RNI No.

: MAHENG/2018/76663
Day of Publishing:
Every Tuesday and Friday
Postal Registration No.:
MCW/346/2019-21
Posting:
Tuesday, Wednesday
& Friday, Saturday
PC Sorting Office

TUESDAY,
JUNE 04, 2019
www.newsandnriconnect.com
MUMBAI: TUESDAY, JUNE 04, 2019 • VOL. No. 1 • Issue No. 68 • IPEPCIL PUBLICATIONS PVT LTD. • 8 PAGES • PRICE: ₹ 8

UAE professionals expect salary hike Muraleedharan ready to

DUBAI: More than 50pc
of working professionals
across the UAE have said
that they are expecting to
receive a raise this year, new
data by bayt.com has re-
vealed. The research study
conducted in partnership
with YouGov, showed that
54pc of employees expect to
receive a raise in 2019, with
17pc expecting a raise of up
to 10pc. In addition, 18pc
of the respondents expect a
raise of one to five per cent.
In terms of salary, 61pc
of respondents claim that
their current salary pack-
age consists of basic salary
with benefits. While 23pc
claim that it consists of
basic salary only, 16pc said
they receive a basic salary
as well as a commission and
benefits. When it came to
the preferred pay structure,
58pc of UAE respondents
said they prefer a “100pc
fixed pay structure”, 34pc
said they prefer a “partially-
fixed pay structure with
a variable pay for com-
missions and incentives”,
while eight per cent prefer
a “100pc variable pay struc-
ture”.
Among the various ben-
efits employees receive,
personal medical insurance,
transportation allowance,
bonus and family medical
insurance are found to be
the top benefits in the UAE.
“Salary is an integral part of
an employee’s reward and
the bayt.com MidEast and
North Africa Salary Survey
2019 aims to define major
factors driving the salary
expectations and how they
are evolving,” said Omar
Tahboub, general manager
of bayt.com.
Among those surveyed,
56pc of all UAE respondents
have been working in their
current industry for up to
six years, with 23pc having
worked in their industry for
more than 10 years. When
it came to specific employ-
ers, 83pc of respondents
have been working with
their current employer for
six years or less, with 49pc
having worked for their
employer for less than three
years. In their current role,
27pc of professionals claim
to be “midway in terms
of seniority” when asked
about the level they have
reached in their career path,
with another 29pc claiming
they are “fairly senior level
but not at the top yet”, 26pc
report being in the “early
days of their career” and
18pc being at the “most se-
nior level” they can achieve.
look into NRI grievances
NEW DELLHI: Much to the “I’m happy that I will be wait for a while,” he said.
glee of Keralites, V Mura- working with External Af- Vellamvelly Muraleed-
leedharan was made the fairs Minister S Jaishankar haran has come a long way
junior minister for external and Parliamentary Affairs to become a minister in
affairs (in charge of NRIs) Minister Pralhad Joshi. The the Modi cabinet. He was
and parliamentary affairs in state governments would be Pracharak of the RSS for 13
the Modi government. taken into confidence, when years. For his loyalists, it was
A confident of Amit Shah dealing with issues,” he add- a pleasant surprise and for
and the only leader from his detractors a pain. He was
Kerala to be inducted into handpicked by Amit Shah as
Modi’s government, Mu- a strategy to win over Keral-
raleedharan thanked the ites and its powerful OBC
prime minister for giving community. Muraleedharan
him two key portfolios and headed the local unit of the
said he was looking forward ABVP during the emergency.
to working with his two His oratorical skills and
senior cabinet colleagues. leadership qualities helped
“It’s a huge responsibility... him to rise in the party lines.

US visa applicants should Forex reserves The issues concerning the He is a graduate in English
diaspora such as the ever- Muraleedharan literature from Brennen Col-
hit $419.99b increasing airfares. I will ed. Muraleedharan said that lege in Thalassery. After the

submit social media details MUMBAI: India’s forex re-

WASHINGTON: Nearly all
applicants for US visas will
have to submit their social
media details under new rules
by the State Department.
The State Department
regulations say people will
have to submit social me-
dia names and five years’
worth of email addresses
and phone numbers. When
proposed last year, authori-
ties estimated the proposal
would affect 14.7 million
people annually. Certain
diplomatic and official visa
applicants will be exempt
from the stringent new mea-
sures. Even, people travel-
ling to the US to work or to
study will have to hand over
their information, the BBC
reported.
“We are constantly work-
ing to find mechanisms to
improve our screening pro-
cesses to protect US citizens,
while supporting legitimate
travel to the US,” the de-
partment reportedly said.
Previously, only applicants
who needed additional vet-
ting --- such as people who
had been to parts of the
world controlled by terror-
ist groups --- would need to
hand over this data.
But now applicants will
have to give up their ac-
count names on a list of
social media platforms and
also volunteer the details of
their accounts on any sites
not listed. Anyone who lies
about their social media use
could face “serious immigra-
tion consequences”, accord-
ing to an official. The Trump
administration first proposed
the rules in March 2018.
At the time, the Ameri-
can Civil Liberties Union
--- a civil rights group -- said
there is “no evidence that
such social media monitor-
ing is effective or fair”, and
said it would cause people
to self-censor themselves
online. US President Donald
Trump made cracking down
on immigration a key plank
of his election campaign in
2016.
He called for “extreme
vetting” of immigrants before
and during his time in office.
Trump has vowed to im-
pose gradually rising tariffs
on Mexico unless the coun-
try curbed illegal immigra-
tion at the US southern
border.
serves increased by $1.994
see how best they can be the vexed Sabarimala temple death of his father, he joined
resolved. Kerala, my own issue would be taken care of. the industries department as
home state, has a huge popu- “The BJP has already made it a lower division clerk for a
billion to $419.99 billion
lation working abroad. I am very clear that it would take short period. Later, he quit
for the week ended May
confident that I will be able care of the Sabarimala issue. his job and joined the BJP
24 on swelling up of the
to help them,” Muraleed- Therefore, I need not say as a full-time worker and
core currency assets. In
haran remarked. anything about it. Let’s just moved to (Contd. on page 2)
the reporting week, foreign
currency assets, which are
a major component of the
overall reserves increased by
Oman’s visa ban extended in
$1.991 billion to $392.188
billion. Expressed in dollar
terms, foreign currency as-
some sectors for six months
sets include the effect of ap- MUSCAT: Oman’s Minister of Manpower The Ministry of Manpower first intro-
preciation or depreciation of Shaikh Abdullah bin Nasser al Bakri has duced the visa ban in Jan, 2018 as it worked
non-US units like the euro, issued a ministerial decision 268/2019 to to reduce the number of unemployed locals
pound and the yen held in temporarily suspend the recruitment of in the country as part of the Omanisation
the reserves. Gold reserves expatriate workforce in some professions. project. The ban has been extended a num-
remained unchanged at Article-1 of the decision said that the ban ber of times since it was introduced. About
$23.021 billion. The special on recruitment of expatriates in the private 55,000 expatriates who previously worked
drawing rights with IMF sector establishments will continue for in Oman have been dismissed by companies
increased by $0.8 million to another six months in the following pro- in one year, up to March, 2019, according to
$1.445 billion. The country’s fessions that include sales, marketing and data published by the Omani government.
reserve position with the purchase representatives. In Qatar, the expat workforce was as high
fund also increased $2 mil- It is worth mentioning that the tempo- as 95pc while in the UAE it was 94pc, 83pc
lion to $ 3.336 billion. rary suspension of expat workers on these in Kuwait, 64pc in Bahrain and 49pc Saudi
certain professions was stipulated by the Arabia. Gulf states have since launched na-

Trump strips India of special trade status
WASHINGTON: The Trump
administration has stripped
India of a special status that
exempts billions of dollars of
its products from American
tariffs, part of a deepening
clash over India’s protec-
tions for its market.
The White House said
that it would terminate In-
dia’s preferential market
access to US “equitable
and reasonable access to its
markets.”The administration
said that it would also apply
to India tariffs on solar pan-
els and washers that Presi-
dent Trump announced last
year, suspending an exemp-
tion it had granted to certain
developing countries.
The measure will hit
some Indian exporters of
products like textiles, jew-
ellry, auto parts and ag-
ricultural products, and
aggravate tensions between
the US and a country the
Trump administration has
described as an ally to coun-
ter China. The Indian gov-
ernment, which is in transi-
tion as Prime Minister Modi
begins his second term, had
no immediate comment on
the termination of preferen-
tial trade status, which the
Trump administration had
threatened for months.
Trade war
But Trump’s move could
set off yet another trade war
with an allied country.
India has repeatedly de-
layed its own promised tar-
iffs on a range of American
goods, including almonds,
apples and finished metal
products, as it sought a
broader trade deal with the
US. The South Asian coun-
try could now move forward
with its own tariffs. The two
sides have been at an im-
passe for months. American
negotiators grew alarmed by
India’s increasingly protec-
tionist stance, especially in
technology, where it recently
changed the rules to favour
local e-commerce compa-
nies over Amazon and Flip-
kart, a major e-commerce
site controlled by Walmart.
India, meanwhile, was
upset by the American gov-
decision 487/2018. The ban is extended for tionalisation programmes to absorb more of
another six months effective May 31, 2019, their citizens into the labour force, as well
the statement said. as address high levels of unemployment.
ernment’s heavy-handed
tactics to stop India from
buying oil from Iran, a long- FPIs pump Rs 9,031cr into Indian market
time partner. After Trump’s MUMBAI: Overseas inves- to 31, taking the cumula- said. During May 2 to 17,
election in 2016, he and tors pumped in a net amount tive net investment to Rs foreign investors pulled out
Modi emphasised their close of Rs 9,031 crore into the 9,031.15 crore. Prior to this, a net Rs 6,399 crore from the
relations. And in 2018, the Indian capital markets after they had invested a netRs markets amid pre-election
Trump administration rolled the BJP’s landslide victory 16,093 crore in April, Rs uncertainty. However, “FPIs
out a foreign policy for a in the general elections. 45,981 crore in March and started to come back into
“free and open Indo-Pacific” Interestingly, foreign Rs 11,182 crore in Feb in the Indian equities anticipating
that relied on a group of investors were net sellers capital markets (both equity a return of Modi and the
countries called “the Quad”: for the first three weeks of and debt). Last week, the BJP flows intensified when their
the United States, India, May, but the tide turned just won over 300 seats on its expectation became real-
Japan and Australia. ahead of the announcement own out of 542 seats in the ity after the election results
But relations have steadi- of election results. Lok Sabha elections — the were announced on May
ly worsened since then. According to the latest first back-to-back majority 23, 2019,” said Himanshu
Trump has been far more depositories data, foreign for a single party since 1984. Srivastava, senior research
focused on trade fights on portfolio investors (FPIs) The victory of the Modi- analyst, manager research
other fronts, including nego- infused a net sum of Rs led coalition will ensure at Morningstar.
tiations with China, Europe 7,919.73 crore into equities continuation in reform mea- “FPI inflows saw height-
and Japan and an effort to rat- and Rs 1,111.42 crore in the sures initiated during the ened volatility ahead of
ify a new (Contd. on page 2) debt market during May 2 NDA’s first term, experts election (Contd. on page 2)

