-Irwin pact. Signed in March 1931 by Gandhi and the British viceroy Lord Irwin, the pact declared a truce between the British and India’s independence movement. The British agreed to free all political prisoners and Gandhi agreed to end the civil disobedience movement he had been coordinating for years.

    Unfortunately, the pact did not instantly usher in a peaceful climate in British-controlled India, and both Nehru and Gandhi were jailed in early 1932 on charges of attempting to mount another civil disobedience movement. Neither man attended the third Round Table Conference.(Gandhi was jailed soon after his return as the sole Indian representative attending the second Round Table Conference.) The third and final conference did, however, result in the Government of India Act of 1935, giving the Indian provinces a system of autonomous government in which elections would be held to name provincial leaders. By the time the 1935 act was signed into law, Indians began to see Nehru as natural heir to Gandhi, who didn’t designate Nehru as his political successor until the early 1940s. Gandhi said in January 1941, “[Jawaharlal Nehru and I] had differences from the time we became co-workers and yet I have said for some years and say so now that … Jawaharlal will be my successor.”

    Domestic Policy

    The importance of Jawaharlal Nehru in the context of Indian history can be distilled to the following points: he imparted modern values and thought, stressed secularism, insisted upon the basic unity of India, and, in the face of ethnic and religious diversity, carried India into the modern age of scientific innovation and technological progress. He also prompted social concern for the marginalized and poor and respect for democratic values.

    Nehru was especially proud to reform the antiquated Hindu civil code. Finally Hindu widows could enjoy equality with men in matters of inheritance and property. Nehru also changed Hindu law to criminalize caste discrimination.

    Nehru’s administration established many Indian institutions of higher learning, including the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, the Indian Institutes of Technology, and the National Institutes of Technology, and guaranteed in his five-year plans free and compulsory primary education to all of India’s children.

  • Paris Terrorist Attacks

    Members of the Global Organization People of Indian Origin-Metro Washington (GOPIO) condemn recent savage and despicable attacks on civilians today in Paris, France. More than 150 people are reported to have been killed. We deprecate these horrific crimes in the strongest terms possible. Our thoughts and prayers are with the loved ones of those killed and injured and with all of France. The perpetrators of these heinous attacks must be apprehended and brought to justice.

    Zafar Iqbal, Ph.D., President

    Email: rabta.india@gmail.com, Washington

  • What can you do for the Parisians?

    First light the candle on the hour at 10:00, 11:00 and 12:00, then say a prayer for the victims and their families as well as the perpetrators.

    We have to tackle this issue head on, and cut the roots of extremism, there is no doubt about it. While we are doing that, what gives us some coherence, some lowering of blood pressure, some relief and some hope is prayers. More than adults, the children need to be with us to reassure them that God is a higher power… it will ease them. That is the only thing that comforts them. Lighting a candle is telling ourselves that I have taken the smallest step I can, and hope and pray to find larger solutions. I am writing a few solutions by 10:00 PM tonite at www.TheGhouseDiary.com

    Mike Ghouse
    Email: mikeghouse@aol.com, Washington

    Mike GhouseMike Ghouse : The author is a community consultant, social scientist, thinker, writer, news maker, and a speaker on Pluralism, Interfaith, Islam, politics, terrorism, human rights, India, Israel-Palestine and foreign policy.

  • Spectre Gets 2nd Biggest James Bond Opening Over

    Spectre Gets 2nd Biggest James Bond Opening Over

    Spectre, the latest offering from the James Bond franchise has emerged as the second highest opener at the box-office of all its instalments so far, according to Forbes magazine and trade data reported by the international press.

    spectreSpectre amassed $73 million in the US in its first weekend at the box office, only behind James Bond’s previous offering of Skyfall which opened at $90 million (including Thursday preview) in 2012. Spectre is the 24th James Bond film.

    Spectre released worldwide on November 6, and over the weekend managed to rake in over $200.

    However, Indian audiences will have to wait a bit more before being enthralled by what is supposed to be Daniel Craig’s last appearance as James Bond. This is the fourth time that he reprises the role of the British spy. Daniel Craig has publicly declared that this is his last Bond film and there is immense speculation as to who will be the next 007.

