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Saudi to offer tourist visasRIYADH: Saudi Arabia has formally announced that tourist visas will be issued for the first time to visitors from 49 countries around the world. The Saudi Com-mission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH) made the announcement at an event in Ad-Diriyah, an ancient city that is now a leading tourist destination.

Kickstarting tourism is one of the centerpieces of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030 re-form programme to prepare the biggest Arab economy for a post-oil era. At the launch event that coincided with World Tourism Day, the president of SCTH Ahmed Al-Khateeb said that “the Kingdom opens its doors to the world at this his-toric moment, and we are a people that welcomes visi-tors and offers hospitality to guests.” He added that international investors had agreed to invest SR15 bil-lion ($30 billion) into the tourism sector.

“Opening Saudi Ara-bia to international tourists is a historic moment for our country,” Tourism chief

Ahmed Al-Khateeb said in a previous statement.

“Visitors will be sur-prised... by the treasures we have to share — five UNESCO World Heritage Sites, a vibrant local culture

and breathtaking natural beauty.”Dress code eased

Al-Khateeb said the Kingdom will also ease its strict dress code for foreign women, allowing them to go without the Abaya robe that is still mandatory public

wear for Saudi women. For-eign women, however, will be required to wear “modest clothing,” he added, without elaborating. Tourists from 38 countries in Europe, seven in Asia, as well as the US,

Canada, Australia and New Zealand, will be eligible to apply for the new visas. These will cost SR300 ($80), with an additional cost of SR140 for travel insurance, sources earlier told a TV channel.

The visas will be valid

for 360 days from the date of issue for stays of 90 days or less, and for a total of no more than 180 days in a single year. For residents of those 49 countries, visas will be obtainable online

via a seven-minute applica-tion process or on arrival at machine kiosks or special counters in any of Saudi Arabia’s four international airports. Applications for the tourist visas will commence on Sept 28. The visa an-nouncement was teased via

a website and on social me-dia by way of a video cam-paign, hashtagged “Where in the world?” which featured several shots of Saudi land-marks and natural wonders, prompting viewers to guess where they might be.

According to SCTH, the website has garnered over 94 million views since going live. SCTH announced that they have established a SR15 billion fund to support tour-ism projects across the King-dom. They also said that they had conducted field research by inviting 100 “invisible tourists” to Saudi Arabia to gauge public reac-tion to their presence, but also to garner their feedback on how they found Saudi Arabia and what could be improved. Marketing Saudi Arabia as a tourist location is one of the main goals of Vision 2030, the Kingdom’s ambitious plan to move the country away from its heavy reliance on oil as its main source of income.

While religious tourism has also been a key factor in Saudi Arabia’s income, with pilgrims from all over the world (Contd. on page 2)

All about Saudi tourist visa• Where can you apply for the visa?

Tourists will be able to apply online for an e-visa or gain a visa on arrival in Saudi Arabia. A dedicated online portal at visitsaudi.com has been launched and electronic kiosks are available at airports.• How long is it valid for?

The tourist visa allows for a stay of up to three months per entry with visitors able to spend up to 90 days a year in Saudi Arabia. The visa is valid for one year with multiple entries.• Do female tourists need to wear an Abaya?

An official statement on this has not yet been released, but it is understood that while both genders need to dress modestly

to be respectful of the culture, wearing an Abaya will not be enforced.• Why are the tourist visas being introduced?

Saudi Arabia first unveiled its plans to welcome tourists to the kingdom in Dec 2017, but in the years since, there had been little news – until recently. Last week, a slick new tourism campaign for the kingdom was launched, with a stunning video making the rounds on social media.

Previously, most visitors to Saudi Arabia were Muslims visiting to perform the annual Haj or those on business trips. Tourist visas were only issued on an in-termittent basis, and only for select group tours. It was particularly difficult for single women to visit the Kingdom.

Saudi King’s trustedbodyguard shot deadRIYADH: A prominent body-guard of King Salman was shot and killed by a friend.

Ma Gen Abdulaziz Al Fagham has been shot and killed in a dispute with his friend Mamdouh Bin Me-shaal Al Ali, in Jeddah. A

one-sentence statement pub-lished by state TV on Twitter identified Al Fagham as “the bodyguard of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques.”