Modi’s victory boosts real estate business

MUMBAI/DUBAI: India’s devel-
opers and Gulf-based NRI inves-
tors have a lot to cheer about.
The elections resulting in the
Modi-led government’s victory is
correctly perceived as extremely
positive for the real estate sector.
This government has been a key
enabler in turning around the
fortunes of the real estate over the
last year, with policies like GST,
RERA (Real Estate Regulation and
Development Act) and the “Hous-
ing for All Scheme”.
The win has reinforced the
confidence of NRI investors. With
a clear majority, it is evident to
NRIs that the government will
strengthen its ongoing initiatives
and undertake even broader
reforms for the industry. Indian
real estate, 12-15pc of which is
driven by NRIs, is already un-
dergoing a revival; sales volumes
have picked up by an average by
50pc across major Indian cities.
NRIs are now even more con-
fident that the sector is headed
for an increasingly transparent
and structured future. Also, the
government’s fabled pro-business
stance is decidedly focused on at-
tracting foreign investments.
NRI particiption
If any evidence of NRIs’ fa-
vourable disposition is required,
we only have to look at their
participation in this year’s elec-
tions. As per data by the Election
Commission 2012 saw a total of
10,002 registered NRI voters. This
increased to 24,507 in 2018 —
and almost tripled in 2019. Data
published recently vouchsafes
that from 24,507 in 2018, the
number of registered NRI voters
increased to 71,735 this year. The
total number of registered NRI
voters is still less than one per
cent of the entire Indian diaspora.
However, one must also consider
that India’s current annual popu-
lation growth rate is 1.08pc The
NRI voter base has increased
seven-fold in eight years.
In the run-up to the 2019 elec-
tions, the Overseas Friends of BJP
organisation in the UK noted that
an estimated 2,000 volunteers
had registered with them to travel
to India to campaign for their
favoured party on the ground. Ap-
proximately 300 NRIs arrived in
Gujarat and campaigned to secure
votes for the BJP. They came from
more than 20 countries, including
the US and Dubai.
If there is one section of In-
dian real estate investors who
can fully appreciate Modi and all
that he stands for, it is NRIs. GCC-
based NRIs witness infrastructure-
backed real estate development all
around them in the Gulf countries.
This provides them with a rather
direct reference point from which
to view the market back home.
NRIs in other (Contd. on page 2)

Logon on to www.newsandnriconnect.com for free ePaper, download without user id and password.
 2 EMIGRATION Tuesday, June 04, 2019

US-Indian who set

himself on fire dies
WASHINGTON: A 33-year- notice asking for the public’s
old man, identified as an help in finding him. The
Indian American, died after Montgomery County Police
setting himself on fire near Department in a Facebook
the White House. Arnav post described Gupta as an
Gupta of Bethesda, Mary- Indian male who was last
land, set himself on fire on seen by his family when he
the afternoon of May 29 at left his home on Cindy Lane,
Ellipse Park, not far from about 10 miles northwest of
the Washington Monument, the White House on. May 29.
in full view of passersby. He The police said his family was
“concerned for Gupta’s physi-
cal and emotional welfare.”
The US Secret Service
said that officers responded
in “seconds” after Gupta set
himself on fire, then began
administering first aid and
transported him to a local
area hospital. Alina Berzins
, an eyewitness to the event,
told CNBC that she saw the
man “running, and then we
saw him covered in flames,”
while she was visiting the
National Mall with two of
her cousins. The man’s mo-
tive for the act, which has
historically been performed
as an extreme form of politi-
Arnav Gupta
cal protest, remains unclear.
was taken to a hospital in According to a report in the
critical condition and later Washington Post, relatives
died of his injuries, the po- did not respond to inter-
lice said. view requests by phone and
Gupta was reported miss- email, and no one answered
ing May 29 morning and the door at the house where
authorities had put out a he lived.
Jaishankar--a diplomat par excellence
NEW DELHI: Former For-
eign Secretary S Jaishan-
kar, who played a key role
in shaping the foreign
policy of Prime Minister
Modi’s first term, was in-
ducted into the ministry
on May 30 as a cabinet
minister for external af-
fairs, recognising the ex-
ceptional work he did in
the foreign ministry.
Known for his acu-
men, sharpness and ex-
traordinary efficiency,
the 64-year-old IFS officer
took oath though he is not
a member of either house
of parliament.
He was the foreign sec-
retary from Jan 2015 to
Jan 2018 and played a key
role in shaping Modi’s
foreign policy during his
first term, which saw a
significant growth and
expansion of India’s ties
with key countries, par-
ticularly the US and the
Arab nations. Prior to that,
during his tenure as India’s
ambassador to the US from
Sept 2013 till taking over
as the foreign secretary,
he played a major role in
bringing the US adminis-
tration and the Modi gov-
ernment closer. Jaishankar
also planned and executed a
highly successful maiden vis-
it of Prime Minister Modi to
the US in Sept 2014 and his
landmark address to the In-
dian diaspora at the Madison
Square. A major highlight of
his diplomatic career was his
tenure as Joint Secretary in-
charge of Americas Division
from 2004 to 2007 when he
was involved in negotiating
the historic Civil Nuclear
Agreement.
Jaishankar also led the
Indian team of negotiators
for the subsequent 123
Agreement with the US,
which was linked to the
Civil Nuclear deal and con-
Jaishankar takes charge.
cluded in 2009. Jaishankar,
who was honoured with
India’s fourth highest ci-
vilian award Padma Shri
in Jan, 2019, also played
a key role in improving
the defence co-operation
between India and the US.
Jaishankar’s tenure as In-
dia’s ambassador to China
from 2009 to 2013, which
was the longest by any IFS
officer, coincided with sev-
eral major developments in
bilateral relations. It was
his briefing to the Cabinet
Committee on Security in
2010 regarding China’s re-
fusal to issue a visa to the
Northern Army Commander
which led to suspension of
Indian defence co-operation
with China and military
exercises, before the matter
was resolved in April 2011.
Also in 2010, Jaishankar
negotiated an end to the
Chinese policy of issuing
stapled visas to Indians
from Jammu & Kashmir.
Born on Jan 15, 1955,
Jaishankar, son of well
known defence strategic
expert K Subrahmaniam,
joined the Indian Foreign
Service in 1977. His first
posting abroad was as
Third and Second Secre-
tary (Political) in Moscow
from 1979 to 1981. From
1981 to 1985, he served
as under-secretary (Ameri-
cas) and policy planning
in the ministry of external
affairs. He then spent three
years from 1985 to 1988 as
first secretary, handling
political affairs at the Indi-
an embassy in Washington
followed by two years as
first secretary and politi-
cal advisor to the Indian
Peace Keeping Force in Sri
Lanka. In 1990, Jaishankar
became commercial coun-
sellor in Budapest. After
three years, he returned
to India where he served
first as director of the East
Europe division of the
External Affairs Ministry
and then as press secretary
to the president of India.

US-Indian CEOs among Vistara to launch international flights

MUMBAI: A joint venture carrier announced it would delivered between 2020 and

200 highest-paid
WASHINGTON: As many as
six Indian-Americans figure
in the list of 200 highest-paid
chief executives in America
in 2018, whose compensa-
tion grew at double the
pace of ordinary workers’
wages, according to the New
York Times’ annual analysis
based on a survey by Equilar,
an executive compensa-
tion consulting firm that
conducts the survey for the
Times every year.
Nikesh Arora, the Indian-
American CEO of Palo Alto
Networks, ranked third in
the overall list with a com-
pensation package that was
worth $125 million. Besides
Arora, who topped in the
ranking among the six Indi-
an-American CEOs,other In-
dian-American CEOs in the
list included Vivek Shah of
j2 Global, a publicly traded
technology company based
in Los Angeles, ranking 10th
with 45 million, Shantanu
Narayen of Adobe, ranking
52nd with 28 million, Satya
Nadella of Microsoft ranking
35th with 26 million, Ajay
Banga of Mastercard rank-
ing 76th with 20 million and
Bob Patel of LyondellBasell
Industries ranking 108th
with 18 million.
But conspicuously ab-
sent from the list was the
name of Sundar Pichai, CEO
of Google, whose total earn-
ings in 2018, after calculat-
ing older stock that vested,
topped $470 million in 2018
according to the latest proxy
statement from Google’s
parent company Alphabet.
The reason for the omission
of Pichai’s name could be
because the company did
not file proxy statements
for fiscal year 2018 on time.
According to a methodology
note by Equilar, the Equilar
200 includes the largest pay
packages awarded to CEOs
from US-based or listed
companies with more than
$1 billion in revenue that
filed proxy statements for
fiscal year 2018 by April
30, 2019.
Upon joining Palo Alto
Networks last year, Arora
took $20 million of his own
money and purchased com-
pany stock. The report said
when chief executives invest
a portion of their fortunes,
it can strengthen the align-
ment between the top ex-
ecutive and shareholders.
But this incentive may not
be as strong in Arora’s case
since the $20 million is a
relatively small proportion
of his total 2018 compensa-
tion valued at $125 million.
The report said nearly every
year, CEOs already earning
huge sums get even bigger
payouts. In 2018, the Times
analysis shows, they did par-
ticularly well — the median
boss received compensation
of $18.6 million — a raise
of $1.1 million, or 6.3pc
from the year prior. “These
gains at the top are in spite
of recent efforts to restrain
CEO pay. Earlier this de-
cade, Congress required that
companies disclose the ratio
of their chief executive’s
pay to that of their median
employee. Lawmakers also
gave shareholders a special
but nonbinding vote on the
matter,” the report said.
between Tatas and Singa-
pore Airlines, Vistara which
has been serving the Indian
skies for more than four
years now, plans to launch
international services in
the second-half of this year.
Vistara might also look at
starting medium and long-
haul flights, depending on
approvals, amid the ground-
ing of Jet Airways.
“We see India as a grow-
ing market. We are here for
the long-term,” Vistara CEO
Leslie Thng said on the side-
lines of the annual general
meeting of airlines’ grouping
IATA. Without providing
specific details, he said the
airline plans to start inter-
national operations in the
second-half of 2019. It had
planned to launch overseas
flights in the first-half of this
year. Currently, Vistara has
more than 22 planes and
operates around 850 flights
every week. Last month, the
take on lease four Boeing
737-800 NG aircraft and two
A320 neo planes. In 2018,
Vistara placed its order for
purchased and leased air-
craft totalling 50 from the
Airbus A320neo family,
including A321neos.
These would be for do-
mestic as well as short and
medium-haul international
operations, with deliveries
scheduled between 2019
and 2023. Further, the car-
rier has bought six Boeing
787-9 Dreamliner aircraft
that are scheduled to be
2021. These would operate
long-haul international op-
erations. Thng said, Vistara
can start short-haul flights
but would need more time
for long-haul ones.
“If we do get the neces-
sary rights, we do have a
plan in place on how do
we plan to operationalise
it but I will not be able to
share too much detail...,”
he said.
According to him, the
airline would look at op-
tions to deploy the right type
of aircraft provided it gets
the necessary flying rights.
When asked about possibil-
ity of advancing deliveries
of planes, Thng did not offer
any comment. He said the
airline is always talking to
aircraft manufacturers on
various issues.
The grounding of Jet Air-
ways in April has resulted in
significant capacity reduc-
tion in the domestic market.

Trump strips India of special ... Modi’s victory boosts...

(Contd. from page 1) (Contd. from page 1)
trade agreement with Canada and Mexico. But trade tensions developed countries are exposed to the benefits that highly-
with India have been quietly simmering, after the country regulated real estate markets in the US, UK and Europe deliver
rebuffed American efforts to open Indian markets to US dairy to investors. In previous years, the hope of someday seeing
products, medical devices and other goods. American tech- the Indian property market catch up with such highly-evolved
nology companies have complained about measures India standards was a forlorn one. The greatest need was for a gov-
uses to protect its internet industry. And Trump has criticised ernment with a steadfast development agenda, a clear vision
India in particular for charging high tariffs on American of increased transparency and a keen understanding of what
motorcycles. “India is a very, very high-tariff nation, and it takes to attract foreign investments to fuel the economy.
they charge tremendous, tremendous numbers,” Trump Despite the massive obstructions that resulted from decades
said in March. The programme India is being expelled from, of corruption and malpractices, Modi began to deliver exactly
called the Generalised System of Preferences, was devised what the country needed to launch itself on a renewed growth
to allow developing countries to alleviate poverty through path. It should surprise no one that Modi garnered significant
trade. About $5 billion of the $83.2 billion of goods that India support from the NRI community. With a renewed term in
sent the US last year qualified for the tariff exemptions. The office, he can now take several steps towards replicating the
president removed Turkey from the programme on May 16. development models that have helped developed countries
to thrive. The UAE accounts for the majority of inward re-
Muraleedharan ready to... mittances to India, out of which a significant share is into
(Contd. from page 1) investments in equities and real estate. Modi- 2.k ill certainly
Kozhikode. Muraleedharan shifted to Mumbai when he was result in a significant increase in both these investment
appointed as ABVP’s national general secretary in 1994. In routes. In real estate, NRI investors are taking their cue from
1999, he was appointed as vice chairman of Nehru Yuva NRI Danube Group chairman Rizwan Sajan has become the third person in the UAE to be granted the government’s primary focus — affordable housing. Apart
Kendra. He was elected as the BJP’s Kerala unit chief for 10-year visa by the UAE authorities. “I am feeling very excited and happy. We were waiting for from the fact that this segment is a highlight in Modi’s real
this news for a long time. If you look at my investment, it goes in to billions”, he said.
two terms from 2010 to 2015. Muraleedharan was elected estate agenda, it also delivers optimal rental yield and is the
to Rajya Sabha from Maharashtra in 2018.
SpiceJet to start flights on Guwahati-Dhaka route FPIs pump Rs 9,031cr into...
fastest “mover” on the resale market.