    Spectre is slated for release in India on November 20.

    According to Sony Pictures, the film has broken Skyfall’s record in some markets.
    Trade experts believe that with no major releases till November 20, Spectre is expected to continue making waves at the box-office.

    Spectre is directed by Sam Mendes and alongside Daniel Craig stars Ralph Fiennes, Ben Whishaw, Christoph Waltz and Monica Bellucci.

  • Akhlaq’s son indirectly accuses BJP of Hate politics

    Akhlaq’s son indirectly accuses BJP of Hate politics

    As the Bihar poll results trickled icon Nov 08, residents of the Greater Noida village of Bisada, who had gathered around a TV set to follow the counting, spoke in one voice – that this was a verdict against the politics of hatred. Bisada is the village where Mohammad Akhlaq was lynched by a mob in September after a rumour that he had slaughtered a cow was circulated, has been living under a shadow since the attack.

    Sartaj, Akhlaq’s eldest son and a corporal in the IAF, said the Bihar verdict is a tribute to his father, that people had united against the gathering forces of communalism.

    “There’s no space for hate politics in our country. Today’s result is a tribute to my father, and against hate and communalism.

    People should realise there is no gain in fighting in the name of religion. I appeal to all politicians not to divide the country for the sake of power,” he said.

    There was a feeling of relief, as if BJP’s rout had exculpated the village of its collective guilt. Hate politics, several villagers said, had not worked in Bihar and wouldn’t in UP either.

    On normal days, Bisada gets power supply between 11 am and 3 pm and again between11 pm and 5 am. But with an unexpected power cut on Sunday, Nov 8 morning, most residents had crowded in houses of a few who have inverters or generators installed.

    An elated Bhoop Singh, 75, ex-pradhan of the village, said, “I was born, and I’ll breathe my last in this village. I’ve never experienced any communal tension in my village in all these years, as much as the recent tension after Akhlaq’s unfortunate death, which hurt me deeply.”

    He blamed politicians squarely for disturbing communal harmony. “If politicians had not visited our village, we were capable of dealing with the situation. But politicians need vote banks. The Bihar result is a slap on their faces.”

    Neighbour Om Mahesh nodded in agreement. “Killing Akhlaq was an unfortunate incident. There was no communal tension in the village even after Akhlaq’s death. But then, some politicians tried to disturb the harmony. We appeal all politicians to avoid visiting communally tense places,” he said.

    Another local Gulfaam said, “People of Bihar have given those who indulge in the politics of divide and rule a resounding defeat. Politicians are ready to put the country’s goodwill at stake for power. Such incidents dent the country’s image.”

    The obvious object of their scorn, BJP’s motormouth MLA from Sardhana, Sangeet Som, a key accused in the Muzaffarnagar riots who had visited Bisada in the aftermath of the lynching and issued several divisive statements, though, said BJP did not lose the Bihar polls due to his visit and controversial statements. “Bihar and UP differ in turfs and the people in temperament. I don’t believe my visit and statements in Bisada hampered BJP’s chances in Bihar,” he added.

     

     

  • 2 Silicon Valley companies owned by Indian Americans have been penalised for violating H1B visa rules

    2 Silicon Valley companies owned by Indian Americans have been penalised for violating H1B visa rules

    Scopus Consulting Group and Orian Engineers, two companies based in Silicon Valley and owned by an Indian-American Kishore Kumar have been ordered to pay fines of $103,000 to the federal government. Along with this, the company is required to pay $84,000 in back wages to its employees who are carrying H-1B visas.

    The two companies bring workers from India and other countries on H1B visas to employ them as software engineers for Silicon Valley firms such as eBay, Apple and Cisco Systems.

    During investigations, US Department of Labor Wage and Hour investigators found that the two companies violated the H1B provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act by misrepresenting the prevailing wage level on the Labor Condition Applications required by the act, an official release said yesterday.Federal Administrative Law Judge Stephen R Henley ordered the two businesses owned by Kishore Kumar to pay 21 workers $84,000 in back wages and $103,000 in fines to the federal government.

