Consulate General of India,
Vancouver www.cgivancouver.org
Vol. 02, Issue No. 03 January 19, 2018.
India in Vancouver Weekly Newsletter
India Perspectives India Perspectives is the flagship publication of the Ministry of External Affairs. Richly illustrated, this magazine provides our readers with an insight into India’s culture and tradition along with elements of contemporary India. Click here to read more‌. Ministry of External Affairs, India
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Vol. 02, Issue. 03, January 19, 2018.
Consulate News
Indian High Commissioner's visit to Vancouver High Commissioner Shri Vikas Swarup represented India at the Foreign Ministers' Meeting on Security and Stability in the Korean Peninsula hosted by Canada and US in Vancouver on 16 Jan 2018. During his visit, High Commissioner also met Honorable Jinny Sims, Minister for Citizen Services, Govt of BC and interacted with prominent business leaders and academicians. He also visited the headquarters of Commonwealth of Learning (COL) and was briefed by Ms Asha Konwar, President and CEO and her team on COL's ongoing projects.
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Vol. 02, Issue. 03, January 19, 2018.
Lohri celebrations by Gurdwara Nanak Niwas, Richmond On the invitation of the Management Committee of Gurudwara Nanak Niwas, Mr. Arun Kumar, Vice Consul represented the Consulate General of India in Vancouver in the Lohri celebrations at India Cultural Centre of Canada of Gurdwara Nanak Niwas, Richmond in the evening of Saturday, 13th January 2018. The participation by the Consulate General of India was welcomed by the Management Committee of Gurudwara Nanak Niwas.
Consulate General of India, Vancouver Press Release Subject: Launch of Admissions to Alumni (A2A) ICCR Scholarship Portal The External Affairs Minister, Smt. Sushma Swaraj, launched Admissions to Alumni (A2A) ICCR Scholarship Portal (http://a2ascholarships.iccr.gov.in/) on January 17, 2018 at Mutthamma Hall, Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi. 2. Educational cooperation is an integral part of mandate of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR). ICCR has its own scholarship schemes and also administers a large number of schemes under various bilateral cooperation programmes. There are 17 scholarship schemes which ICCR administers on behalf of various Divisions of Ministry of External Affairs and the Ministry of AYUSH. These are important schemes like Special Scholarship for Afghan Nationals, Africa Scholarship Scheme, MekongGanga Cooperation Scholarship Scheme, Border Guard Bangladesh Scholarship Scheme to name a few. 3. ICCR offers scholarships for Undergraduate, Post Graduate, M. Phil and PhD levels, covering wide range of subjects under Science, Commerce, Humanities, Engineering and Management domains. There is huge demand for scholarships to study in India, particularly in science and engineering subjects. In addition to conventional subjects, ICCR offer scholarships for performing arts under Guru-Shishya Parampara. The programme attract foreign students from all parts of the world. Students from all over the world come to study Indian classical music and dance in prestigious institutes like Kalakshetra, Shriram Bhartiya Kala Kendra, Kathak Kendra, Gandharvamahavidyalaya, Kerala Kalamandalam to name just a few. 4. The ‘Admission-to-Alumni’ (A2A) portal inaugurated by Hon’ble Minister is an initiative taken by ICCR in coordination with the E-Governance and IT Division of MEA to move from paper based admissions to online scholarship portal. With A2A Portal, systemic needs of implementation structure – from the stage of admissions till the student completes his/her course and leaves the country, including matters related to financial and academic monitoring – will be addressed of this important programme which is aimed at generating goodwill for India. ***
17th January 2018
Consulate General of India, Vancouver Press Release Subject: Procedure for reverification of mobile connections for NRIs, etc A large number of overseas Indians have been facing difficulty in operating their mobile connections procured in India as the telecom operators are insisting on linking Aadhaar number with the mobile number. As most of NRIs do not possess Aadhaar Card, they are unable to link their Indian mobile number with the Aadhaar number. The matter regarding exempting overseas Indians from linking Aadhaar with their Indian mobile connections and issuing suitable advisory to telecom service providers was under consideration of Department of Telecommunications (DoT). 2. DoT has now issued a communication dated 01.12.2017 to all mobile phone service licensees to use alternative method to reverify existing customers belonging to certain categories including foreigners (covering PIOs and OCI cardholders) and NRIs. Procedure and format for this purpose has been prescribed. A copy of DoT No.800-26/2016-AS.II dated 01.12.2017 is attached and the same is also available on the public domain of DoT i.e. http://www.dot.gov.in/subscriber-verification ***
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Vol. 02, Issue. 03, January 19, 2018.