Published by IPEPCIL Publications Ltd
RNI No.: MAHENG/2018/76663
Publisher: Supreet M.J.
Editor : E.L. Vaidyanathan
Volume No.: 1, Issue: 68
Published at: Office No. 1001, 10th Floor,
Navjivan Commercial Premises Co-op. Society Ltd.,
Lamington Road, (Dr.D.B.Marg), Mumbai Central,
Mumbai - 400 008. Ph.: 022 - 23001102 / 23001103.
Printed at: Inquilab Offset Printers Ltd., 156, D J Dadaji
Road, Tardeo, Mumbai-400 034, Maharashtra, India.
MUMBAI: SpiceJet will start tivity between Indian states cies on the Kolkata-Dibrugarh- (Contd. from page 1)
flights on the Guwahati-Dha-
ka-Guwahati route from July
1 onward under the central
government scheme UDAN
International. The July 1 flight
from Guwahati to the Ban-
gladesh capital would be the
first to fly under the UDAN
International scheme, which
seeks to enhance air connec-
and selected international
destinations with the help
of government subsidies.In
addition, the airline also an-
nounced that it is launching
14 direct flights connecting
metro and non-metro cities
on its domestic network from
June 20 onward. “The airline
will add additional frequen-
Kolkata (second frequency),
Guwahati-Dibrugarh-Guwa-
hati (second frequency) and
two additional frequencies on
Bengaluru-Mangaluru-Beng-
aluru sector (total five flights
now),” the airline said. Spice-
Jet will also introduce new
daily flights on the Bengaluru-
Belagavi-Bengaluru route.
results and settled after there was evidence of a clear
mandate. From here on, while there may be residual in-
flows awarding certainty in governance, budget related
and policy related issues besides earnings would likely be
the primary focus for fresh investments,” said Vidya Bala,
Head , Mutual Funds Research at FundsIndia. Echoing the
views, Srivastava said: “Now with elections behind, the
focus would gradually shift towards government’s policies
on economic reforms, its impact on economic growth and
corporate earnings, besides global factors.
Tuesday, June 04, 2019
GULF JOBS & OPPORTUNITIES
FOR BOOKING
ADVERTISEMENTS
CALL
022 - 23001102
022 - 23001103
Please visit
www.newsandnriconnect.com
DISCLAIMER
Readers are requested to verify and
make appropriate enquiries to satisfy
themselves about the veracity of an
advertisement before responding to
any published advertisements in this
newspaper. NEWS AND NRI CON-
NECT, its publisher and owner IPEP-
CIL Publications do NOT vouch for the
authenticity of any advertisement or
advertiser or for any of the advertiser’s
products and /or services. In no event
can the owner, publisher, printer, edi-
tor, director, employees of this news-
paper/company be held responsible/
liable in any manner whatsoever for
any claims and /or damages for adver-
tisements in this newspaper.
3
An IPEPCIL initiative
to help Gulf job-seekers
Indian Personnel Export Promotion Council (IPEPCIL)
is a 39-year-old professional body devoted to resolving the grievances of
overseas placement community. This council consists of only registered
recruiting agencies who are legally and professionally engaged in sending
manpower to overseas, particularly to the Gulf nations.
IPEPCIL Publications (P) Ltd.
IPEPCIL Publications is publishing NEWS AND NRI CONNECT, which is the “Gateway
to Global Opportunities”. Published from India’s business capital Mumbai, this bi-weekly
(Tuesday and Friday) newspaper is circulated pan-India. This English newspaper carries
Gulf and national placement advertisements and provides authentic and useful information
of Indian and overseas recruitment, critical news packets of job opportunities and crucial
changes in policies that affects the industry.
Coming from the stable of highly experienced professionals in the placement business,
NEWS AND NRI CONNECT will uphold the highest standard of ethics and professionalism.
We will publish only authentic advertisements to protect our job aspirants. A newspaper
runs on its credibility and we are committed to this trust.
IPEPCIL Publications (P) Ltd.
Office No. 1001, 10th Floor,Navjivan Commercial Premises Co-op. Society Ltd.,
Lamington Road, (Dr.D.B.Marg), Mumbai Central, Mumbai - 400 008.
 4 GULF JOBS & OPPORTUNITIES Tuesday, June 04, 2019

DRDO invites applications for 351 posts Auxilo Finserve enters Guj
NEW DELHI: Defence Re-
search Development Or-
ganization (DRDO), which
comes under the Ministry
of Defence has come out
with a notification for 351
Technician-A positions.
Those having diploma/ITI
certificate and are willing
to apply may do on or
before June 26 at CEPTAM
website https://www.drdo.
gov.in/drdo/ceptam/ceptam-
noticeboard.html.
The application process
has started from, June 3.
Applicants must have at
least one-year experience
from any recognized Insti-
tute in required disciplines,
in which DRDO is looking
to fill up the vacancies.
The candidates may ap-
ply online through the link
available on the CEPTAM
from June 3 to June 26.
Recruitments are being
done for as many as 60
laboratories/centres across
to finance education market
the country.
Important Dates
Starting date of online
application: June 3
Last date of online ap-
plication: June 26
Eligibility criteria
1. The applicants must
have passed class 10 or
equivalent from any board
or institutes recognised by
the government.
2. Candidates must have
a certificate from Industrial
Training Institute in the
required disciplines.
3. Applicants must have
at least one-year duration
from a recognised institute
in disciplines for which re-
cruitments are being done.
Age Limit
Candidates looking to
apply must be between the
age group of 18 to 28 years
of age. Relaxations are given
for SC/ST/OBC/ESM/PWD/
Widows/divorced women.
Total number of posts: 351
Last year, the DRDO had
issued notification seeking
application for posts of Se-
nior Technical Assistant B.
It was looking to fill up as
many as 494. The applica-
tions were accepted from
August 4 and went on till
August 29. The examination
for these posts was also
held in a number of cities.
The age limit for these posts
was from 18 to 28 years
of age. The DRDO had
charged the application fee
of Rs 100. It was, however,
free for women, SC, ST
and PWD candidates. For
education criteria, DRDO
in its notification had said
that candidates should have
B.Sc. Degree and three
year’s diploma in Engineer-
ing or Computer Science or
allied subjects in needed
disciplines.
AHMEDABAD: Auxilo Fin-
serve Private Limited, an
education ecosystem non-
banking financial
company (NBFC),
has announced its
foray into Gujarat to
cater to burgeoning
education financing
market.
A Reserve Bank
of India (RBI) regis-
tered and approved NBFC,
the Mumbai-based firm has
earmarked Rs 100 crore to
be disbursed as education
loans by FY 2021 to fulfil
two major education financ-
ing requirements, namely
student loans for higher
studies (overseas and do-
mestic) and infrastructure
upgradation for schools as
well as other institutions
in Gujarat.
In a statement, the com-
pany said it recognises
the students’ interests in Auxilo Finserve would
new-age courses including, also process the financing
robotics, applied sciences, to entrepreneurs and own-
ers of private schools and
educational institutions in
Gujarat. This would help
support them in revamp-
ing their infrastructure
and educational amenities
through B2B focused-lend-
ing financing products.
Gujarat ranks ninth in
artificial intelligence, sports India in the Education De-
management, digital mar- velopment Index with an
keting, film-making etc., overall literacy rates close
and would facilitate fast to 80 per cent.
processing loans through Auxilo Finserve, which
its door-step services and started its operations in Oc-
tailor-made loan structur- tober 2017, has supported
ing. over 1,000 students for
It offers loans that cover studying in 600 universi-
up to 100 per cent of the ties across 20 countries.
financing for pre-admission The NBFC has established
requirements, tuition fees, dedicated centres in Mum-
pre-visa disbursal, air-travel bai, Hyderabad, Bangalore,
fare and other aspects of Chennai, Delhi, Pune and
the fees. Ahmedabad.

IIT-Hyderabad launches JEE Advanced 2019: Result on June 14 NEW DELHI: The Joint same was 128 marks. This lower the number of marks nation. Out of these, a total

M2Smart Project Testbed

HYDERABAD: Indian
Institute of Technology
Hyderabad has launched
‘M2Smart Project’ Test-
bed to develop a model
to find low-carbon mod-
els for the transportation
sector.
The Testbed will gen-
erate a practical ‘hand-
book’ on low carbon ur-
ban transportation for de-
veloping countries based
on big data generated by
vehicular traffic.
The M2Smart (Smart
Cities for Emerging Coun-
tries based on Sensing,
Network and Big Data
Analysis of Multi-modal
Regional Transport Sys-
tem) is an Indo-Japanese
joint research project.
Researchers from Nihon
University and Nagoya
Electric Works of Japan
are also working on the
project.
“We are developing
carbon dioxide emission
estimation methodolo-
gies to ascertain energy
and carbon dioxide emis-
sion reduction by route
and mode choices. It will
be backed by IoT based
traffic management sys-
tem,” Bheemarjuna Red-
dy Tamma, Associate
Professor (Department of
Computer Science and
Engineering) of IIT-H,
said.
The field testbed sys-
tem has been deployed
at the campus and along
a 30-km stretch of the
National Highway-65.
The project generates
data using cameras, Blue-
tooth and Wi-Fi sensors,
speed detection safe-
ty system and conflict
warning system using
traffic signal lights.
“Electric rickshaws
also run inside the cam-
pus and are used to
understand the driving
cycle of e-vehicles,” an
IIT statement has said.
“The traffic monitor-
ing is done not only in
Hyderabad but also in
Ahmedabad where the
researchers established
traffic monitoring cam-
eras at a major junction.
They are able to monitor
and compare the real-
time traffic data from the
two cities,” it said.
“We will be able to
have a better understand-
ing of multi-modal trans-
portation in India and be
able to provide solutions
to reduce the carbon
footprint,” U B Desai,
Director of IIT-H, said.
The Testbed will also
be developing micro traf-
fic simulation models
based on the aggregated
traffic data from several
sensing devices using big
data analysis.
Entrance Examination (JEE)
Advanced 2019 has been
conducted and over 1.65
lakh candidates registered
to appear for the same. The
result for JEE Advanced,
according to the official
website, will be released on
June 14, 2019. While the
cut-off to qualify for admis-
sions to the Indian Institute
of Technology (IITs) will be
released thereafter, based
on previous years’ data, it
seems this year the cut-off
will go down.
The number of qualify-
ing students went from
36,500 in 2016 to 51,000 in
2017 and 31,988 in 2018,
based on the official data.
Moreover, the minimum
aggregate marks to qualify
for inclusion in a rank list
for the open category was
90 marks in 2018. For SC,
ST category the same was
45 marks.
Last year, the cut-off
declined massively in com-
parison to 2017 when the
year too, the trend is ex-
pected to continue. “The
cut-offs for admissions to
IITs has been 30-35pc of
the total marks. This year,
I am expecting it to go be-
tween 27-30pc – which will
be roughly around 105+
marks out of 372,” said
FIITJEE Noida branch head
Ramesh Batlish. He added,
“This is because the num-
ber of applicants is com-
paratively lower and the
number of seats at IITs has
been increased due to the
construction of newer IITs
and also the introduction of
supernumerary seats.”
While the percentage is
is on the higher end be-
cause the total marks went
from 360 to 372 marks this
year.
According to the Na-
tional Academic Director
(Engineering), Aakash Edu-
cation Services, Ajay Kumar
Sharma the increase of
12 marks in total will
not have much impact
on the cut-off. “Since
the exam was too
lengthy and students
could not complete it
` ` of knowing the
answers, this would
bring the cut-off down
by 1-2pc from last
year,” he said while adding,
“As compared to previous
years’ exams, the physics
section was tougher and
mathematics was lengthy.”
He said the cut-off would
not go beyond 80-85 marks.
This year, 1.73 lakh
students registered for the
exam. In 2018, a total of
1,65,656 candidates applied
for the IIT entrance exami-
of 31,988 students made it
through. This was way less
than that of in 2017 when
out of 1.71 lakh candidates,
51,000 cleared the entrance
exam.
In 2016, the number of
applicants was much lower
at 1.56 lakh, of which over
36,500 qualified for admis-
sion. This was after sev-
eral new IITs, including IIT
Bhilai, IIT Goa, IIT Jammu
and IIT Dharwad started
enrolling students with a
collaborated seat capacity
of 420. Thus, the cut-off
this year too was lowered
at 75 marks and the aggre-
gate pass percentage was
lowered from 35pc to 30 pc.
To be considered pass
in JEE Advanced exam, a
candidate needs to secure
at least 10pc marks in each
subject and an aggregate
score of 35pc. The aggre-
gate marks can be lowered
further in case the required
amount of candidates do
not qualify.