    “Some of the country’s most cutting-edge, successful organisations benefit from underpaid H-1B workers,” director for the Wage and Hour Division in San Francisco, Susana Blanco said.

    “H1B workers must be paid local prevailing wages. We will not allow companies to undercut local wages and hurt US workers and businesses who pay their workers fairly,” Blanco said. — PTI

  • Let Diwali Inspire Us to Set Aside Our Differences: Tulsi Gabbard

    WASHINGTON:  Greeting people on the occasion of Diwali, America’s first Hindu Congresswoman has said that the festival represents the victory of light over darkness, truth over untruth, righteousness over wrong.

    “Let it inspire us to set aside our differences, and find ways to work together towards the greater and common good,” Ms Gabbard said in her annual Diwali video message.

    “No matter who we are, no matter what our race, religion, economic status, gender, age, or any other material consideration, each of us can use our lives in the loving service of God and of mankind, according to our own abilities,” she said.

    The Congresswoman said that it’s also an important time to meditate upon the deeper meaning of Diwali.

    “As we light our lamps for Diwali, let us light the lamps of love for God within our hearts, let us share the light of His unconditional love for us, and do what we can to bring about positive change in the world,” Ms Gabbard added.

  • Indian-American Appointed to Key University Position in Texas

    Indian-American Appointed to Key University Position in Texas

    WASHINGTON:  Padma Shri awardee Indian-American Ashok Mago has been appointed as a member of Board of Regents of the University of North Texas in the US.

    Dallas-based Mr Mago was appointed by Texas Governor Greg Abbott for a six-year term ending on May 22, 2021, said a statement issued by the Governor’s office yesterday.

    Mr Mago is the founding chairman of the Greater Dallas Indo American Chamber, now known as the US-INDIA Chamber, and board member of the Primary Care Clinic of North Texas, advisory board member of BBVA Compass Bank in Dallas.

    He is member of Dallas Regional Chamber Board, Salvation Army Advisory Board of Dallas County, and the Dallas County Community College District Foundation Board, and is a former board member of 1st Independent National Bank.

    He was awarded the Padma Shri in 2014. Mr Mago received a bachelor’s degree from Delhi University, India, and a Master of Business Administration from The University of Texas at Dallas.

  • Rich Indian-Americans Could Dwarf Official US Aid to India: Report

    Rich Indian-Americans Could Dwarf Official US Aid to India: Report

    WASHINGTON:  Indian-Americans, who have a combined annual income of a whopping USD 67.4 billion, can play a key role in philanthropy activities in India that could dwarf official US foreign aid to India by 10 times, according to new research.

    The donations could be to the tune of USD 1.2 billion per annum, said a report published in ‘Impact India’ – a magazine for philanthropists and social innovators targeting India published jointly by the Bridgespan Group, Dasra, and Stanford Social Innovation Review – that also put the “combined annual discretionary income of Americans of Indian origin” at USD 67.4 billion.

    The growing Indians settled in America totals over 1.9 million, the report said, adding that there are another 1.6 million Americans who report having Indian ancestry.

    “If their philanthropic contributions were consistent with those of other US households in similar income brackets, and if they directed 40 per cent of their philanthropic giving to India, USD 1.2 billion per year would flow from Indian-American donors to Indian causes,” the report said.

    This sum would dwarf official US foreign aid to India (USD 116.4 million in fiscal year 2014).

    What’s more, it would represent more than half the entire amount of annual official development aid received by India from all countries – USD 2.2 billion, on average, from 2005 through 2013.

    Noting that Indian-Americans are donating more than ever before to support broad-based social change aimed at reducing India’s inequities, it said the potential for impact is great, but so are the challenges.

    According to the report, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration seems particularly attuned to the upside potential for financial and non-financial support from the Indian-American.

    His focus on bilateral India-US initiatives may be an indicator of his openness to connect with US constituencies, including Indian-Americans, that could contribute meaningfully to India’s development.