Consulate General of India, Vancouver 0
Swachh Bharat Kosh – Contribution of funds by NRI/PIOs
With a view to achieving ‘Swachh Bharat Mission’ Government of India has established ‘Swachh Bharat Kosh’ to mobilise the required funds. NRIs and Persons of Indian Origin are requested to generously contribute to the ‘Kosh’ to achieve the purpose of making India swachh. 2.The contribution can be made either online or through cheque/DD/electronic transfer. Societies can also contribute to the Swachh Bharat Kosh through the same channel. Bank details for transfer of funds to Swachh Bharat Kosh are given below: Account No: Bank Name: Branch Name: Branch Code: Address: Email: IFSC Code: MICR No: SWIFT Code: PAN No:
34215500587 State Bank of India Central Secretariat Branch 00625 North Block, New Delhi 110001 sbi.00625@sbi.co.in SBIN0000625 110002014 SBININBB373 AAPTS3635L
3.In case any clarification is required, Shri Rajeev Ranjan, Administrator, Swachh Bharat Kosh, Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance, Government of India can be contacted. His coordinates are: Phone: +91 11 23095679 & Email: jspfs-doe@gov.in or Shri N.K.Sinha, Director, PF C.II: Email: nk.sinha@nic.in ……..
After the astounding success of the past three editions of Global Exhibition on Services (GES), the Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India, Services Export Promotion Council (SEPC) and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) are organising the 4th Global Exhibition on Services from 15th - 18th May 2018 at Bombay Exhibition Centre, Mumbai. GES event is targeting participation from 100 countries and will also host 30 knowledge sessions and thousands of B2B & B2G meetings. 2. An annual flagship event of India, the first GES was inaugurated in 2015 by Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. The subsequent editions were inaugurated by then President of India in 2016 and 2017. GES 2017, was a huge success with participation from over 573 companies from 73 countries (including India) and more than 5000 structured meetings. 3. GES 2018-Mumbai proposes to focus on Services sector excellence in India and expanding our global footprint. It will feature the following services sectors - IT & Telecom, banking & financial services, education, energy services, environmental services, exhibition & event services, facility management, healthcare, logistics, media & entertainment, next gen cities, printing & publishing, professional services, railway services, retail & e-commerce, skills, space, sports services, starts-ups/SME, tourism & hospitality and wellness. 4. The buyer’s nomination is purely on first cum first basis. Selected buyers will get return economic class air fare and hotel. The last date of registration for “Foreign Buyers” is 1st March 2018. You may register your confirmation to Mr Rajesh Wadhwa at rajesh.wadhwa@cii.in Tel: 91-124-4013875 / 4014060 or visit http://www.gesindia.in/buyer.htm Visit www.gesindia.in for more information and click here to read the GES brochure. 3|P a g e
Vol. 02, Issue. 03, January 19, 2018.