Boom in book publishing sector
CHENNAI: The Indian
book publishing industry
was booming with an an-
nual growth rate of about
30pc, said Tamil Nadu
Governor Banwarilal Pu-
rohit. Inaugurating ‘eAge
Print-2019’, an exhibition
by the Madras Printers’ and
IGNOU invites applications for MA in Women and Gender Studies
Lithographers’ Association NEW DELHI: The Indira be interested in acquiring counselling, media, mass The two years, 64 credit MA degree.
here, he said the prospects Gandhi National Open Uni- conceptual, theoretical and communication, journal- MA programme comprises In the second year,
for the printing industry versity (IGNOU) has invited analytical knowledge in ism, writing, editing, or of a total of eight theory learners can opt for a spe-
was estimated to grow at a interested, eligible students the areas of women’s and any other fields where a courses and project work. cialization either in Gender,
rate faster than the annual to apply for the Master’s gender studies. Women conceptual and analytical The 4 core courses of the Literature and Culture or in
GDP growth degree (MA) programme and Gender Studies being understanding of gender first year provide an intro- Women’s Studies. Besides a
rate of 7pc. in Women’s and Gender inter-disciplinary areas, the issues is required. Per- duction to women’s move- compulsory course in Re-
Purohit said Studies. program focuses on devel- sons already employed in ments, feminist theories search Methods, specialized
in 2017, the The program addresses oping analytical and critical various fields (Government and concepts, and gender courses in the two streams
value of Indian the need to examine gender perspectives by examining employees, NGO’s, counsel- perspectives in relation to are aimed at providing
print industry issues from an academic given knowledge discourses ling, psychology, law, medi- social power hierarchies, enhanced knowledge in
was estimated perspective through the across various disciplines cal field, journalism, media, arts and media and rep- the area of specialization.
to be around dissemination of the grow- from a gender perspective. etc.) may also be interested resentations of gendered The courses are intended
`660 billion. It ing body of knowledge in Career paths and em- in taking this program as bodies. The modular pro- to equip students with
touched `734 the areas of women’s and ployment opportunities an avenue of additional gramme allows learners to foundational as well as
billion last year and is gender studies. It is open can be sought in higher knowledge enrichment and exit at the end of the first advanced knowledge in a
projected to reach `862 to all students with an education, teaching, NGO’s, for betterment of career year with a PG Diploma in chosen area to prepare them
billion by the beginning undergraduate degree in public and private sec- opportunities within their Women’s and Gender Stud- for relevant employment
of the next year, he added. any discipline who may tor, government agencies, respective fields. ies, or continue for the full opportunities later on.

Woman with rare bone disorder appears for UPSC exam Volvo Car organises women-only
T H I R U VA N A N T H A -
PURAM: A rare bone
disorder coupled with
a respiratory condition
requiring external oxygen
support has not deterred
24-year-old Latheesha
Ansari of Kottayam from
setting her eyes on the
highly coveted civil ser-
vices. On Sunday, she
appeared for the Prelimi-
nary Civil Services ex-
amination conducted by
the Union Public Service
Commission here, on a
wheelchair and an oxy-
gen cylinder beside her.
Latheesha, who was
diagnosed with ‘type II
Osteogenesis Imperfecta’,
(brittle bone disease) af-
ter birth also suffers from
pulmonary hypertension The short-statured IAS Erumeli in Kottayam, said.
since over a year due to aspirant had to be carried Thanks to the interven-
tion of Kottayam District
Collector P R Sudheer
Babu, a portable oxygen
concentrator was provided
to her inside the examina-
tion hall.
A portable equipment
would be provided to her
free of cost for which ten-
der process had been com-
pleted, the collector said.
Her parents had travelled
to the examination hall
with an oxygen cylinder.
Latheesha, who ap-
peared for the examination
at a centre here, said that
she had been preparing for
which she needs an oxygen to school by her father due the examination since the
cylinder always beside her to her condition, father past one and half years
for respiratory needs. Ansari, who hails from and hoped that her efforts
would prove fruitful.
Latheesha, who has com-
pleted her M Com degree,
has chosen Malayalam as
the optional subject for
the examination.
Latha Nair of Amri-
tavarshini, a charitable
Society working for chil-
dren with the rare ge-
netic disorder, said the
UPSC needs to provide
better facilities for IAS
aspirants like Lathee-
sha. She needs about
Rs 25,000 a month for a
medical need, Nair said.
The examination, con-
ducted by the Union
Public Service Commis-
sion (UPSC), was held
in 72 cities across India
on Sunday.
car drive to boost gender equality
NEW DELHI: With an aim to
beat the long odds of gender
inequality in India, Volvo Car
flagged off an all women drive
on Sunday under the global
‘Equal Vehicles for All’ (EVA)
initiative to promote gender
equality. The data of over 4
decades and 40,000 investiga-
tions involving car crashes has
now been provided to the world
free. The EVA initiative centres
around safety for all and not
just safety developed by test-
ing the traditional ‘Male Crash
Test Dummies’. Women have a
different anatomy and hence
different effects in crashes. Prior
to the initiative, Volvo cars are
tested with female crash test
dummies as well delivering
safety for all.
Volvo Car is aiming at one-
third of all leadership positions
by 2025 to be females and has a
healthy 23pc women workforce.
Charles Frump, Managing
Director — Volvo Car India
said, “We are very proud of our
campaign to generate aware-
ness about gender equality. It
is something very close to our
brand and the corporate mis-
sion to have atleast one-third
women in all leading positions
globally by 2025. We have a
healthy 23pc ratio of women
globally and in India. Our
global EVA initiative involves
creating a Female Crash Test
Dummy, thereby delivering
safety for all”.
 Tuesday, June 04, 2019
JMI announces revised entrance exam dates
T
he Jamia Millia Islamia
has rescheduled the
entrance exam dates or
timing for its four courses.
These courses included B.
Sc Aeronautics, PG Diploma
in Entrepreneurship, Innova-
tion and Design Thinking,
MA in Public Administra-
tion, and Diploma in Italian
Language. The Jamia Millia
Islamia University has issued
a notification regarding the
revised examination dates on
its official website jmicoe.in
http://jmicoe.in/. Students who
will appear for the courses in-
cluded B.Sc, MA and Diploma
in Italian Language courses
can check the notification
regarding the revised examina-
tion dates on this direct link
https://drive.google.com/ file/
DU admissions 2019: Sports, ECA seats up for grabs
C
andidates applying
in Delhi University
(DU) under the sports
quota choosing athletics,
basketball, volleyball, crick-
et and football have better
chances to grab a seat as
a large number of colleges
have openings in these dis-
ciplines this year.
As many as 39 colleges
have requirement of basket-
ball and volleyball players
and athletes while 31 col-
leges want cricketers and
footballers. There will be
197,184 and 171 seats in
athletics, volleyball and bas-
ketball players, respectively,
Are energy drinks actually safe? Rethink Women with stomach cancer
W
hile energy drinks
may get you all
pepped up, con-
suming too much of it can
increase your blood pres-
sure and the risk of elec-
trical disturbances in the
heart, researchers suggest.
According to a recent study,
drinking 32 ounces of an
energy drink in a short
time span may increase
blood pressure and the risk
of electrical disturbances
in the heart, which affect
heart rhythm.
As part of the study,
researchers enrolled 34
healthy volunteers between
the ages of 18 and 40
years. Participants were
randomly assigned to drink
32 ounces of one of two
commercially available caf-
feinated energy drinks or
a placebo drink on three
separate days. The drinks
were consumed within a
60-minute period but no
faster than one 16-ounce
bottle in 30 minutes.
Researchers measured
the electrical activity of
Depression ups risk of multiple chronic diseases in women
W
omen who ex-
perience symp-
toms of depres-
sion are at increased risk
of developing multiple
chronic diseases such as
diabetes, heart disease,
stroke and cancer, a study
has found.
The research, pub-
lished in the journal
Health Psychology, sug-
gests that depression and
chronic diseases share a
similar genetic or biologi-
cal pathway.
“ These days, many
people suffer from multi-
ple chronic diseases such
as diabetes, heart disease,
stroke and cancer,” said
Xiaolin Xu, a PhD schol-
ar at the University of
Queensland in Australia.
“We looked at how
women progress in the de-
velopment of these chron-
GULF JOBS & CAREERS
d/1Hp5J73 1iPYTJGwmBZZ- 2-PG Diploma in Entrepre-
2Kf XieAq_Qfjay /p review neurship, Innovation and
Ca ndidates who w ill Design Thinking
app ear for under gradu- Revised date, timing: June
12, from 11:30 am to
12:45 pm
Earlier date, tim-
ing: June 12, from 9
am to 10:15 am
3-MA in Public Ad-
ministration
Revised date, tim-
ate, post graduate courses at ing: June 19, from 11:30 am
JMI Entrance Test 2019 can to 1:15 pm
familiarise themselves with Earlier date, timing: June
the updated exam dates. The 17, from 2 pm to 3:45 pm
revised scheduled of these 4- Diploma in Italian Lan-
four courses are given below- guage
1-BSc Aeronautics Revised date, timing: June
Revised date, timing: June 23, from 4 pm to 5:45 pm
12, from 11:30am to 1:30 pm Earlier date, timing: June
Earlier date, timing: June 23, from 2 pm to 3:45 pm
11, from 2 to 4 pm The Jamia Millia Islamia
across colleges. Besides, under the sports and ECA
there will be 187 seats for quotas. In sports quota,
cricketers and 171 seats for candidates have to appear
footballers. in trials for their preferred
Among other sports, discipline.
there are seats in judo in While the trials carry 60
23 colleges, chess in 22 col- marks, another 40 marks
leges, kabaddi in 20 colleges are based on the merit and
and taekwondo in 21. Delhi participation certificates of
University colleges offer candidates. Those who have
admission in sports quota represented the country at
under 27 sports/activities. an international level do
5pc seats are reserved in not have to appear in trials.
each college for sports and The university has re-
extracurricular activities moved 12 activities, includ-
(ECA) quota, collectively. ing archery (Indian round),
The colleges submit ball badminton, baseball
names of sports/activities (women), softball (men),
where they need students korfball (male), 4x100m
live longer than men patients
the volunteers’ hearts by nolactone (found in plants
electrocardiogram, which and connective tissues) and
records the way a heart is B-vitamins. The placebo
beating. They also record- drink contained carbonated
ed the participants’ blood water, lime juice and cherry
pressure. All measurements flavouring.
were taken at the study’s In participants who
start and every 30 minutes consumed either type of
for 4 hours after drink con- energy drink, researchers
sumption. found that the QT interval
Both energy beverages was 6 milliseconds or 7.7
tested contained 304 to milliseconds higher at 4
320 milligrams of caffeine hours compared to placebo
drinkers. The QT in-
terval is a measure-
ment of the time
it takes ventricles
in the heart (the
lower chambers) to
prepare to generate
a beat again. If this
per 32 fluid ounces. Caf- time interval is either too
feine at doses under 400 short or too long, it can
milligrams is not expected cause the heart to beat
to induce any electrocar- abnormally. The resulting
diographic changes. These arrhythmia can be life-
findings were published in threatening.
the Journal of the American The results of the study
Heart Association. confirm previous find-
Other common ingredi- ings and suggest that the
ents in the energy drinks in QT interval changes are
the study included taurine generally sustained over
(an amino acid), glucuro- the four-hour monitoring
ic diseases before and after sion and just under half
the onset of depressive the cohort reported they
symptoms,” Xu said. were diagnosed or taking
The Australian Longi- treatment for depression.
tudinal Study on Women’s Women from the de-
Health followed healthy, pressed group were 1.8
middle-aged women with times more likely to have
no previous diagnosis of multiple chronic health
depression or chronic ill- conditions before they
ness over 20 years. first experienced depres-
The study found 43.2pc sive symptoms.
of women experienced ele- “Experiencing depres-
vated symptoms of depres- sive symptoms appeared
University has also released
the entrance examination
dates and schedule for several
other courses under gradua-
tion and post-graduation level.
The 2019 JMI Entrance Test
schedule is hosted at the exam
convener’s official website jmi.
ac.in (https://www.jmi.ac.in/)
and the same is also avail-
able on its official 2019-2020
prospectus. The JMI 2019
Entrance Test, JMI Entrance
Examination 2019 schedule
is available in a PDF format
can be downloaded with this
direct link media/uploads/
froala_editor/files/JMI%20
Exam%20dates2_d5SGjmy.pdf
The official revised UG,
PG Jamia Entrance Examina-
tion 2019 timetable is below-
JMI Entrance Test: Revised
relay race, cross-country and Sports guidelines.
running, cycling, fencing,
power-lifting, best physique universities can enrol stu- Federation (CGF), Asian
and yoga, from the list of dents only in games recog- cluded yoga in the ECA
sport quota this year citing nised by the International category this year.
Ministry of Youth Affairs Olympic Committee, Inter-
period rather than being
a short-lasting effect after
consuming 32-ounces of an
energy drink. Researchers
also found a statistically
significant 4 to 5 mm Hg
increase in systolic and
diastolic blood pressure in
participants who consumed
the energy drinks.
“We found an asso-
ciation between consuming
energy drinks and changes
in QT intervals and blood
pressure that cannot be
attributed to caffeine. We
urgently need
to investigate
the particular Your wellness
ingredient or
combination of ingredi-
ents in different types of
energy drinks that might
explain the findings seen
in our clinical trial,” said
lead author Sachin A.
Shah, Pharm.D., professor
of pharmacy practice at
University of the Pacific,
Thomas J. Long School
of Pharmacy and Health
Sciences in Stockton, Cali-
fornia.
to amplify the risk of
chronic illness,” Xu said.
After women started
experiencing these symp-
toms, they were 2.4 times
more likely to suffer from
multiple chronic condi-
tions compared to women
without depressive symp-
toms.
“Inflammation in the
body has been linked to
the development of both
depression and chronic
physical diseases,” he said.
“Chronic diseases, like
diabetes and hypertension,
are also commonly associ-
ated with depression,” Xu
said.
These findings help
strengthen healthcare pro-
fessionals understanding
of mental and physical
health.
“Healthcare profession-
als need to know that
RRB NTPC admit card
2019, to be released soon
Exam Dates for Undergraduate
Courses
R
1-Geography, Sociology, Psy- ailway Recruitment
chology: 9 June Board (RRB) is likely to
2-BA Hons English: 10 June release the admit card
3-BA Arts and political sci- for 35,277 vacancies under
ence: 12 June the Non-Technical Popular
4- BBA, B.Com and BA (Eco): Categories (NTPC) soon. The
15 June candidates were provided
5- BA Mass Media: 24 June with a one-month time pe-
Revised Exam Dates for Post- riod to register at the central
graduate Courses website, indianrailways.gov.
1-MA Mass Communications: in and all other regional
9 June websites.
2- M.Ed: 19 June Candidates will have to
3-LLM: 28 June appear for two stages of exams
4- MBA and Tourism: 30 June — computer-based test (CBT),
Exam takers shall keep followed by skill test. Selected
visiting the official website candidates will then be called
of Jamia Millia Islamia for all for a medical test and docu-
latest updates and develop- ment verification. Post all the
ments regarding JMI Entrance exams, the final result will be
Test 2019. announced and jobs will be
national Sports Federations,
“As per the guidelines, Commonwealth Games
Games by Olympic
Council of Asia
(OCA) and Para-
lympic Games by
International Para-
lympic Committee.
And these games
are not mentioned
there,” said Pankaj
Sinha, chairperson
of the university’s
sports council. The
University has in-
In ECA category, most of
R
esearchers have author Avani Athauda from
found that female Royal Marsden Hospital in
patients with oe- Britain.
sophagus and stomach “For female patients, it
cancer are likely to survive may be worthwhile provid-
longer than male patients, ing additional awareness
but experience more nau- and counselling for gastro-
sea, vomiting and diar- intestinal side effects when
rhoea during therapy.
The findings of a latest
UK study could potentially
help in managing patients
and also highlight who
are more at
risk against
specific side
effects.
“We tend to use a stan-
dard treatment approach
for managing oesophageal
and stomach cancers. What
this research suggests is
that there are significant prescribing chemotherapy,”
differences between male Athauda said.
and female patients not For the study, the re-
only in how they react searchers conducted an
to chemotherapy but also analysis on data taken from
how long they survive fol- four previously published
lowing treatment for their large randomised trials
cancer” said study lead conducted primarily in
the UK.
Patients in the trials had
been allocated to receive
chemotherapy before un-
clinical and sub-clinical dergoing surgery to remove
depression (elevated de- the tumours.
pressive symptoms) can In the analysis of over
be linked to other chronic 3,000 patients (2,668 male
physical conditions,” he
said.
When treating pa- Fun Corner
tients for these symptoms,
healthcare professionals Sudoku Puzzle
must realise these people
are at risk of developing         
further chronic illness,
researchers said.         
Women with both con-
        