  • Indian-American Doctor Gets Top award in Clinical Cardiology

    Indian-American Doctor Gets Top award in Clinical Cardiology

    WASHINGTON:  An Indian American physician has been felicitated with the highest award in clinical cardiology in the US in recognition of his significant discoveries expanding the field of cardiovascular diagnostic imaging.

    Dr Sanjiv Kaul of the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland was presented the James B Herrick Award for Outstanding Achievement in Clinical Cardiology by American Heart Association Council on Clinical Cardiology, “in grateful recognition of his highly significant discoveries expanding the field of cardiovascular diagnostic imaging and greatly enhancing the care of patients with heart and blood vessel disease,” a media release said.

    “In pioneering research in the areas of contrast echocardiography and nuclear cardiology, Dr Kaul redefined key aspects of coronary physiology and pathophysiology. Almost single-handedly, he has elevated an entire field from basic concepts to practical utilization,” said Clinical Cardiology Council Chair Ileana Pina, who presented the award to him.

    “Kaul introduced molecular imaging techniques to better detect the size of a heart attack as well as the extent of coronary artery narrowing and inflammation in arterial plaques – “all invaluable tools widely used for patient evaluation,” Ms Pina said.

    A native of Jammu and Kashmir, Dr Kaul is the Ernest C Swigert Chair of Cardiovascular Medicine, Professor of Medicine and Radiology, Chief Executive Officer of the Knight Cardiovascular Institute and Associate Dean of the School of Medicine at the Oregon Health & Science University.

  • Indian-American Appointed Head of Minneapolis Federal Bank

    Indian-American Appointed Head of Minneapolis Federal Bank

    WASHINGTON:  Prominent Indian-American business executive Neel Kashkari was today appointed as the head of the US Federal Reserve’s regional bank in Minneapolis.

    Mr Kashkari, who was once a Republican gubernatorial candidate in California, would replace another Indian-American Narayana Kocherlakota whose tenure as CEO and president ends on December 31.

    “Kashkari is the right person to build on the Minneapolis Fed’s core strengths and successfully lead the Bank into the future,” said Randall Hogan, chairman of the Minneapolis Fed’s board of directors and co-chair of the search committee.

    As president of the Minneapolis Fed, the 42-year-old will participate on the Federal Open Market Committee in the formulation of US monetary policy.

    He will oversee 1,100 employees. “I am truly honoured to have the opportunity to lead the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. I look forward to working with the Bank’s dedicated staff and continuing the Bank’s long-standing tradition of excellent service to the Ninth Federal Reserve District and to the nation,” Mr Kashkari said.

    “The Minneapolis Fed has built a strong reputation for economic research and thought leadership as well as excellence in Bank operations. I am delighted that I will be working with the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis team to build on the Bank’s many achievements,” he said.

    Mr Kashkari had earlier served in the US Department of the Treasury from 2006 to 2009, first as senior adviser to Secretary Henry Paulson and then as assistant secretary of the Treasury.

    In the latter role, he established and led the Office of Financial Stability and oversaw the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) for both Presidents George W Bush and Barack Obama.

    Mr Kashkari holds an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

    The Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis is one of 12 regional Reserve Banks that make up the Federal Reserve System, the nation’s central bank.

  • Indian-Origin Campaigner Awarded by David Cameron for Charity Work

    Indian-Origin Campaigner Awarded by David Cameron for Charity Work

    LONDON:  A 46-year-old Indian-origin community campaigner in the UK has been named “Point of Light” by British Prime Minister David Cameron for her “fantastic” charity work and empowering young people, including women.

    Muna Chauhan was recognised for her work as a children’s charity fundraiser and for empowering hundreds of women and young people to get involved with their community as volunteers.

    “Muna has not only dedicated her time to raise a fantastic amount of money for the causes she supports, she has also empowered over 200 young people and women to get involved in volunteering and seeing the difference they make,” Cameron said.

    “By inspiring others to take action Muna has had an impact in more than just her own community, and I am delighted to recognise her as the UK’s 387th Point of Light,” he added.

