Asian Lite News Archive

Category: NRI News

  • NRI helping to light up Gambia

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    By Francis Kokutse   Like many Indians who are proving to be philanthropists around Africa, Ram Mohan has set up a social business called Comafrique Intelizon Initiative and has embarked on the replacement of candles in villages in the Gambia with solar lights from India. “This is an initiative that must be applauded,” Abdou Jallow, a…

  • Modi bet on diaspora for development

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      The Indian diaspora must be a part of the country’s development, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said , a day after ending a visit to Myanmar, Australia and Fiji. “We want to create an environment where our diaspora also feel that they can contribute towards India’s development journey,” he said in a blog. “That is…

  • US has 450,000 illegal immigrants from India

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    By Arun Kumar  As President Barack Obama mulls executive action to give relief from deportation to some of the 11.2 million illegal immigrants in the US, a new report said about 450,000 of them are from India. In fact, India is the fourth top source country of unauthorised immigrants after top-ranked Mexico, according to the…

  • Peach King of California honoured

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      Didar Bains, a farmer known as the “Peach King of California”, was honoured by California Governor Jerry Brown for his service to society, media reported. Brown praised Bains and thousands of other immigrants from India who he said have enriched the US with their culture and work ethic, The Sacramento Bee reported. “It’s an…

  • Modi promises a resurgent India

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      In a replay of the crowd and the euphoria at New York’s Madison Square Garden, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was cheered lustily by an over 16,000-strong gathering of the Indian diaspora at Sydney’s Allphones Arena, where he promised to fulfill their expectations of a resurgent India. Modi, who arrived from Brisbane earlier in…

  • Diaspora wants Modi to address their issues

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    By Sandeep Datta   As Prime Minister Narendra Modi readies to address people from India in Sydney, the Indian diaspora wants him to keep their wishes and concerns in mind while engaging in diplomacy with the Australian leadership. From dual citizenship to simplifying visas for elderly parents or opening branches of Indian banks in Australia to…

  • Nikki Haley in Chandigarh

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    South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley arrived in Chandigarh and met Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal  evening. During the meeting, Haley told Badal that South Carolina would support Punjab in establishing aero-space, pharma-sector, tourism and agro-processing industries. She highlighted how South Carolina had been able to create new jobs in aerospace and hospitality sectors.…

  • NRI banker made partner at Goldman Sachs

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    Kunal Shah, a 32-year-old Indian-origin banker, has become the youngest among 78 new partners named by investment bank Goldman Sachs. He is among five Indian-origin individuals named partners by the bank , media reported . Shah emerged as a markets trader based in London, and was promoted to managing director at the age of 27.…

  • Welfare of expatriates top priority: Sushma

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    External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj  here said welfare of the Indian nationals residing abroad, particularly in the Gulf countries, is one of the top most priorities of her government. “We believe that the overseas Indians must be a part of the growth story of the nation,” she said in an interactive session with the Indian…

  • Niraj Antani becomes youngest US lawmaker

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    At 23, Indian-American law student Niraj Antani, a Republican, will be one of America’s youngest lawmakers after being elected to the state House in Ohio in the mid-term elections. “I think the legislature should reflect the way the people look, so I believe my generation does deserve a voice to fight for my children or…

  • Mixed results for NRI’s in US polls

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      Indian-Americans had a mixed outing in the US mid-term elections with Republican Nikki Haley and Democrat Kamala Harris re-elected as South Carolina’s governor and California’s attorney general respectively. But Republican Neel Thushar Kashkari was routed by California’s Democratic Governor Jerry Brown in Tuesday’s poll to win a historic fourth term, while Ami Bera, only…

  • Nikki Haley wins second term

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    Scoring the first win for Indian-Americans in the US mid-term elections, South Carolina’s Republican Governor Nikki Haley handily beat Democratic state Senator Vincent Sheheen to win a second term. Born Nimrata ‘Nikki’ Randhawa, the 42-year-old daughter of Sikh immigrants from India became the first minority and first female governor of the state four years ago.…

  • Sikh group seeks Obama support

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    An umbrella Sikh group and a couple of human right bodies have written a letter to US President Barack Obama seeking his support for justice for the 1984 anti-Sikh violence in India that claimed 3,000 lives. “We are writing to urge the Obama administration to call on India’s new government to bring justice to the…

