Consulate General of India, Vancouver www.cgivancouver.org
Vol. 02, Issue No. 08 February 23, 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.
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Vol. 02, Issue. 08, February 23, 2018.
Consulate News Deputy High Commissioner of India’s visit to Vancouver DHC Mr. Arun Kumar Sahu meeting with SFU Academia and students along with Consul Commerce Smt Abha Gosain. [Dr. Joy Johnson, VP; Ms. Sobhana Jaya Madhavan; Dr. Paul Crowe; Mr. Darren Schemmer; Mr. Yusuf Varachia] 11111
DHC Mr. Arun Kumar Sahu addressing the gathering at Ross St Gurdwara along with Head of Chancery and Consul, Shri Jasbir Singh.
Scholarship Programme for Diaspora Children [SPDC] for Higher and Technical Education in India Government of India, Ministry of External Affairs Government of India launched a scheme called “Scholarship Programme for Diaspora Children” (SPDC), in the academic year 2006-2007, for the children of Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) and Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) to assist them in pursuing Under Graduate courses in Indian Universities/Institutes. Under SPDC scheme financial assistance for specific undergraduate courses in Professional and Non-Professional courses (except Medical and related courses) is provided towards tuition fee, admission fee and post admission services. The scheme is applicable to NRIs and PIOs from 66 select countries Scholarship shall be provided to 150 selected students, without earmarking NRIs/ PIOs. 50 out of these 150 scholarships are earmarked for Children of Indian workers (CIWG) in the 17 Emigration Check Required (ECR) countries subject to fulfilling eligibility conditions. Of these 50 scholarships 1/3rd shall be reserved for children who are pursuing studies in India, subject to fulfilling eligibility conditions. If any of these seats are not filled up, they will be made available to applicants from other categories under SPDC and vice-versa. Click here to read full Guidelines for Academic Session 2018-2019 1|P a g e
Vol. 02, Issue. 08, February 23, 2018.
Investment Opportunity in India
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Vol. 02, Issue. 08, February 23, 2018.
Forthcoming Events in India
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/
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. 08, February 23, 2018.
Cultural – Heritage Tourism in India Taj Mahal (1983), Uttar Pradesh Taj Mahal, the pinnacle of Mughal architecture, was built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan (1628-1658), grandson of Akbar the great, in the memory of his queen Arjumand Bano Begum, entitled ‘Mumtaz Mahal’. Mumtaz Mahal was a niece of empress Nur Jahan and granddaughter of Mirza Ghias Beg I’timad-ud-Daula, wazir of emperor Jehangir. She was born in 1593 and died in 1631, during the birth of her fourteenth child at Burhanpur. Her mortal remains were temporarily buried in the Zainabad garden. Six months later, her body was transferred to Agra to be finally enshrined in the crypt of the main tomb of the Taj Mahal. The Taj Mahal is the mausoleum of both Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan. The mausoleum is located on the right bank of the river Yamuna at a point where it takes a sharp turn and flows eastwards. Originally, the land where the Taj Mahal presently stands belonged to the Kachhwahas of Ajmer (Rajasthan). The land was acquired from them in lieu of four havelis as is testified by a court historian, Abdul Hamid Lahauri, in his work titled the BadshahNamah and the firmans (royal decrees). For construction, a network of wells was laid along the river line to support the huge mausoleum buildings. Masons, stonecutters, inlayers, carvers, painters, calligraphers, dome-builders and other artisans were requisitioned from the whole of the empire and also from Central Asia and Iran. While bricks for internal constructions were locally prepared, white marble for external use in veneering work was obtained from Makrana in Rajasthan. Semi-precious stones for inlay ornamentation were brought from distant regions of India, Ceylon and Afghanistan. Red sandstone of different tints was requisitioned from the neighboring quarries of Sikri, Dholpur, etc. It took 17 years for the monument complex to be completed in 1648. The Taj Mahal entered the UNESCO world heritage list in 1983.