    The award has been developed in partnership with the hugely successful Points of Light programme in the US. It honours outstanding examples of individual volunteering across the US and the UK.

    Apart from encouraging others to volunteer, Ms Chauhan has helped raise over 5 million pounds for various international development charities and NGOs.

    “I have always been passionate about women empowerment and youth development and strongly committed to supporting the development of unrepresented people and helping them to gain valuable life experience through volunteering activities,” Ms Chauhan said.

    “My greatest guiding influence in life has been Mahatma Gandhi, in particular his world famous quote: ‘be the change you want to see in the world’,” she said.

  • Indian American nurse files pregnancy discrimination lawsuit against employer

    Indian American nurse files pregnancy discrimination lawsuit against employer

    New York: An Indian-American nurse has filed a pregnancy discrimination lawsuit against her employer, because she was fired for taking a break as she was suffering from nausea, a media report said.

    Saijal Sara Shah filed a lawsuit against Maple Creek and Lutheran Social Services of Michigan, US, which manages The Lodge, a nursing home where Shah worked, mlive.com news website reported on Tuesday.

    In the lawsuit filed in the US district court in Grand Rapids, Shah said she was punished for leaving work to recover from nausea during a double shift.
    On March 15, after working for eight hours, Shah vomited and could not work. She told another nurse that she had to go home, take medication and she will try to return to work, her attorney said.
    Even though she left a number for her supervisor to call, she was punished for failing to leave a way to contact her, her attorney added.
    According to the lawsuit, on April 3 Shah was fired for taking a 15-minute break because she was suffering from mild fever while working in the shift.
    A social worker showed up early in the morning and accused her of sleeping. Shah denied of falling asleep. She blamed the employer of odding her out because of being an Indian descent.
    White workers “were not penalised, falsely accused of sleeping on the job or targeted as I was,” the lawsuit said.
    The nursing home denied all allegations of Shah being treated unfairly based on her pregnancy or her race.
    It said she was suspended for a day for leaving work and sleeping during working hours.

     

  • Indian American launches Global initiative aimed at training high scholars in Microsoft technologies

    Indian American launches Global initiative aimed at training high scholars in Microsoft technologies

    WOODBRIDGE. NJ (TIP): A New Jersey software entrepreneur has launched a global initiative to train high-school students in Microsoft technologies that can help them jumpstart a career in information technology.

    “The biggest challenge currently facing the world economy is the lack of IT-trained professionals out of high school, who can be readily employed in meaningful careers,” says Shailesh Mehta, president of Acecs Inc, a Woodbridge-NJ software firm that provides certified training in various Microsoft technologies.

    As part of the initiative, Mehta plans to target 200 schools in the first year, expanding to 1,500 by the 4th year. “We will begin with schools in New Jersey, specifically Woodbridge Township, covering the entire state in the first year itself,” explains Mehta, a certified Microsoft lead trainer. Concurrently, Mehta will deploy the initiative in Mumbai, India, as well.

    About a million students will be targeted in the first year and about 20 million in 4 years. “The anticipated economic growth will be about $20 billion in the first year, increasing to $400 billion in 4 years, based on an average salary growth of $20,000 per student,” says Mehta.

    As part of the strategy, Mehta will prepare retired or semi-retired IT Professionals in these technologies, who can then coach high school students. All training will be provided by industry professionals, taught by Microsoft Certified Trainers (MCT) and tested by a panel of MCTs before authorized to teach at partner locations.

    Training will be imparted to high school students in Microsoft technologies such as Office Suite, Windows Client and Server Operating Systems, Exchange (Mail) Server, SQL (Database) Server and SharePoint Server, covering both the online and the offline fundamentals.

    Mehta will eventually expand the global initiative to every major city around the globe through nonprofit organizations in those cities. Through the initiative, Mehta will provide the overall strategy, guidance, policies, training and the step by step implementation of the goals.

    To keep setup costs low and expedite the deployment of the initiative, Mehta will be partnering with schools using their existing IT infrastructure.