  • NRI in race for Senate election in US

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      A man from Odisha who had gone to the US 20 years ago with just $50 in his pocket to seek a better life for himself and his family is a Democratic Party candidate for Georgia state Senate elections on Tuesday. Georgia-based Bikram Kumar Mohanty is in the race for the second time for…

  • 30 NRI’s vying for office in US poll

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    A record 30 Indian-Americans are contesting Tuesday’s US elections that will determine the course of power politics in the last two years of President Barack Obama’s term in office. Nearly three million people of Indian descent with an ever growing number of officials in high places,are better educated, earn more than other Americans, but haven’t…

  • ?India pays tribute to indentured labourers

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    India’s External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj paid tribute to the ‘girmitiyas’, the nearly half a million Indians who arrived in Mauritius to work as indentured labourers in the 19th century, saying their sacrifice did not go in vain as they went on to become the architects of a resurgent and confident new Mauritius. In a…

  • Sexist slur against Nikki Haley

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    By Arun Kumar   Reflecting the falling standard of US politics, the Democratic opponent of South Carolina’s Indian-origin Governor Nikki Haley called her a “whore”, but more shockingly the mainstream US media largely ignored the story. Born Nimrata Nikki Randhawa, the daughter of Sikh immigrant parents, herself addressed her opponent’s sexist comments this week saying Vincent…

  • Gurudwara vandalised in Perth

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    In an incident of mistaken identity in Australia’s Perth city, a Gurdwara was spray-painted by vandals with anti-Muslim graffiti. Sikh Gurdawara Perth treasurer Amandeep Singh said CCTV captured two vandals spray-painting the underconstruction Bennett Springs gurdwara early Wednesday (about 1.30 a.m.), WA today.com.au reported. “I think they have confused us with Arabs or Muslims,” he…

  • NRK voters can register online

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    With Kerala going 100 percent online in preparing voters list, Keralites working abroad can register their names online in the upcoming special summary revision of electoral rolls, an official said here . “Anyone sitting anywhere in the world in front of a computer that has internet facility can log on to www.ceo.kerala.gov.in and carry out…

  • ‘Modi Express’ from Melbourne to Sydney

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    By Sandeep Datta  In appreciation of Narendra Modi’s humble beginnings, over 200 fans of the Indian prime minister will travel 870 km by a special train dubbed “Modi Express” from Melbourne to Sydney for a diaspora event Nov 17. Carrying 220 Modi fans, the four-carriage train decorated with tricolour balloons will depart from Melbourne’s Southern…

  • Big enthusiasm for Modi’s Sydney event

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      With Prime Minister Narendra Modi all set to visit Australia in November for the G-20 summit, his Indian “community reception” planned on the lines of New York’s Madison Square Garden event in Sydney is evoking high enthusiasm. Over 20 senior ministers and parliamentarians from federal and New South Wales (NSW) state have accepted invitations…

  • Modi lauds teen for Kashmir flood relief

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     Prime Minister Narendra Modi  wrote a letter of appreciation to a Class 12 student for collecting Rs.2.15 lakh for rehabilitation of the flood-affected people of Jammu and Kashmir. Duvvuri Rohini Pratyusha, a 16-year-old student of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in Kuwait, collected the amount by reaching out to Indian families after school hours. In the letter,…

  • Diwali celebrated in Washington

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    The Indian community in Washington celebrated Diwali with the Indian ambassador S. Jaishankar noting how the festival has become part of Indian American community’s presence and profile in the US. The function at the ambassador’s residence Sunday was attended by more than 300 dignitaries, including the Indian-American Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central…

  • Sundar Pichai is Google’s new product chief

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      In a major restructuring of Google management, India-born Sundar Pichai, who is already in-charge of Android, Chrome and Google Apps, has been made the chief of core Google products, according to a technology magazine. The highly respected Pichai, 42, will now have purview over research, search, maps, Google+, commerce and ad products and infrastructure,…

  • NRI appointed to key US security division

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    Indian-American Anita M. Singh has been appointed to a key post in the Justice Department’s National Security Division (NSD) as part of a restructuring to counter state-sponsored economic espionage and proliferation, including through cyberspace. The strategic changes are designed to put additional focus on the protection of national assets from such threats and to empower…