The State Government of Punjab has launched the “Connect with Your Roots" (CYR) Programme for Young Boys and Girls of Punjabi Origin settled abroad. The Programme would provide an opportunity to the youngsters settled in different parts of the world, to visit the places from where their families hailed or where their ancestors were born, or where they themselves spent their early years. 2. This scheme will be part of Friends of Punjab Garima Gram Yojana scheme and will be financed from this scheme only viz.–06Friends of Punjab Mukh Mantri Garima Gram Yojana – Plan Scheme NRI-2. Likely Expenditure for a group of 15 NRIs on a ten days tour would be Rs 3.00 to 4.00 lac. In all 6 to 8 groups would visit the state of Punjab in a year. 3. The proposed scheme could be open to young boys and girls in the 16-22 years of age group as there is a lot of curiosity among Indian-Origin youngsters settled in others countries to know about their ancestral home. The proposed Scheme would open to Young Boys and Girls of NRIs Parents living abroad, a platform to go back to their roots and connect with their roots and discover their identities. The visit would also give these youngsters a chance to learn and speak their native language. It would also enable them to learn about their family background and the culture to which they belong and also to build an emotional bonding with the Country of their roots. In the long run this programme will enhance the NRIs engagement at the level of the Youth, who can be a vital engine in the State’s progress to achieve social harmony, modernity and all-round development of its youth living abroad and in Punjab. 4. The dates of programme can be scheduled to align with the academic calendar and school/Collage vacations of the participants. We can also try to link the dates with the traditional Punjabi festivals and auspicious days, such as Lohri, Holi, Baisakhi, Gurupurabs and Diwali etc. Initially, the programme will be open to youth from U.K, Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, U.S.A and Canada. See the brochure: https://issuu.com/indiacomsec/docs/connect_with_your_roots For more details, please visit: http://cyrnri.punjab.gov.in/
Cultural – heritage Tourism in India Kumbh Mela In 2003, the UNESCO General Conference adopted the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Heritage as an International treaty acknowledging that cultural heritage is more than tangible places, monuments and objects; it also encompasses traditions and living expressions. Intangible cultural heritage encompasses the practices, representations, expressions, knowledge, skills – as well as the instruments, objects, artefacts and cultural spaces associated with them that communities, groups and in some cases, individuals recognize as a part of their cultural heritage. Based on these criteria, UNESCO has identified the world’s largest congregation of pilgrims- the Kumbh Mela, as the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2017, since people from all walks of life, without any discrimination of religion, cast and creed, participate in the festival with equal fervor. As a religious festival, the tolerance and inclusiveness that Kumbh Mela demonstrates has been recognized as especially valuable for the contemporary world. The Kumbh Mela is held at Allahabad, Haridwar, Ujjan and Nasik every 3 years and is a monumental event in the States concerned. Kumbh Mela entered the World Heritage List in December 2017. Click on UNESCO for more details.
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Vol. 02, Issue. 03, January 19, 2018.
News from India 1. India earned $27 bn from foreign tourist arrivals in 2017: Minister India earned an income of USD 27 billion from Foreign Tourist Arrivals in the year 2017, Union Tourism Minister Alphons Kannanthanam said here today. Stating that tourism sector was doing "extremely well", he said in 2017 alone, there was an increase of 15.2 per cent in the foreign tourist arrivals to the country. "And the foreign exchange earnings went up by 20.2 per cent. So, my income from tourism from foreign tourists' arrival alone last year has been 27 billion dollars and if we convert to rupee terms it would come to approximately Rs 1,75,000 crore," Kannanthanam told reporters here. He said the tourism sector is contributing 6.88 per cent to the country's total GDP, besides 12.36 per cent of the total employment in terms of jobs. Read more… 2. India is 30th on World Economic Forum manufacturing index The World Economic Forum (WEF) on Sunday ranked India at the 30th position on a global manufacturing index, five places below China, but higher than the other BRICS members Brazil, Russia and South Africa....Regarding India, which had a total manufacturing value of over $420 billion in 2016, the report said that its manufacturing sector has grown by over 7 per cent per annum on average in the past three decades and accounts for 16-20 per cent of India’s GDP. “Home to the second-largest population in the world and one of the fastest growing economies, the demand for Indian manufactured products is rising. India has room for improvement across the drivers of production, except for demand environment where it ranks in the top 5,” the WEF said.... (India New England News, Mon, 15 Jan, 12:31pm)