ditions were more likely
to come from low-income         
households, be overweight
and inactive, smoke to-         
bacco and drink alcohol.
“Maintaining a healthy         
weight, exercising regular-
        
ly, eating a balanced diet,
and reducing harmful be-        
haviours could help pre-
vent and slow the progres-         
sion of multiple chronic
diseases,” Xu said. Puzzle #: 68 Difficulty : Easy
5
granted based on merit.
How to download
Step 1: Visit the official
website
Step 2: On the homepage,
click on the admit card link
Step 3: You will be redirected
to a new page
Step 4: Log-in using registra-
tion id
Step 5: Admit card will ap-
pear
Step 6: Download and take
a print out
Exam pattern
For CBT 1 –
For CBT 2 –
In the CBTs, every correct
answer will carry one mark
and for every wrong answer,
0.3 marks will be deducted.
the colleges have openings
in dance, music, dramatics
and debate. “Mostly col-
leges have requirements
in dance, music, dramatics
and debate. Candidates will
have to appear in trials at
two levels— preliminary
and finals. 75 marks will
be based of trials and the
remaining 25 on the cer-
tificates,” said Shalini Baxi,
coordinator, ECA admis-
sions.
The sports and ECA tri-
als will be held in the last
week of June. The venues
and timings will be up-
loaded on the DU website.
patients and 597 female),
the researchers found fe-
male patients were signifi-
cantly more likely to expe-
rience nausea (10pc ver-
sus 5pc), vomiting (10pc
versus 4pc) and diarrhoea
(9pc versus 4pc).
Female patients were
also significantly more
likely to live longer than
male ones following treat-
ment for their cancer, said
the study.
“This is a significant
finding based on a large
scale data set, and furthers
our understanding about
two types of cancer that
affect almost 16,000 people
each year in the UK alone,”
said David Cunningham,
Professor at the University
of London.
Rules: To solve a Su-
doku puzzle, every digit
from 1 to 9 must appear
in each of the nine verti-
cal columns, in each of
the nine horizontal rows
and in each of the nine
boxes.
Solution for Puzzle # 68
will be in next issue.
Sudoku Puzzle 67 Answer
        
        
        
        
         
        
        
        
        