Saudis on Twitter shared his pictures and offered con-dolences to Al Fagham’s fam-ily. Al Fagham, local media reported, was popular among Saudis as he was always

Maj-Gen Abdulaziz Al Fagham with King Salman.

present with the late King Abdullah and King Salman, his successor. In mid-2017, King Salman issued a royal order to promote Abdu-laziz Al Fagham, which was considered an exceptional promotion to the rank of

brigadier general. Al Fagham was at a friend’s house, when a common friend, Mamdouh Bin Meshaal Al Ali, joined them. A heated argument erupted between Al Fagham and Mamdouh, which led to the latter shooting the brigadier general and two others who were present at the house.

Saudi to invest $100b in India, says envoyRIYADH: Saudi Arabia, the world’s biggest oil exporter, is looking at investing $100 billion in India in areas of petrochemicals, infrastruc-ture and mining among oth-ers, considering the coun-try’s growth potential. Saudi Ambassador Dr Saud bin Mohammed Al Sati has said India is an attractive invest-ment destination for Saudi Arabia and it is eyeing long-term partnerships with New Delhi in key sectors such as oil, gas and mining, Saudi TV channels reported.

“Saudi Arabia is looking at making investments in India potentially worth $100 billion in the areas of energy, refining, petrochemicals, infrastructure, agriculture, minerals and mining,” Al Sati revealed. He said Saudi Arabia’s oil giant Aramco’s proposed partnership with Reliance Industries reflected the strategic nature of the growing energy ties between the two countries. The en-voy said investing in India’s value chain from oil supply, marketing, refining to petro-chemicals and lubricants is a

key part of Aramco’s global downstream strategy.

“In this backdrop, Saudi Aramco’s proposed invest-ments in India’s energy sec-tor such as the $44 billion West Coast refinery and petrochemical project in Maharashtra and long-term partnership with Reliance represent strategic mile-stones in our bilateral rela-tionship,” he remarked. The envoy said the vision 2030 of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will also result in significant expansion of trade and business between India and Saudi Arabia in diverse sectors. Under vision 2030, Saudi Arabia plans to diversify the Saudi economy while reducing its economic dependence on petroleum products.

Saudi Arabia is a key pillar of India’s energy secu-rity, being a source of 17pc or more of crude oil and 32pc of LPG requirements of India. The envoy said more than 40 opportunities for joint collaboration and investments across various sectors have been identified

Dr Saud bin Mohammed Al Sati

between India and Saudi Arabia in 2019, adding the current bilateral trade of $34 billion will undoubtedly continue to increase.

“There is huge untapped

potential available in mer-chandise trade, particularly in non-oil trade and we are enhancing co-operation in economic, commercial, investment, cultural and technological fields,” the en-voy said.Asked about Saudi Arabia’s plan to issue initial public offering of Aramco’s stock, being seen as world’s largest IPO, he said it will open up the company to the wider world. “Consistent with the vision 2030 goals,

Saudi Aramco is pursuing new opportunities toward creating a world leading downstream sector in Saudi Arabia,” he said.

On future energy ties with India, he said the bilat-eral energy ties have grown beyond the supply of crude oil, refined products and LPG to a more comprehen-sive partnership that focuses on investments and joint ventures in petrochemical complexes and coopera-tion in exploration. “India’s invitation to Saudi Arabia to invest in its strategic pe-troleum reserve reflects the trust and goodwill the two countries share,” he said. Talking about ‘Vision 2030’, Al Sati said Saudi Arabia is working towards transform-ing its economy and looking at a post-oil age of world-class technological research, start-up and entrepreneurial vigour.

The envoy also talked about Saudi Arabia’s new residency permit scheme for qualified international expatriates.”This move is expected (Contd. on page 2)

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia gave the go ahead to the imple-mentation of new regulations related to public decency as the country begins to issue tourism visas for visitors from nearly 50 countries for the first time.