  • NRI scientist to get rare honour in US

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    Chennai born Indian-American engineer and scientist Subra Suresh is set to be inducted into the Institute of Medicine (IOM) on , making him the only university president to be elected to all three national academies. Suresh the current president of Carnegie Mellon University is one of only 16 living Americans to be elected to the…

  • NRI doctors to host health summit in Mumbai

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     A leading body of Indian-American physicians plans to hold its 9th annual Global Healthcare Summit aimed at bringing accessible, affordable and quality world-class healthcare to India in Mumbai from Jan 2-4. The Association of American Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI), one of the largest ethnic professional bodies, is organizing the summit at Trident Oberoi Hotel…

  • NRI named to lead US civil rights division

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    Indian-American lawyer Vanita Gupta has been chosen to lead US justice department’s civil rights division charged with enforcing laws that prevent discrimination and inequitable practices in housing, education and employment. Named Acting Assistant Attorney General Wednesday, the first South Asian American lawyer to get the job, is expected to be nominated by President Barack Obama for…

  • NRI closes gap in Silicon Valley race

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    As a new poll showed Indian-American Rohit ‘Ro’ Khanna closing the gap in the Congressional battle for Silicon Valley, he vowed to focus on the community’s key concerns – education and the economy. “With the polls tied at 38/38 percent, this is the best pick up opportunity for an Indian American in the country,” said…

  • Chicago to host official Diwali celebrations

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    The City of Aurora, a suburb of Chicago organized an evening of music, dance and fireworks to celebrate the festival of Diwali. This makes it the first city in the US to officially sponsor the celebration of Diwali, according to the organizers of the event. Several thousand Indian Americans attended the festivities, which was organized…

  • ? London to host Indian diaspora convention

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    British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will inaugurate Pravasi Bharatiya Divas convention Oct 17 in London, the first ever such event to be held in Britain. A British High Commission release said that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office will host a reception for the British government Oct 17 “celebrating” the…

  • Kerala diaspora directory to go online

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     A diaspora directory for all the non-resident Keralites will go online Nov 1, which is celebrated as the Kerala Day, an official said Friday. The software for making the directory was developed in-house, P. Sudeep, CEO of Roots-Norka, the Kerala government agency that looks after the welfare of the state’s diaspora, said. Kerala came into…

  • NRI is new Canadian envoy to India

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      Canada’s new High Commissioner to India Nadir Patel is an Indo-Canadian, one who was born in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state of Gujarat and speaks Gujarati at home. Patel is barely 44. His appointment was announced Friday by Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird and International Trade Minister Ed Fast. Patel’s appointment follows the appointment…

  • NRI activist wins prestigious US food award

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    Indian-American food justice activist Navina Khanna is one of the five winners of the prestigious James Beard Foundation Leadership awards for 2014, considered North America’s highest honour for food and beverage professionals. Khanna, Fellow at Movement Strategy Centre, has won the award “For her work as a food justice activist organizing across communities for equitable…

  • Modi approve self-attestation of documents

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    Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh  said the government move to provide for self-certification of documents was a “revolutionary decision”. Addressing the launch of an international symposium here and later interacting with the media, he said self-certification marks a departure from the established system of over 65 years. Replacing the need for attestation by…

  • Modi to strengthen bond with NRI’s

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      Prime Minister Narendra Modi Monday said efforts for overseas Indians being undertaken by the government will help “further strengthen our bond with the diaspora”. In a series of tweets, Modi said: “Am very glad to share that government of India has moved swiftly on the announcements I had made on consular and visa issues…

  • Bobby Jindal contemplating presidential run

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    Louisiana’s Indian-American governor Bobby Jindal says he is still “thinking and praying” about a 2016 presidential run, and his decison would come after the Nov 4 Congressional election and “sometime after the holiday.” But with some potential competitors deferring until spring 2015, Jindal could be one of the first Republicans out of the gate, influential…

  • PIO & OCI schemes to be merged

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    India is working on a new scheme that will merge the People of Indian Origin (PIO) and Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) schemes, an official statement said Tuesday. The move follows Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement on consular and visa issues during his address at the Madison Square Garden in New York Sep 28, while…