 6 IN FOCUS
GULF FAQs
Want to combine paid leaves with Haj leave?
I have been working in a private
company in the mainland of Dubai
for the last six years. I wish to go on
Haj pilgrimage this year. I am aware
that I am entitled for 30 days’ unpaid
leave as mentioned in the UAE Em-
ployment Law. However, my company
offers 15 days of paid leave for Haj.
I want to know if I can combine the
same with other paid leaves to extend
it to up to 30 days?
An employee in the UAE is entitled
to go on pilgrimage and for the said
purpose, he can avail up to 30 days
of unpaid leave. This is in accordance
with Article 87 of the Federal Law 8 of
1980 regulating employment relations
(the “Employment Law”), which states:
“Every employee shall be granted, once
in the course of his period of service,
special leave without pay for the
purpose of fulfilling the obligation to
make the pilgrimage, such leave shall
not be counted towards any other pe-
riods of leave and shall not exceed 30
days”. Further, the word “pilgrimage”
may be construed as “Haj” under the
aforesaid law.
Consequently, you are entitled to a
maximum of 30 days of unpaid leave
for Haj. The Employment Law is silent
on whether you can combine such
leave with other paid leaves, but under
Article 87 of the said law, such leave
cannot be counted towards any other
period of leave and shall not exceed 30
days. Therefore, it would depend on
the internal human resources policies
of your company and at the discretion
of your employer to allow you to com-
bine the 15 days of paid leave for Haj
with other paid leave. Therefore, you
may approach your employer and seek
their consent if you can combine other
paid leave with the paid Haj leave.
Every employee shall be granted, once
in the course of his period of service,
special leave without pay for the pur-
pose of fulfilling the obligation to make
Haj pilgrimage, such leave shall not be
counted towards any other periods of
leave and shall not exceed 30 days.
Gratuity payment
I have been with my company for
nearly six years and have handed in
my notice as I plan to leave the UAE.
Over the years, I have been promoted
a few times and my salary has in-
creased each time so it is now more
than two times what it was when I
started. I have been given a calcula-
tion for my end of service gratuity but
it is less than I am expecting. I was
expecting 30 days for each year on
my final salary but the company has
worked it out as 21 days for the first
few years but on lower salary figures
for each period. The difference is large
so shall I need to know whether I am
right so that I can argue with them
and get what they owe me?
In this case, neither the employee
or the employer is wholly right. When
someone resigns after having com-
pleted more than five years of service
they are entitled to receive a full end-
of-service benefit but the law is very
specific regarding how it is calculated.
Article 132 of UAE Labour Law states:
“The worker having spent one year or
more in continuous service shall be
entitled to an end-of-service gratuity
upon the termination of his service.
The days of absence from work with-
out pay shall not be included in the
calculation of the period of service
and the gratuity shall be calculated
as follows: 1. The wage of 21 days for
each of the first five years of service.
2.The wage of 30 days for every ad-
ditional year. Always provided that
the total gratuity does not exceed the
wage of two years.” The salary used
for the calculation is the employee’s
last basic salary only. The UAE gov-
ernment website confirms this as it
states: “The end-of-service gratuity is
calculated on basis of last wage which
the employee was entitled to, namely
the basic salary. Hence, it will not
include allowances such as housing,
conveyance, utilities, furniture etc.”
In this case, your gratuity must be
calculated using your current basic
salary only with 21 days payable for
each of the first five years of service,
and then 30 days for each full year
over five years or pro-rata.
Will I be arrested?
I was working in Dubai and was
terminated, leaving all my accounts
with debts. Are there any information
sources or agencies to check if there
is a case filed against me? I want to
find out if there is a police case or a
case at immigration that would cause
a problem on arrival at Dubai airport. Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal meeting with Minister for Environment Prakash Javadekar in New Delhi.
I am planning to go back to Dubai for
work as I have a new job offer. Is it
possible for my new employer to get
a visa for me if there is a case against
me with Dubai police? Once I am in
the UAE, is there a possibility that all
penalties and charges can be removed
and the payments restructured?
I assume from your letter that you
have not been in touch with the bank
to which you owe this money and not
made any repayments in the period
you have been out of the UAE. If you
have made no attempt to deal with this
debt, I would not expect the bank to be
amenable about waiving any penalties.
The amount that was outstanding will
have increased significantly over the
years by the addition of both interest
and penalties. A redundancy is unfor-
tunate but everyone is aware that any
money borrowed from a bank must be
repaid. There is no publicly accessible
register of debt cases and the logical
course of action for you to contact the
bank to which you owe money. You
need to ask them whether there is a
case registered, how much is owed
and start to discuss what you can do
to repay the outstanding debt. It is
no longer possible for a third party to
enquire about cases at a Dubai Police
station. To do this, a lawyer would
need to be engaged, at a price.
Assuming there is a case registered
against you – and this is very likely
considering the situation – you will
need to come to an arrangement with
the bank and repay at least part of
what you owe for the bank to consider
lifting a case. If you can repay most
of the money owed in one go, a bank
may consider taking a slightly lower
amount but all situations are con-
sidered individually. While a case is
ongoing, you will not be able to enter
the UAE without being detained, so
it becomes somewhat academic as to
whether you can get a work visa as he
will not be able to enter the country
to take up the job offer.
Iconic Abu Dhabi Tower lit up in
Tricolour as PM Modi takes oath
ABU DHABI: In a show of
India-UAE solidarity, iconic
ADNOC tower was lit up
with Indian Tricolour and
flag of UAE as Narendra
Modi took oath as Prime
Minister of India for the
second term after a historic
win. Portraits of PM Modi
and Abu Dhabi Crown
Prince Mohammed bin
Zayed Al Nahyan adorned
the iconic building as well.
ADNOC Group Tower is
a landmark in Abu Dhabi
and is the corporate head-
quarters of Abu Dhabi Na-
tional Oil Company. “Now
this is true friendship!
As PM @narendramodi
is sworn in for a second
term in office, the iconic
@AdnocGroup tower in
Abu Dhabi is lit up with
India and UAE flags and
portraits of our PM and
of HH Sheikh,” Navdeep
Singh Suri, Indian Ambas-
sador to the UAE, wrote on
Over 3,000 people to get UAE citizenship
DUBAI: The Federal Author-
ity for Identity and Citizen-
ship (ICA) has announced
that it has completed all
necessary procedures re-
garding granting of UAE
citizenship to 3,354 children
of Emirati mothers.
Ali Mohammed Al
Shamsi, chairman of the
ICA, expressed his thanks
and gratitude to President
His Highness Sheikh Khalifa
bin Zayed Al Nahyan for his
directives to complete all
procedures related to grant-
ing of citizenship to them.
He added that the an-
nouncement, ahead of Eid
Al Fitr, brought joy in the
lives of many people in the
Currencies of Singapore, Malaysia on watch list
SINGAPORE: The US Trea-
sury added Singapore, Ma-
laysia and Vietnam to a
watchlist for currency ma-
nipulation, putting their
foreign-exchange policies
under scrutiny.
Singapore made the list
because of its large current
account surplus and net for-
eign currency purchases of
at least $17 billion in 2018,
equivalent to 4.6pc of GDP.
Malaysia was cited for its
bilateral trade surplus with
the US of $27 billion last
year and its current account
surplus of 2.1pc of GDP.
Vietnam was highlighted for
its large current account and
the official Twitter handle.
“Beyond the symbolism
of these images is also the
clear direction that Prime
Minister Modi and Sheikh
Mohamed bin Zayed have
provided to diplomats like
us to make the India-UAE
Comprehensive Strategic
Partnership’ a truly vibrant
example of what we can
achieve when we work
together,” Suri said.
“The close friendship
that has blossomed over
the last four years between
our prime minister and
the Crown Prince is well-
known. The whole world
can see it today in this
unique celebration of the
re-election of the PM for
a fresh five-year term,” he
said. Calling for closer co-
operation in different fields
between the two countries,
Suri observed that the
transformed relations made
an unprecedented impact
UAE and praised Sheikh
Khalifa’s initiatives to bring
joy to the sons and daugh-
ters of the country. The
ICA has set a schedule
to complete all the steps
related to delivering the
citizenship documents that
will be announced soon so
that they can exercise their
lives as citizens of the UAE
and benefit from initia-
tives, projects and services.
According to the ICA all
3,354 applications received
were reviewed and met citi-
zenship requirements and
conditions, in accordance
with legal provisions and
in co-ordination with the
concerned authorities.
bilateral trade surpluses.
Being labelled a currency
manipulator doesn’t come
with immediate penalties
but can rattle financial
markets. Singapore should
undertake reforms that will
lower its high saving rate
and boost low domestic
consumption, while striv-
ing to ensure that its real
exchange rate is in line with
economic fundamentals, to
help narrow its large and
persistent external surplus-
es, the treasury said in its
report. It also welcomed
Singapore’s pledge to report
more intervention data,
while acknowledging that
Tuesday, June 04, 2019
Illegal migrants
rescued from sea
BERLIN: An Italian navy
in areas such as trade and ship docked in the northern
investment flows, food and port city of Genoa carrying
energy security, manpower 100 migrants was rescued
and skills, literature and from the Mediterranean
culture, defence, space and Sea, where the number
security cooperation, and of migrant crossings has
growing people-to-people picked up in recent weeks.
connections. The Italian news agency
“So, as the Prime Min- ANSA reported that 23
ister starts his second term minors and 17 women, in-
in office, there is a tremen- cluding a few who are preg-
dous sense of optimism for nant, were among the mi-
India-UAE ties. We now grants. They were rescued
have the opportunity to from a dinghy in distress
build upon the strong plat- off Libya’s coast. Italy’s
form that we have created hardline interior minister
over the last four years, Matteo Salvini said that
and to make the coming the migrants would be
period a Golden Era in our transferred to five other
relationship,” said Suri. European Union nations
Last week, Moham- and taken in by the Vatican.
med bin Zayed Al Na- Since taking office last year,
hyan, Crown Prince of Salvini has vowed to stop
Abu Dhabi and Deputy migrants from arriving in
Supreme Commander of Italy. The migrants who
the UAE’s Armed Forces, arrived in Genoa were from
congratulated PM Modi for Libya, Cameroon, Somalia,
leading BJP to a landslide the Ivory Coast, Mali and
victory. Nigeria.
Fake Saudi ROYAL lands in jail
MIAMI: A Florida man who posed as a Saudi royal for
three decades and cheated people out of $8 million will
spend 18 years in prison for fraud. Anthony Gignac
(48) constructed a
personal world of
luxury from his regal
scam involving fake
diplomatic creden-
tials and a coterie of
bodyguards.
Posing as Khalid bin Al Saud, he lived in a condo on
Miami’s posh Fisher Island, drove a Ferrari with a forged
diplomatic license plate and eagerly courted investors and
gift-givers. He was accompanied by bodyguards carrying
fake diplomatic papers and demanded to be treated accord-
ing to royal protocol, which he used to justify demands for
gifts from potential investors. Dozens of people deposited
money into his bank accounts, thinking Gignac, whose
apartment bore a sign on its door reading “Sultan”, would
invest it. Instead, he spent it on everything from designer
clothes to yachts to private jet rides.
currency adjustments are its didn’t have unfair currency
main monetary policy tool. practices, adding that in-
“Singapore’s monetary clusion on the list had
policy adjustments are pri- no consequences for the
marily made through its country’s economy. “The
currency, hence, interven- ringgit exchange rate is
tion activities are relatively market-determined and is
heavier,” said Christy Tan, not relied upon for exports
head of markets strategy at competitiveness,” Bank Neg-
National Australia Bank. “I ara Malaysia said. Countries
doubt it will have a mean- with a current-account sur-
ingful impact,” she said, plus with the US equivalent
noting that Singapore is to two per cent of GDP are
“still very export- oriented” now eligible for the list,
in light of the US advice to down from three per cent.
boost domestic consump- Other thresholds include
tion. persistent intervention in
Malaysia’s central bank markets for a nation’s cur-
said the country supported rency and a trade surplus of
free and fair trade and at least $20 billion.
 Tuesday, June 04, 2019
CORPORATE NEWS 7
Bharti AXA Life new biz premium rises 25pc HCL Infosystems reports
B revenue of Rs 4,340cr in FY19
harti AXA Life Insur- growth was driven by both ment witnessed an increase jor AXA, increased its net
ance, a private life higher new business as well of 27 per cent from Rs 4,496 advisor force by 10,750 to
insurer, said that its as healthy renewal collec- crore in 2017-18 to Rs 5,699 39,400 agents in the finan-

new business premium
grew 25pc in the financial
year 2018-19 at Rs 911
crore as against Rs 731
crore in the previous fiscal.
The annualised new
business premium increased
31pc to Rs 640 crore in the
financial year ended March
31, 2019, from Rs 489 crore
in 2017-18.
The company registered
22pc growth in its renewal
premium to Rs 1,164 crore
in 2018-19 fiscal, as com-
pared to Rs 954 crore in
2017-18.
The total premium rose
23pc to Rs 2,076 crore in
the financial year 2018-19
from Rs 1,684 crore in the
corresponding fiscal a year
ago.
‘’We have performed
well on all key business
parameters in the financial
year 2018-19. The overall
tions in the last fiscal. We
have grown faster than the
life insurance industry with
the strong business per-
formance in last financial
year and are confident of
registering robust growth
in this fiscal,’’ Vikas Seth,
Managing Director and
Chief Executive Officer
(CEO), Bharti AXA Life
Insurance, said.
Asset under manage-
crore as on March 31, 2019.
Expansion spree
The company set up
50 new branches to take
an enhanced distribution
network of 236 branches
across the country during
2018-19, up 27pc over 186
branches in 2017-18.
Bharti AXA Life Insur-
ance, a joint venture be-
tween Bharti Enterprises
and French insurance ma-
cial year ended March 31,
2019.
Seth said the company
has big expansion plans in
the current financial year
in terms of recruitment of
fresh advisors and setting
up of more branches for
new customer and business
acquisition. It will further
be strengthening its agency
model for selling various
insurance products and
servicing customers ef-
ficiently.
‘’Apart from focusing
on quality business and
sustainable growth with
an emphasis on protection
and saving segments, we
will continue to strengthen
digital and data analytics
deployments for providing
the best value proposition
to our customers and effi-
ciency in our operations,’’
he added.
H
CL Infosystems said
that its revenue in
2018-19 moved up to
Rs 4,340 crore from Rs 3,565
crore in the previous fiscal.
The distribution business
share was Rs 3,722 crore
(Rs 3,017 crore in FY18),
enterprise distribution Rs
1,704 crore (Rs 1,525 crore),
consumer distribution Rs
2,018 crore (Rs 1,492 crore)
and global services business
Rs 486 crore (Rs 376 crore).
The loss before interest,
tax and exceptional items
narrowed to Rs 25.6 crore in
FY19 versus Rs 35.5 crore in
FY 18. Revenue (including
other income) from discon-
tinued operations in FY 19
was Rs 53 crore and profit
before tax (before exception-
al items) was Rs 3.1 crore.
“In FY 19 we further con-
solidated our business and
focused on our distribution
and overseas services,” said
company’s Managing Direc-
tor Rangarajan Raghavan.
“Realisation of receivables
from certain systems inte-
gration projects continue to
pose challenges.”
HCL Infosystems’ sys-
tems integration business
has been facing the chal-
lenge of inordinate delays
in customer acceptances and
payments, especially in the
power sector.
“We are continuously
engaging with customers to
resolve these issues. How-
ever, we continue to face
challenges and have had
limited success so far. Dur-
ing the quarter, we have
provided for Rs 33.8 crore on
account of such receivables,”
said Raghavan.
The delay in realisation
of these receivables has
impacted the company’s
capacity to invest in other
businesses which have the
potential for growth. To
reduce debt obligations, the
company has decided to
monetise its properties in a
phased manner.

