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Jan92017 by Team - The Digital IndianNo Comments

PM Narendra Modi woos NRIs, calls for investment at 14th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas

National

PM Narendra Modi reached out to the young NRIs by calling them a valuable partner in the journey of development as he delivered the keynote address at the 14th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in Bengaluru. While lauding the Indian diaspora for extending their support in the government’s fight against corruption and black money, Modi urged them to first develop India by investing and contributing its expertise in the land of its origin. Catch the highlights here: – Remittance of close to 69 billion dollars annually by overseas Indians makes an invaluable contribution to the Indian economy. We want to turn ‘brain-drain’ into ‘brain-gain’ and your support in this is very important. – NRIs and PIO have made outstanding contributions. Among them are politicians of great stature, scientists ...

Jan92017 by Team - The Digital IndianNo Comments

PM Modi extends deadline to convert PIO cards to OCI cards

National

PM Modi government on Sunday extended the deadline for applying for conversion of Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) card to Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cards till June 30. “We have extended the deadline for PIO card conversions to OCI from 31 December 2016, until June 30, 2017 without any penalty,” PM Modi said at the 14th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas convention in Bengaluru. “The Indian government is working to put in place procedures for making descendants of the indentured labour living in Fiji and other countries eligible for OCI cards. Starting with Mauritius, we are working to put in place procedures so that descendants of Girmitiyas could become eligible for OCI Cards. We remain committed to addressing similar difficulties of PIOs in Fiji, Reunion Islands, Suriname, Guyana and oth...

Jan92017 by Team - The Digital IndianNo Comments

Urban Ministry Approaches ECI to Allow Swachh Bharat Ads

National

Urban Development Ministry has approached the Election Commission of India (ECI) to allow it to continue the advertisement campaign under the central flagship programme Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) as the Model Code of Conduct has come into effect in five states with the announcement of poll dates. In a letter to ECI Senior Principal Secretary R K Srivastava, Joint Secretary in Urban Development Ministry and SBM Mission Director Praveen Prakash has requested for a No Objection Certificate to carry on the advertisements under the SBM which aims for a clean India by October 2019. ` The copy of the letter was also marked to Election Commissioners O P Rawat and A K Joti. Urban Development Ministry has been running various communication campaigns under the mission in all states on televi...

Jan92017 by Team - The Digital IndianNo Comments

I-T dept. detects Rs. 4,807 crore black income; seizes Rs. 112 crore new notes

National

Over Rs. 4,807 crore of undisclosed income has been detected while Rs. 112 crore worth new notes have been seized by the Income Tax department as part of its country-wide operations against black money hoarders post demonetisation. Official sources said the taxman carried out a total of 1,138 search, survey and enquiry operations under the provisions of the Income Tax Act since the note ban was declared on November 8 last year, even as the department has issued 5,184 notices to various entities on charges of tax evasion and hawala-like dealings. The department, they said, has seized cash and jewellery worth over Rs. 609.39 crore during the same period even as the new currency seized (majorly Rs. 2000 notes) is valued at about Rs. 112.8 crore. The value of the seized jewellery in t...

Jan82017 by Team - The Digital IndianNo Comments

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas recorded largest crowd ever

Karnataka

With a record participation since its inception, the 14th edition of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas got off the ground on Saturday amid deliberations on several issues concerning the Indian diaspora across the globe. The stage was set for the three-day event by the Surinamese Vice-President, 36-year-old Michael Ashwin Adhin, who sought India to be a big player on the global platform while also seeking technology know-how from India for the development of his country that received Indian indentured labour between 1873 and 1916. ‘Unprecedented numbers’ The number of delegates that has now crossed 7,100 has been “unprecedented” since the inception of the event in 2003 to provide a platform for engagement between the diaspora and the government, said Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, D...

