Fresh News

The recession-hit Kerala economy would be further affected with the return of a large number of expatriates - Kerala Finance Minister.

 

Depending on which part of the State they are located in, the new Government-owned district-level IT parks in Kerala will carry the ‘Technopark’, ‘Infopark’ or ‘Cyberpark’ tags.

 

The Kerala Chamber of Commerce and Industry is organising a world investor meet

 

Yash Birla Group on Wednesday said it has acquired a majority stake in ayurvedic therapy centre chain Kerala Vaidyashala through a joint venture.

 

Pepper futures shot up on Tuesday on tight supply and reports of poor crop in Kerala.

 

In a gloomy forecast for the Rs 200-billion Indian rubber industry, badly hit by falling prices in the wake of dwindling demand from the recession-hit auto sector, the Rubber Board said that the crisis would continue through most parts of 2009.

 

State Bank of India (SBI), India’s largest bank by business as well as market capitalisation, has reported a 37 per cent increase in net profit to Rs 2,478 crore in the third quarter.

 

As the financial woes continue to mount in the world's largest economy, three US banks have already have collapsed so far in 2009.

 

Bihari NRIs abroad, particularly those from Fiji, Surinam and Mauritius, whose ancestors migrated as indentured labourers are being invited to trace their roots and possibly be encouraged to invest in the state.

 

The Government of India and the Confederation of Indian Industry are to launch a Yellow pages directory listing useful for NRI entrepreneurs to facilitate search for Indian partners in a bid to launch joint ventures in India.

 

The UK plans to ban the advertising of jobs overseas because of the economic crisis, and ensure that existing jobs go to British workers.

 

Police in Dubai found some 3000 cars abandoned outside the Dubai International Airport in the last four months, with most of the vehicles' keys left in the ignition, a sign the cars were left behind by their owners in a rush to take flight.

 

With the global economic meltdown accentuating further fall in cash crop prices, the farmers in Kerala are now grappling with all-round escalation in cost of production coupled with acute labour shortage as cultivators paint gloomy days ahead.

 

Forbes 2008 list of the world most's notorious airports for delayed arrivals in association with FlightStats that tracks historical and real time flight information, has listed three of India's airports among the top five worst. Mumbai -1st, Delhi - 2nd, Banglore -4th.

 

The Indian Community Welfare Fund has been set up starting January that is meant to help various Indian missions overseas to help workers who are faced with problems, particularly those working in Gulf countries.

 

Overseas Citizenship of India card holders who are qualified professionals, as doctors, dentists, pharmacists, engineers, architects and chartered accounts, will have the advantage of practicing their professions in India.

 

The Organisation of Diaspora Initiatives Women's Network has been organised to address issues of Indian Diaspora women.

 

Reverse migration from Dubai and the Gulf is expected to take place in droves with various labourers being laid off or not paid for months because of the economic slowdown that has led to downsizing of projects in the oil rich Gulf countries.

 

A number of doctors trained and experienced in the US, UK and Australia are looking to return to India because they say infrastructure, salary and lifestyle has improved in India.

 

Robert A Comption, venture capitalist and executive producer of a documentary titled "Two Million Minutes' says his film clearly indicates that Indian and Chinese educational systems are better than the American.

 

Air India announced it is cutting fares upto 82 percent in some 20 sectors, mostly metro routes.Jet Airways reduced fares on domestic routes by upto 40 percent. Kingfisher Airlines also announced a fare cut.Low cost carriers are expected to follow suit, in the wake of a slackening demand in post peak season travel and the decline in fuel prices.

 

According to a Statistics Canada study titled 'Immigrants' Education and Required Job Skills', covering 1991 to 2006, professionals and degree holders including doctors and engineers are reduced to taking jobs as clerks, truck and cab drivers or salespeople, and the problem is expected to worsen as Canada enters recession.

 

The Government of India has signed a slew of labour and social security agreements with a number of nations to safeguard the interests of NRIs.

 

A luxury housing complex for senior citizens, mainly parents of NRIs, is to be established in Amritsar in two years.

 

The Government of India is creating a new system to track the number of Indians abroad.

 

Vayalar Ravi, Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs, opened the country's first Migrant Resource Centre in Kochi whose purpose is to help people preparing to work overseas.

 

Of 154,000 foreign nationals given British citizenship in the year 2006, Indians accounted for 15,125 and Pakistanis 10,260.

 

The Indian Embassy in Bahrain announced that the new Indiroots programme will be publicised that allows citizens to trace their Indian roots. The programme that was posted on the web site has had little response thus far.

 

UK NRIs and other non European Union professionals won a major legal victory when the High Court permitted them to challenge the retrospective changes to immigration rules that affected their status in the UK.