Five things to know about RTGS
T T
he Reserve Bank
of India (RBI) has
announced that the
time window for Real
Time Gross Settlement
(RTGS) system will be ex-
tended by one-and-a-half
hour for bank customers.
Under RTGS, there is a
continuous and real-time
settlement of fund trans-
fers, individually on a
transaction by transaction
basis (without netting).
1 What it is: It is a fund
transfer service where the
settlement of fund hap-
pens in real time—at the
same time you initiate the
process. Once you make the
payment, it is irrevocable.
2 Transaction amount
limit: RTGS is used for
large-value transactions.
The minimum amount you
can send is Rs 2 lakh. Ac-
cording to RBI, there is no
maximum limit. However,
some banks cap it at Rs
10 lakh per day.
3 Cut-off time for
transaction: The cut-off
time has been extended
from 4:30pm to 6pm, ef-
fective June 1. It is open
for business from 8am.
Inter-bank cut-off is 7:45
pm.
4 Cost involved: The
transaction fee varies
based on the time of
transaction. Transaction
done between 8am and
11am will cost you noth-
ing. Any transaction after
11am till the cut-off time
will vary between Rs 2 -
Rs 10.
5 Advance scheduling:
RTGS transactions can be
scheduled three working
days in advance. You
can pay for transactions
such as cash management
transfer, hedging, interest
and tax payment.
Amazon expands grocery delivery services to 110 cities
he rapid growth wit-
nessed in the online
grocery retail seg-
ment in the Indian mar-
ket is seeing aggressive
expansion in the space
by e-commerce giants.
The latest to announce a
large scale expansion is
Amazon’s grocery delivery
brand - Amazon Pantry.
Last week, the company’s
executives announced that
the company has widened
its reach, especially in
smaller cities in India, and
now has a presence in 110
cities and towns across the
market. The service was
only available in 40 cities
across the country as of
November 2018.
“Consumables is a fast
growing category for Ama-
zon.in. Amazon Pantry
has become popular with
customers... We have now
added more than 70 cit-
ies and towns in the last
six-seven months to take
the total number of cit-
ies covered by Amazon
Pantry to 110,” Saurabh
Srivastava, Director, Cat-
egory Management said in
a statement. Smaller cities
where the service will now
be available include places
like Ichalkaranji in Maha-
rashtra, Kaithal in Haryana
and Belgaum in Karnataka.
According to the compa-
ny, Amazon Pantry gives its
customers access to about
5,000 products from over
500 brands across catego-
ries like staples, household
supplies, personal care,
and others. It also allows
customers to choose time
slots to schedule order de-
liveries in select cities like
Bengaluru, Delhi, Mumbai,
Chennai, Hyderabad, Kol-
kata and Pune.
The Indian online gro-
cery segment has seen
significant growth in recent
years, with established
players like BigBasket and
Grofers expanding services
rapidly. The allure of po-
tential earnings has also
seen biggies like Walmart-
owned Flipkart make a
play for a portion of the
pie. In early May this year,
Flipkart announced the
launch of its online grocery
store - Flipkart Supermart
- in Mumbai, the fifth city
Supermart is available in
after Bengaluru, Chennai,
Hyderabad and New Delhi.
Flipkart had first rolled
out Flipkart Supermart in
August 2018, after it was
acquired by US retailer
Walmart. Amazon too has
been betting big on its
Amazon Pantry venture
in India, with industry
sources saying that it has
committed close to $500
million for the food retail
venture.

BoB proposes to raise Rs 11,900cr through share sale in FY20

S
tate-owned Bank of
Baroda (BoB) plans to
raise Rs 11,900 crore
during the current fiscal
through share sale, includ-
ing Employee Share Pur-
chase Scheme to shore up
capital for meeting business
expansion requirements.
The bank expects to
garner Rs 1,500 crore from
Bank of Baroda Employee
Share Purchase Scheme
(BoB-ESPS).
It has been decided to
raise size of ESPS scheme
to 15 crore shares with a
face value of Rs 2 each as
against 10 crore shares pro-
posed in January this year.
ESPS will be within
overall limit of capital plan
2019-20 of Rs 11,900 crore
of the bank, BoB said in
its Annual General Meet-
ing (AGM) notice to its
shareholders.
The remaining capital
would be raised by way
of various modes such
as Qualified Institutional
Placement (QIP) or Follow
on Public Offer (FPO) or
rights issues or any other
mode or combinations of
these with the existing
paid-up equity share capi-
tal remaining within the
total authorized capital of regard will be taken by
the bank of Rs 3,000 crore, shareholders of the bank on
it said. June 21 at the AGM.
The decisions in this The size of ESPS was
enhanced with a view to
provide an opportunity to
the employees of erstwhile
Dena Bank and Vijaya
Bank, which were merged
with BoB.
It will help the bank
raise equity capital to shore
up capital adequacy and to
fund the general business
needs, it said.
Besides, it will enable
the bank to attract, retain
and reward employees by
sharing the value created
by them and motivate them
to contribute to the growth
and profitability of the
company, it said.
At the same time, the
move to offer ESPS will
create a sense of ownership
and participation amongst
the employees.
It is to be noted that the
maiden three-way amalga-
mation became operational
with the merger of Dena
Bank and Vijaya Bank with
BoB from April 1.
With the first ever three-
way merger, BoB has now
become the second-largest
public sector lender after
the State Bank of India
with over 9,500 branches,
13,400 ATMs and 85,000
employees to serve 12 crore
customers.
The consolidated entity
started the operation with
a business mix of over Rs
15 trillion on the balance
sheet, with deposits and
advances of Rs 8.75 tril-
lion and Rs 6.25 trillion,
respectively.

Assocham demands cut in effective corp tax to 25pc GSK Consumer Healthcare, HUL to merge
I
ndustry chamber Asso- that Dividend Distribution duty rates on ATF, in order 16 Budget promised that the two companies, valuing