Jan72017 by Team - The Digital IndianNo Comments

RBI Calls on Indian Banks to Explore Blockchain

Economy

Though governments and banks may be wary of Bitcoin and its application, the technology behind the crypto-currency—blockchain—is what has attracted attention of many. In India, three private sector banks—ICICI, Yes and Axis—have already instituted the technology for domestic financing, intra-bank transactions and cross border remittances, with many more vying potential uses for the technology. But, now blockchain is expected to get a much-needed push, which may make it one of the primary platforms in the country. The central bank’s research arm, Institute for Development and Research in Banking Technology, has released a White Paper saying that the technology has matured enough to be considered for various uses across the spectrum. Moreover, the research also showcases a proof-of-concept s...

Jan62017 by Team - The Digital IndianNo Comments

Pakistan freed 200+ Indian fishermen as a goodwill gesture

Pakistan

In an irony of fate, an Indian fisherman died of heart attack in a Karachi jail, hours before he was to be released, along with 218 others, by Pakistan as a “goodwill gesture”, according to Gujarat Fishermen Association. Jeeva Bhagwan, 37, whose name was on the list of 219 fishermen released on Thursday, hailed from Khan village in Una tehsil of Gir Somnath district of Gujarat, Veljibhai Masani, senior vice president of Gujarat Fishermen Association, said. He died of heart attack yesterday, Masani told PTI. The fishermen were freed from Malir jail on instructions from the Interior Ministry as a goodwill gesture, jail superintendent Hasan Sehto said. With the release of the fishermen on Thursday, the total number of Indian fishermen freed from Pakistani jails as “goodwill gestur...

Jan62017 by Team - The Digital IndianNo Comments

Om Puri – A legend whose versatility knew no borders!

Entertainment

The year 2017 seems to have started off on a note which has not just shook the Hindi film industry but also created a huge void as veteran actor Om Puri left this world suffering a cardiac arrest on Friday morning (January 6). The legend of an actor that Puri was, puts him on a pedestal like none. He was an example of how an actor can comfortably blend into what the masses and classes call parallel and commercial cinema. He was born in Ambala, Haryana, to a Punjabi family and graduated from the prestigious Film and Television Institute of India, Pune. Puri was also an alumnus of the 1973 class of National School of Drama where another veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah was a co-student. Puri got married to Nandita Puri in the year 1993. However, the couple separated in 2013, together hav...

Jan62017 by Team - The Digital IndianNo Comments

Haryana achieved sex ratio of 900 girls per 1000 boys

Haryana

Haryana achieved a sex ratio of 900 girls as against 1000 boys in 2016, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said today, citing Civil Registration System (CRS) data. This is much in contrast to the statistics of 2011, when Haryana had the worst sex ratio of 834:1000 among all states in the country, he said. The state government had been making concerted efforts to improve the sex ratio, and now it has taken a leap forward by achieving marked improvement in the Sex Ratio at Birth (SRB), he claimed. According to the statistics available for sex ratio, he said that out of 5,25,278 children born in the state from January to December 2016, there were 2,76,414 boys and 2,48,864 girls and the sex ratio at birth touched the mark of 900. He said that none of the districts is below 850 mar...

Jan62017 by Team - The Digital IndianNo Comments

An Indian Flag Printed Onto A Doormat Is Being Sold On Amazon. Very Disrespectful!

Opinion

The Indian flag is a sacred symbol of independence. It invokes a sense of immense pride in the heart of every patriot. The tricolour is a reminder of the incredible struggle and unparalleled sacrifice made by the leaders of our fight for freedom. It’s a physical embodiment of the unshakable Indian spirit. It’s a symbol to be revered. Therefore, it’s enraging to find the Indian being disrespected in such a manner. A rectangular, non-slip doormat with the Indian national flag printed on the front was an actual item being sold on Amazon. The listing has since been removed by the seller. Apart from the Indian flag, the website also has listings of doormats made of the United States flag and its various state flags. While a few western countries do approve of the use of their fl...