3. Around 600,000 jobs being created a month in formal sector in FY18: Study Busting the theory that jobs are not being created in the formal sector, a new study has found that 590,000 jobs were generated every month until November in the current financial year. This means that seven million jobs will be created in the formal sector in 2017-18 if one expands the trend on a pro rata basis. The study, authored by SBI group Chief Economic Advisor Soumya Kanti Ghosh and Pulak Ghosh, a professor with the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore, calculated the number of jobs in enterprises from the membership of Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), Employees' State Insurance Corporation, General Provident Fund and National Pension System (NPS). Read more… 4. Government to link 109 more mandis on e-NAM by next month The government will link 109 more mandis on the electronic National Agriculture Market (eNam) by next month to ensure farmers get better rates for their produce, a senior agriculture ministry official said. So far, 470 mandis in 14 states have been integrated with the eNAM platform, launched in April 2016 with an aim to help farmers with better price discovery and provide facilities for smooth marketing of their produce. The government has set a target of linking total 585 mandis on the eNAM platform in the current fiscal. "Work is in progress in additional 109 mandis. We expect these mandis to go live on the e-NAM platform by first week of February," the ministry official told PTI. Punjab, Kerala, West Bengal, Chandigarh and Puducherry are the upcoming states/union territories (UTs) which have shown interest to connect some of their mandis on the eNAM platform. Read more… 5. Indian Scientists develop a mercury-free UV lamp that can be used in water purifiers The use of ultraviolet lamps in water purifiers is common but the presence of mercury in these lamps could be potentially hazardous. Now a group of Indian scientists have developed a mercury-free ultraviolet lamp that can be used in water purifiers. Scientists have engineered an optimized dielectric discharge based mercury-free Vacuum UV/UV light source for water sterilization. The lamp can produce the desired level of wavelengths for deactivation of bacteria within ten seconds without the use of mercury. The lamp has been developed by scientists from two CSIR labs - Central Electronics Engineering Research Institute (CEERI), Pilani, National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), Nagpur- working along with Birla Institute of Scientific Research (BISR), Jaipur... (Vaishali Lavekar , First Post, Wed, 17 Jan, 03:41pm)
6. Film on first Indian American Ayurvedic doctor in the U.S. acquired by Zeitgist, Kino Lorber A feature-length documentary about Indian American Dr. Vasant Lad, the first person to bring Ayurveda from India to the U.S., has been acquired by Zeitgeist Films and Kino Lorber, reports Deadline. According to Zeitgeist Films, “The Doctor from India” will premiere at the 2018 Santa Barbara International Film Festival. Directed by Jeremy Frindel, the film, titled, “The Doctor from India,” is the fascinating story of Lad’s mission to bring the ancient healthcare system of wellness from India to the West in the late ‘70s. A native of India, Lad was a professor of clinical medicine at the Pune University College of Ayurvedic Medicine for 15 years. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Ayurvedic medicine and surgery from the University of Pune and a master’s degree in Ayurvedic science from Tilak Ayurved Mahavidyalaya. Lad’s academic and practical training include the study of Allopathy (western medicine) and surgery as well as traditional Ayurveda...... (India West, Sat, 13 Jan, 02:38pm)
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Vol. 02, Issue. 03, January 19, 2018. 7. Pakistani man thanks Indian heart donor's mother in emotional letter A Pakistani man, who was suffering from a severe heart condition, now has a fresh lease of life, thanks to an Indian donor whose heart beats inside him now. Faisal Abdullah Malik from Karachi was suffering from viral myocarditis, a heart condition that requires a transplant. In 2014, when the 37-year-old was diagnosed with the disease, several other countries that he approached for treatment refused to help. That's when a hospital in Chennai stepped in. "In Pakistan, the diagnosis was like a death sentence. I feared that I would drop dead at any moment leaving behind a widow and two orphans. But my whole family stood behind me like a rock. Ultimately, India was the only country that accepted me as a heart transplant patient when I was refused by the rest of the world," Al Arabiya quoted him as saying. "I am half Indian Masha Allah", Malik told Al Arabiya. Malik travels to Chennai's Fortis Malar Hospital every year in February for an annual check-up which he describes as an "yearly pilgrimage". The heart transplant was done on January 2, 2015. Calling the donor "mother" in an open letter, the heart recipient wrote: "You and I may never meet or even speak but we will remain forever connected at the divine-spiritual level. Your son and I will remain forever intertwined as the heart that grew in your womb now pumps blood through my body. We have merged and your son will forever live in me." (Khaleej Times, Sun, 14 Jan, 03:52pm)
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