  • Nikki Haley lead in governor’s race

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    South Carolina’s Indian-American Republican governor Nikki Haley has a 10 point lead over her Democratic challenger and state Senator Vincent Sheheen in the governor’s race, according to a new poll. The poll of 1,082 likely voters by Winthrop University shows Haley, born Nimrata ‘Nikki’ Randhawa, daughter of Sikh immigrant parents from Punjab, with a 43.6…

  • Two NRI achievers to be honoured in US

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    Indian-born Stanford University professor Arogyaswami Joseph Paulraj and Indian techie Himanshu Asnani, pursuing research in mathematics at Stanford, will be honoured in Washington DC Thursday by the US-based Marconi Society. Paulraj, 69, is the winner of the Marconi Prize 2014 for his pioneering work on developing wireless technology to transmit and receive data at high…

  • Lifelong visas for Indian diaspora

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      Amid cheers from thousands of Indian-Americans, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Saturday announced several measures to ease travel to their motherland including life-long visas. “Happy?” he asked as the crowd cheered his announcement with chants of “Modi, Modi” at the huge Madison Square Garden community reception for him. “There is even more to come,” he…

  • Madison Square Garden awaits Modi

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    People are coming by chartered flights, buses and trains, besides driving down to New York from all over North America, as the Indian diaspora comes together on an unprecedented scale to honour Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a community reception at New York’s Madison Square Garden in downtown Manhattan Sunday. About 18,500 people will be…

  • Obama critic Dinesh D’Souza avoids prison

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    Dinesh D’Souza, Indian-American conservative commentator, author and maker of a 2012 documentary highly critical of President Barack Obama, was spared prison time for violating federal campaign finance laws. Manhattan’s Indian-American prosecutor Preet Bharara had sought 16 months jail for D’Souza for making $20,000 in illegal campaign contributions in 2012. US district judge Richard M. Berman…

  • Two Indians MPs in New Zealand parliament

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    Two Indian-origin leaders have made it to parliament in the recently concluded general elections in New Zealand, media reported Monday. Mahesh Bindra and Parmjeet Parmar figured in the list of MPs, New Zealand Herald reported. Parmjeet Parmar has been elected to the New Zealand Parliament as a representative of the ruling National party. Mahesh Bindra…

  • NRI develop new quality control system

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    An Indian-origin researcher Mitul Tailor from the Loughborough University in Britain has developed a computer software system that can be used in quality control in virtually any industry — from car and aerospace to beauty treatments. The computer algorithm can detect surface irregularities as small as 10 micro-metres in any component and even tell whether…

  • NRI remittances to Kerala grows

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    Remittances to Kerala have continued to grow ever since Keralites started migrating to the Gulf region, a study said. During the 12-month period ending in March 1, 2014, it stood at Rs.72,680 crores, 46 percent higher than the remittances in 2011, the study added. The number of Kerala emigrants as estimated by the study in…

  • Bobby Jindal to decide on presidential run

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    Louisiana’s Indian-American Republican Governor Bobby Jindal has acknowledged that he’s considering a 2016 run for president, and will make his decision after the November Congressional elections. His decision would not hinge on polls or fundraising, he told reporters at a Christian Science Monitor breakfast here Tuesday. Only 3 percent of Republican primary voters backed him…

  • South Asians face hostilities in US

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     South Asian, Muslim, Sikh, Hindu, Middle Eastern, and Arab communities face an increasingly hostile climate in the US, according to a new report by an umbrella community organisation. AmericansThe report “Under Suspicion, Under Attack” by South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT) was released at a briefing on Capitol Hill, seat of the US Congress, here…

  • Indian scientist gets Midori Prize

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    Indian scientist Kamal Bawa, a distinguished professor of biology at the University of Massachusetts in Boston, has won the 2014 Midori Prize in Biodiversity for his research, including in climate change in the Himalayas. Bawa, founder president of the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) in Bangalore, will receive the prize…

  • Indian-Americans fared better during recession

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    Like other Americans, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) including Indian-Americans were hit hard by the Great Recession, but they fared better than any other racial group, according to a new report. During the economic downturn, the unemployment rate more than doubled for Asian American workers from 3.2 percent in 2007 to 7.5 percent in…