cham has demanded cut
in effective corporate tax
to 25 pc, doing away with
dividend distribution tax
(DDT) and indexing of allow-
ances and deductions under
personal Income Tax with
inflation.
In its pre-budget meeting
with the Revenue Secretary
last week, Assocham also
demanded reduction of excise
duty on Aviation Turbine Fuel
(ATF), and a cut in customs
duty rates on raw materials
used in domestic manu-
facturing. It also suggested
that Minimum Alternate Tax
(MAT), which is levied at
18.55pc, should be abolished
and demanded that relaxation
in norms for start-ups.
“The effective corporate
tax on distributed profit is
over 48pc. Need to reduce to
25pc and gradually to 20pc,”
Assocham said. It further said
Tax (DDT) at 20.55pc is “bur-
densome” and suggested that
it be replaced with Dividend
Taxation.
With regard to personal
taxation, Assocham recom-
mended that all allowances
and deductions-- medical/
conveyance etc.-- should
be “indexed as per cost of
inflation”.
Such a step would make
allowances more realistic
and help in neutralising the
impact of inflation for tax-
payers. With regard to ratio-
nalising excise duty on ATF,
the industry body said post
implementation of Goods and
Services Tax (GST), credit of
excise duty paid on purchase
of ATF is not eligible. This
has resulted in increasing
the cost component for the
airline industry.
“Government should con-
sider decreasing the excise
to help aviation industry in
India... Lower excise duty
rates would be required to
offset the impact of rising
international fuel prices,”
it said.
Assocham also demanded
cut in customs duty rates
on aluminium to 5pc from
7.5pc, woven backing fabric
to 10pc from 25pc and on
CRGO Steel and steel mill
rolls to ‘nil’ from 5pc and
7.5pc respectively.
The full budget for 2019-
20 would be presented on
July 5. Assocham Co Chair-
man Rakesh Nangia said the
Government should give ad-
dition tax incentives to the
electrical vehicles sector, by
giving weighted deduction
on the capital and R&D ex-
penditure and leverage SEZ
by extending sunset period
beyond April 2020.
The government in 2015-
G
corporate tax rate would be
gradually lowered to 25pc
from 30pc over the next four
years and exemptions avail-
able to companies would be
phased out.
In Budget 2016-17, the
government reduced cor-
porate tax rate to 25pc for
companies whose turnover
was less than Rs 50 crore in
financial year 2015-16. This
benefitted 96pc of the total
companies filing tax returns.
In 2018-19 Budget, the
reduced rate of 25pc was
extended to companies with
turnover of up to Rs 250 crore
in 2016-17, a move which
benefited micro, small and
medium enterprises.
After this, out of about
7 lakh companies filing re-
turns, about 7,000 which file
returns of income and whose
turnover is above Rs 250
crore remain in 30pc slab.
l a xo S m i t h K l i n e
Consumer Health-
care India (GSKCH)
has received a go-ahead
from shareholders for
its merger with Hindu-
stan Unilever (HUL). The
company has received
99.99pc votes in favour tion, approving the scheme, arm, HUL, is acquiring
of the scheme of amal- was passed by the requisite GSK Consumer Health-
gamation between the majority of equity share- care in an all-stock deal.
holders of the company,”
the total business of HUL
GSKCH India said in a
at Rs 31,700 crore at the
regulatory filing.
National Company Law Earlier in January,
Tribunal-convened meeting
GlaxoSmithKline Con-
of equity shareholders on
sumer Healthcare had
June 1, 2019. informed that it has re-
“The proposed resolu-
ceived approval from the
fair trade regulator Com-
petition Commission of
India for its merger deal
with HUL.
On December 3, An-
glo-Dutch FMCG giant
Unilever had announced
the acquisition of health
food portfolio — including
popular brands Horlicks
and Boost — from Glaxo-
SmithKline in India and
over 20 other markets for
3.1 billion pounds (about
Rs 27,750 crore). Under
the deal, Unilever’s Indian
 8 Travel / Entertainment
Flydubai completes UAE cinemas to remain
10 years of operations open 24hrs for Eid
D
ubai-based Flydubai
served more than 70
million passengers
since its first flight in 2009
and the low-cost carrier’s
operations will pick up
once Boeing’s 737 Max jet is
cleared to fly by regulators
and the manufacturer.
“For many years the gov-
ernment of Dubai recognised
the need for another carrier
to serve our country [other
than sister long-haul airline
Emirates], so Flydubai was
launched with a mandate to
open new markets and make
travel more accessible to
more people,” said Sheikh
Ahmed bin Saeed Al Mak-
toum, chairman of Flydubai,
in a statement.“I am happy
to see Flydubai deliver on
that commitment, which
has seen the airline connect
71 previously under-served
SpiceJet to hire upto Dubai International
2,000 Jet Airways staff Airport fully operational
S
piceJet plans to hire
up to 2,000 staff, in-
cluding pilots and
cabin crew, of the defunct
Jet Airways as the no-frills
carrier continues to expand
its operations. The airline
has taken at least 22 planes
that were earlier used by Jet
Airways, which temporarily
shuttered its operations due
to cash crunch in April.
“We have taken signifi-
cant number of people from
Jet Airways. They were well
qualified professional peo-
ple. We will continue to take
more Jet staff in the times to
come. We have taken around
1,100 people so far. Expecta-
tion is that we will go up
to 2,000 people. It will be
pilots, cabin crew, (people)
from airport services, securi-
ty...,” SpiceJet Chairman Ajay
Singh told a TV channel.
Currently, SpiceJet has
around 14,000 staff and a
fleet of 100 planes. It is the
India, China to account for half of air
passenger growth in two decades
I
ndia and China are pro-
jected to account for near-
ly half of the air passenger
growth worldwide over the
next two decades, with trav-
ellers coming from all walks
of life, according to global
airlines’ grouping IATA.
With more number of
people making air travel,
India was one of the fastest
growing domestic aviation
markets in the world for
nearly five years continu-
ously. However, the growth
turned negative in April
mainly due to flight can-
cellations and subsequent
grounding of full service
carrier Jet Airways.
Brian Pearce, Chief Econ-
omist at the International
Air Transport Association
(IATA), said the negative
growth in the Indian market
was temporary and that the
market would expand as
Indians want to travel more.
In his address at the annual
general meeting , IATA Di-
rector General Alexandre
de Juniac said the develop-
ing markets are expected to
provide the majority of ad-
Printed by Supreeth MJ and published by him on behalf of IPEPCIL Publications Pvt Ltd. and printed at Inquilab Offset Printers Ltd.,156, D J Dadaji Road, Tardeo, Mumbai-400 034, Maharashtra and published from Office No. 1001,
10th Floor, Navjivan Commercial Premises Co-op. Society Ltd., Lamington Road, (Dr.D.B.Marg), Mumbai Central, Mumbai - 400 008. • Editor: E.L. Vaidyanathan • Volume No.: 1, Issue No. 68 • RNI No. MAHENG/2018/76663.
cities to Dubai, giving a pop- following directives from
ulation of 1.5 billion people the UAE aviation regula-
easier access to one of the tor in March. The entire
world’s aviation hubs.” global fleet of Maxs has been
Flydubai’s business mod- grounded following two fa-
el has allowed the airline to tal crashes within the space
harness revenue that region- of five months, prompting
al competitors cannot afford, investigations into system
while enabling its custom- malfunctions related to the
ers to reach jet. The narrow-body air-
places that craft is the workhorse of
were not ac- airlines, especially low-cost
cessible from carriers such as Flydubai
Dubai before and Flydubai in April joined
by expanding into Eastern carriers such as Norwegian
Europe, Russia and across Air in demanding compen-
Africa, Saj Ahmed, chief ana- sation from Boeing. “The
lyst at aviation consultancy next 10 years for Flydubai
StrategicAero Research, said. will be just as important as
“Once the Boeing 737 the previous,” said Ahmed.
Max is back in service later Flydubai’s first flight
this year, Flydubai’s expan- took off from Dubai Inter-
sion strategy will really national Airport bound for
boom – and with the city of Beirut’s Rafic Hariri Interna-
Dubai remaining the true tional Airport 10 years back.
global nexus for travel, the To celebrate the anniversary,
airline is exceptionally well Flydubai operated a special
placed to expand like never flight from DXB on June 1,
before,” said Ahmed. 2019, and was met with a
Flydubai grounded its celebratory water cannon
fleet of 14 737 Max jets salute on arrival in Beirut.
fourth airline after Air India,
line is right now focused on
now defunct Jet Airways and narrow-body fleet. “Having
IndiGo to have 100 aircraft. said that we recognise that
SpiceJet has Boeing 737s, there are gaps which have
Bombardier Q-400s and been created. They need to
B737 freighters. It operates be filled and in the longer
around 575 daily flights on term, if India is to be a global
aviation hub, Indian carriers
will have to fly long haul. It
can’t be only Air India which
flies long haul. The models
(of business) for us may be
different... I am sure every
carrier is trying to see what
can be done,” he said.
On May 28, SpiceJet
posted a 22pc rise in net
profit to Rs 56.3 crore in
the three months ended
Ajay Singh
March as higher fares helped
an average to 62 destina- the airline amid a capac-
tions, including nine inter- ity crunch in the domestic
national ones, he said. aviation market. Singh said
Narrow-body fleet there is no plan to raise
To a query on whether funds at the moment, add-
SpiceJet would look at op- ing that the airline is quite
erating wide-body aircraft comfortably placed in terms
that were earlier used by Jet of finances. “We are going to
Airways, Singh said the air- expand 80pc capacity this
ditional passenger demand. compromise value the aviation
“India and China alone are industry creates, he added.
forecast to account for around On year-on-year basis, In-
45pc of all additional passen- dia’s domestic air passenger
ger trips over the next two de- growth declined 4.5pc in
cades. Even more than today, April, as per data released by
the travellers of the future aviation regulator DGCA. In its
will come from all walks of monthly report issued in May,
life and economic means,” he IATA said India’s domestic air
said. Talking about infrastruc- traffic registered first negative
ture issues, de Juniac said growth rate in more than five
critically congested airports years in April, mainly due to
are spread the world over, the demise of Jet Airways.
and governments should Following a sustained period
take note that developing of strong double-digit RPK
infrastructure, airports or air growth, the India domestic
traffic management, lays an market recorded its first nega-
economic cornerstone. Ac- tive growth rate in April since
cording to him, careful plan- Jan 2014, it had said. Revenue
ning, broad consultation with Passenger Km (RPK) is a mea-
users, examination of funding sure of passenger volumes.
options and a keen focus on IATA said that in the Asia-
affordability are the keys to Pacific airlines would deliver
making it successful. a net profit of $6 billion in
“Sao Paulo, New York, 2019 compared to $7.7 billion
London, Amsterdam, Mum- last year. “The region is show-
bai, Bangkok and Sydney ing very diverse performance.
are all examples of airport Accounting for about 40pc of
bottlenecks due to capacity global air cargo traffic makes
constraints -- both real and ar- the region the most exposed
tifical,” de Juniac said. Creep- to weakness in world trade
ing protectionist or isolationist and that, combined with
political agendas are on the higher fuel costs, is squeezing
rise and that they threaten to the region’s profits,” it added.
W
ith UAE malls
remaining
open for 24
hours over Eid Al Fitr, it
was only a matter of time
that cinemas would fol-
low suit. Novo Cinemas
has already announced
that its theatres will re-
main open around the
clock between June 5
and 7 over the festive Eid
period.
Multiple outlets in-
cluding Dubai Festival
City, IMG Worlds of Ad-
venture and Dragon Mart
2 in Dubai and World
Trade Centre Mall in Abu
Dhabi will remain open
for night birds who want
to catch a movie at 2am,
3am, 4am or 5am if they
so please. Reel Cinemas at
The Dubai Mall will also
be open for 24 hours over
Eid. The outlet will also
host a special screening
of Emirati film “Rashid &
year (fiscal). A lot of the
capacity is being expanded
through the leasing route.
Therefore, it may not require
huge amount of cash and
this year we also expect to
be significantly profitable.
Also, get significant cash
flow through sale and lease
back. So, we think that we
probably don’t need to dilute
any equity,” he noted.
The airline is looking to
have an 80pc capacity ex-
pansion in terms of Available
Seat Km (ASK), an indicator
of seat capacity. “We have
very little debt in the com-
pany and the debt relates to
Q400s we have on our books
for the most part. We are in
a healthy situation that we
have a very low debt,” Singh
said. In 2015, SpiceJet placed
a $22 billion order for 205
aircraft with Boeing and had
followed it up with a $ 1.7
billion order for 50 Bombar-
dier Q400 planes.
Emirates eyes more seats
on Dubai-India route
G
ulf carrier Emirates
is looking for more
seats to offer on the
Dubai-India route, which
has not seen an increase in
bilateral rights for the last
five years, and expects dis-
cussions to restart between
the two governments, a top
official said. Emirates, the
flagship carrier of Dubai,
flies to nine destinations in
India and has also entered
into a preliminary pact for
a code share with low-cost
carrier SpiceJet.
Speaking on the sidelines
of a conference organised by
International Air Transport
Association (IATA), he ex-
pressed hope that with elec-
tions over, the current govern-
ment would be able to focus
more on the aviation sector.
“The bilateral (air traffic)
rights between India and
Dubai is the biggest single
problem. Now, the elections
are over and the Modi govern-
ment is back in power. I am
hoping that the talks would
(between India and Dubai)
reopen,” Emirates Airline
President Tim Clark said.
Bilateral rights refer to
an agreement between two
Rajab” at The Dubai Mall on rector, Mohammed Saeed
the first day Eid at 7pm. The Harib will be in attendance the Eid Al Fitr break in-
comedy sees a prominent at the screening together clude “John Wick 3”,
businessman swap bodies
with an Egyptian delivery
driver with hilarious results.
To meet fans, the film’s di-
D
ubai International
Airport is on track
to open its southern
runway after it was closed
45 days for refurbishment
works. The closure of the
runway, one of two at the air-
port, led Emirates to cancel
many flights, while Flydubai
moved some of its flights
to the city’s second airport,
Al Maktoum International
(DWC).
A spokesperson for Dubai
Airports confirmed that
Dubai International, one
of the world’s busiest, is
fully reopen. Flydubai said
its flights that were moved
to DWC have resumed as
planned from Dubai Inter-
national. “Flydubai’s aim
was to provide passengers
with as much choice and
with minimum disruption
during this period and we
have had positive feedback
from our passengers about
their travel experiences,” a
spokesperson for the low-
countries that allow each
other’s airlines to operate
services with a specific num-
ber of seats. The existing
bilateral rights allow carriers
from Dubai and India to of-
fer nearly 1,30,000 seats per
week on their flights to each
other’s territory. “There has
been no seat increase between
India and Dubai for the last
five years… Dubai-India is
(one of) the most profitable
routes,” Clark said.
EXCHANGE RATES
As on 03rd June, 2019 (In rupees)
Currency Buying
Australian Dollar 46.70
Bahraini Dinar 179.65
British Pound 86.35
Canadian Dollar 49.85
Emirati Dirham 18.40
Euro 76.05
Kuwaiti Dinar 223.3
Omani Rial 175.60
Qatari Riyal 18.60
Saudi Riyal 18.15
Singapore Dollar 49.15
Swiss Franc 68.15
US Dollar 68.20
Rates are subect to change Source:
without notice. Errors &
omissions excepted
Tuesday, June 04, 2019
Movies releasing over
with the movie’s stars, Shadi “The Hustle”, “X-Men:
Alfons and Sheema. Tick- Dark Phoenix” and Hindi
ets are priced at Dh75 per film “Bharat”, among
person. others.
cost carrier said. up to 48 of its aircraft and
Emirates said that it will reduce the number of flights
be resuming the regular it operates by 25pc.
operating schedule, which Before the runway shut
includes over 1,700 flights down, Dubai Airports ex-
a week. A spokesperson for plained that the southern
the airline also said Emirates runway was “nearing the
plans to ramp up operations end of its design life” and
required resurfacing,
upgraded lighting and
other modifications to
accommodate future
traffic. Paul Griffiths,
CEO of Dubai Airports,
said earlier that the
upgrade is “absolutely
necessary” to height-
en safety, capacity,
to several regions from June and pave the way for more
1, including destinations in growth. Spokespeople at the
Europe and Africa. The car- airport also said that May
rier had said at the time of was typically “the quietest
the closure that it would can- period in terms of traffic,”
cel or re-time a “significant especially this year as it
number” of its flights due to coincided with Ramadan
the runway closure. In Jan, when demand for travel is
it had said it would ground relatively low.
Subscription Form
Name .................................................
Address .............................................
..........................................................
..........................................................
..........................................................
Pin Code ............. Mob.: ...................
Email ................................................
Draft No. .............. Amount ...............
Bank .................... Branch ................
Duration Issues By Post By Courier
6 Months 52 375/- 1000/-
1 year 104 700/- 1500/-
Selling
Date ................. Signature .................
49.70
189.65 Demand Draft to be drawn in favour of “IPEPCIL
89.35 Publications pvt ltd.” payable at Mumbai.
52.85 Money Order to be sent to: IPEPCIL Publica-
19.40 tions (This subscription form should be filled in
79.05 and posted along with M.O details)
233.30
185.60
19.60 PUBLICATIO NS PVT. LTD.
19.15
9010, 9th Floor, Ozone Biz Centre,
52.15
71.15 Mumbai Central (E), Mumbai - 400008.
70.70 Mob.: 8898261303, 9730073400
Email: circulation@newsandnri.com
Phone: 022 - 23001102 / 23001103.