INDIA NEWS
Nov 16-30, 2020 - Vol 1, Issue 10
NEWS FROM NEW SOUTH WALES
Morrison government taking steps to Young Indians bag $200,000 scholarships woo international students to Sydney Canberra, November 5: Press release by the Indian High Commission in Canberra reveals that the Morrison Government is making a number of changes to student visa arrangements to ensure Australia remains a priority destination for international students as we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic. The press release says:
Sydney, November 7: Fourteen students from India are the winners of a prestigious scholarship to attend the University of Sydney this semester. This marks the second year of the Sydney Scholars India program that is valued at up to $500,000 (INR 24,500,000) especially for Indian students. Two of the winners include Ava Khan and Adhip Tanwar, who are understandably thrilled at the news. As part of the application, they had to share their ideas “that would bring change to India” and their impressive submissions have resulted in winning $200,000 scholarships each.
The idea came from her own experiences with healthcare as the daughter of an Indian naval officer.“Our healthcare was always free with the best doctors but as I travelled more, I realised that’s not applicable for a lot of Indians. Households below the poverty line don’t always have access to good health care,” she elaborated. With the scholarship, Ava has commenced studies at the university remotely due to border closures. For Adhip Tanwar of Delhi, the
Adhip Tanwar scholarship has allowed him to take “a leap of faith” to pursue a Bachelor of Advanced Computing after studying commerce in high school. Adhip, like his change of course, has a unique story to share – he spent two years after graduation working as the executive assistant to the Vice Chairman of the Times group in India. While his friends began their undergraduate degrees, he worked out of San Francisco and learnt as much as he could about the business. His “big idea” to bring change is an eLearning mobile and web application ‘TeachIndia’ to provide access to education to all Indian children. “Of course platforms like Udemy and Coursera exist, but their benefits are limited because the courses are taught in English. As the pandemic has shown, online education has eluded poorer households,” Adhip explained “My vision is to host a network of teachers working part-time as tutors, teaching technical and vocation skills in India’s vernacular languages. I’d also envision government involvement so that the teachers are aided by, say, tax rebates or subsidies.”
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For Ava, who commences a Bachelor of Science (Health) with a major in Infectious Diseases, the scholarship provides an opportunity to combine her keen interests in biology and medicine. Her unique idea was the development of an e-health system by linking individual medical histories to India’s already-existing Aadhar cards. “India has anganwadis (rural childcare centers) in 400 districts across the country. They’ve been digitised, but the workers themselves aren’t well-versed with the technology and many keep physical records. So why not link every Indian’s medical data with their national identification number?”
International students are extremely important to Australia and our economy, contributing $40 billion annually and supporting 250,000 jobs. Many also go on to become great Australian citizens. While the closure of our international borders has been critical to our success in slowing
the spread of the coronavirus, and Australia has been a leader in this regard, it has presented challenges to the education sector and students, both here and offshore. These five visa changes will ensure international students are not worse off due to the coronavirus pandemic and that Australia remains competitive with other countries. The changes include: • The Government will recommence granting student visas in all locations lodged outside Australia. This means when borders re-open, students will already have visas and be able to make arrangements to travel. • International students will be
able to lodge a further student visa application free of charge, if they are unable to complete their studies within their original visa validity due to COVID-19. • Student visa holders studying online outside Australia due to COVID-19 will be able to use that study to count towards the Australian study requirement for a post-study work visa. • Graduates who held a student visa will be eligible to apply for a post-study work visa outside Australia if they are unable to return due to COVID-19. • Additional time will be given for applicants to provide English language results where COVID-19 has disrupted access to these services.
Ticket prices announced for AustraliaIndia 2020-21 cricket series Sydney, November 10: Cricket Australia have released ticket prices, tickets on sale dates and projected venue capacities for all Australia vs. India matches of the 2020-21 Men’s International summer. In a major boost for Australian and Indian cricket fans, there will be no increase in ticket prices for the Dettol One Day International Series matches, Dettol T20 International Series matches and Vodafone Test Series matches, compared to the 2018-19 India tour of Australia. For the fifth year straight, entry level ticket prices remain at $30 for adults while Cricket Australia’s Premium ticket prices have been held, the same as the last Indian tour in 2018-19.Venue capacities will vary by market depending on government allowances and in line with the approved COVIDSafe plans. The Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), which is set to host ODI and T20 INTL matches and the Vodafone Pink Test this summer, will hold 50 per cent of total capacity, as
will Canberra’s Manuka Oval for their ODI and T20 INTL matches and the Adelaide Oval for historic Day-Night Test match starting December 17. At this stage, the Boxing Day Test is set to hold at least 25 per cent of total capacity across Public, Member and Corporate tickets, equating to 25,000 fans each day of the Test. The Gabba is set to host crowds at 75 per cent of venue capacity for the fourth and final Test of the Vodafone Series, starting on January 15, 2021.The split of availability of general public and members tickets
will vary per venue and will be communicated at the on-sale dates listed below. CA’s Interim Chief Executive Officer Nick Hockley said he was pleased to be able to reward and welcome fans back to cricket with competitive ticket pricing and transparent venue capacity numbers.“Having confirmed the schedule for the AustraliaIndia Men’s series, we are so excited to confirm ticket pricing and crowd capacities for this highly-anticipated summer of International cricket,” Hockley said.
Woolworths helps customers celebrate Diwali with expanded South Asian product range
The range of products includes snacks, spices, rice, atta flour and other cooking ingredients to help
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create flavourful special dishes during the festive period. These specially sourced products not only offer popular food items, but also provide great convenience to the South Asian community in Australia to help them prepare for the Diwali celebrations. Popular snacks such as Parle G biscuits and Parle rusk, as well as much loved Chings Noodles are also available, providing the opportunity to easily enjoy these little treats for Diwali. Accompanied by popular beverages such as Red Label tea, Bru coffee, Kushi juices and MTR Badam drink cans, Woolworths
has customers’ meal, snack and gifting needs covered this Diwali. Woolworths is offering special prices on key household ingredients such as Daawat Basmati rice, Aashirvaad Whole Wheat Atta Flour, Amul Ghee, Katoomba Ginger & Garlic and Dhara Sunflower Oil, used in everyday cooking. Woolworths General Manager for Grocery Food Ewan Shearer said, “We understand Diwali is an important time for family gathering, celebration and feasting. Our teams have been working hard to expand our South Asian product range and
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ensure customers have all the ingredients and products they need to celebrate. For Diwali, we have the right variety of local and
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Sydney, November 3: Diwali preparations are now made easier and more convenient with special South Asian products available in selected Woolworths stores across the country. Diwali occupies an unparalleled place in the hearts of people, and on this auspicious occasion, Woolworths has embraced the importance of the role food plays during Diwali by offering tailored products for the South Asian community, available in over 200 stores nationally and also online.
international products offering great value to help our customers during their busy preparations leading into the Diwali festivities.”
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