News from India 1. India-Canada trade likely to double in three years: PHD Chamber of Commerce Trade between India and Canada is expected to double to USD 10 billion in the next three years, PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry said today. India's bilateral trade with Canada grew from USD 1.09 billion in 2001 to USD 5.62 billion in 2016, PHD Chamber President Anil Khaitan said. Read more… 4|P a g e
Vol. 02, Issue. 08, February 23, 2018. 2. New India is poised to enter $5 trillion club: YES Bank MD & CEO Rana Kapoor A ‘New India’, its rise anchored in the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is poised to enter the $5 trillion club, and the ET Global Business Summit (GBS) is the power-packed policy platform that could help finalise the blueprint to achieve the 2030 goal of creating a $10 trillion economic powerhouse. Read more… 3. This girl built a robot to teach children, to open robotics lab in school It is said that if children are taught something in a playful manner, they retain those learnings for life. Bengaluru’s Akanksha Anand is working on developing a robot that teaches certain concepts to children in a fun way. A resident of Bengaluru, Akanksha hails from the capital city of Bihar, Patna. She completed her engineering education from Bengaluru, and then worked in an IT company for two years. After this, she got associated with Sirena Technologies, and started working in its robotic department. (Your Story, Wed, 21 Feb, 12:17pm)
4. India test fires nuclear capable medium-range ballistic missile India’s Strategic Forces Command (SFC) has recently test fired a medium to intermediate range nuclear capable ballistic missile as part of its annual training cycle to test the combat readiness of the Indian Army’s missile forces. The Agni-II medium to intermediate range ballistic missile was launched from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) on Dr. Abdul Kalam Island in the Bay of Bengal off the coast of the Indian state of Odisha on February 20, according to defense sources speaking to local media. (Franz-Stefan Gady, The Diplomat, Wed, 21 Feb, 06:17pm)
5. Bandicoot, the robot that will make Kerala India's first manual scavenging-free state In March, Kerala will become the first state in India to be manual scavenging-free, all thanks to a start-up -- GenRobotics -- and its offering -- Bandicoot -- a robot that can replace humans involved in manual scavenging. Bandicoot will start operations in Thiruvananthapuram city during the Attukal Pongala festiva in March, a statement said. Genrobotics is planning to market the product within six months and has already got enquiries from states like Tamil Nadu. (India Today, Tue, 20 Feb, 12:11pm)
6. Scientists find anti-cancer properties in three rice varieties Scientists have claimed to have detected anti-cancer properties in three traditional varieties of rice found in Chhattisgarh. A research has concluded that three medicinal varieties of rice - Gathwan, Maharaji and Laicha - have the ability to fight cancer, said scientist Deepak Sharma. The research was conducted by the Indira Gandhi Krishi Vishwavidyalaya (IGKV), Raipur and the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) Mumbai. (Times of India, Mon, 19 Feb, 03:58pm)
7. Let there be light: Over a million rural students benefit from IIT- Bombay’s solar lamps! A group of students from IIT (Indian Institute of Technology)- Bombay have initiated a project aimed to utilize clean energy that provides study lamps to rural students. This project, called ‘Solar Urja Lamp’ (SoUL) has not only helped students but has also contributed towards skill enhancement and employment in over 10,000 villages across the country. (Tanvi Patel, The Better India, Wed, 21 Feb, 06:12pm)
8. PM Jan-Dhan Yojana: More than half account-holders are women Three years after Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the PMJDY, a survey has found that more than half account-holders are women. A study by financial inclusion consulting firm MicroSave in partnership with Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has found that while women hold about 45 percent of the accounts opened under the Prime Minister`s flagship Jan-Dhan Yojana, only about 8 percent of the banking agents in India are women. (Zee News, Fri, 16 Feb, 03:29pm)
9.Two Indian-Americans selected for Virginia's top Science Award Indian-American researchers have been selected for Virginia's top science award for their contribution and deep commitment towards the betterment of human health globally. Arun J Sanyal and Parthik Naidu are among six people selected by Virginia Governor Ralph Northam for the 2018 Outstanding STEM Awards. (NDTV, Tue, 20 Feb, 08:10am)
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Vol. 02, Issue. 08, February 23, 2018.
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