Saudi Minister of Interior Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif approved the new rules which identify 19 offens-es as punishable by fines. The

Saudi issues public behaviour guidelines

regulations will help ensure that visitors and tourists in the Kingdom are aware of laws that concern public behavior and are in compliance with Saudi law. Men and women are required to dress modestly and to refrain from public dis-plays of affection. Women are free to choose a modest choice of clothing. Saudi police offi-cers will be the sole authority responsible for monitoring

offenses and imposing fines. Offenders have the right to submit a grievance claim before the Common Courtesy Department and appeal any fines. The Kingdom encour-ages tourists and visitors to familiarise themselves with public decency laws in order to avoid a fine and looks for-ward to welcoming all people from around the world, the statement added.

ABU DHABI: The UAE’s federal budget for 2020 will in-crease by two per cent, up from the 2019 budget of Dh60.3 billion and 42.3pc will go to social development, the Financial and Economic Committee, chaired by Finance Minister Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum an-nounced. The committee has allocated 17pc of the 2020 budget to education while 7.3pc will go for the health sector. This year’s budget is the largest federal budget in the country’s history.

The committee addressed cash flows in the light of rev-enues collected during the current fiscal year and projected revenues for the remaining period of the year, in line with the update of federal financial statements. The financial reports confirmed that cash flows are managed in compli-ance with the spending plan of the general budget, to meet the needs and requirements of all federal entities to fund their projects and implement their programmes that help

Gold prices slip on easingof trade war concernsMUMBAI: Gold prices slipped further on Monday due to a strong dollar, as fears of an escalation in the China-US trade war eased after a report that the US does not currently plan to delist Chinese companies from the US stock markets.

China’s top trade nego-tiator will lead an upcoming 13th round of talks aimed at resolving a trade war with the US, a senior Chi-nese official said. “The two sides should find a solution through equal dialogue in accordance with the prin-

ciple of mutual respect, equality and mutual ben-efit,” Wang said at a news conference with other offi-cials, including Commerce Minister Zhong Shan. Both sides have made conciliatory gestures ahead of the next round of talks, but a deal remains elusive.

Spot gold was trading 0.4pc lower at $1,490.50 per ounce as of 0649 GMT. Prices had hit $1,486.60 in the previous session, their lowest since Sept 18. US gold futures dipped 0.6pc to $1,497.20 per ounce. Gold

futures in the local market traded lower by Rs 258 to Rs 37,888 per 10 gm on Monday due to profit-booking by participants on low demand. Gold for delivery in Dec was trading lower by Rs 258 or 0.68pc to Rs 37,888 per 10 gm in a business volume of 1,965 lots.

Analysts said, the fall in gold futures was mostly at-tributed to profit-booking by participants at the domestic market. Globally, the yellow metal prices declined 0.61pc to $1,497.20 an ounce in New York.

UAE budget to increase by two per centachieve their strategic goals.

The committee reviewed some future projects that aim to raise the efficiency and effectiveness of government ser-vices and develop financial procedures, in keeping with the global best practices, and made appropriate decisions and recommendations. It also discussed the latest developments related to the Etihad Rail that seeks to make a quantum leap in the logistics sector by providing additional solutions for freight and distribution traffic, while leading in sustainable development and economic growth.

The committee’s meeting was attended by Sheikh Man-sour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, in the presence of Obaid Humaid Al Tayer, Minister of State for Financial Affairs, Dr. Abdullah Mohammad Bel Haif Al Nuaimi, Minister of Infrastructure Development and Mubarak Rashid Al Man-souri, Governer of the Central Bank.

Saudi Crown Prince warns of high oil pricesWASHINGTON: Saudi Arabia’s crown prince has warned in an interview broadcast on Sunday that oil prices could spike to “un-imaginably high numbers” if the world does not come to-gether to deter Iran, but said he would prefer a political solution to a military one.

“If the world does not take a strong and firm action to deter Iran, we will see further escalations that will threaten world interests,” the crown prince said. “Oil supplies will be disrupted and oil prices will jump to

unimaginably high num-bers that we haven’t seen in our lifetimes.” The crown prince, in an interview con-ducted on Tuesday in Saudi Arabia, said he agreed with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that the Sept 14 attacks, which damaged the world’s largest petro-leum-processing facility and knocked out more than five per cent of global oil supply, were an act of war by Iran.

But the prince preferred a peaceful resolution because a war between Saudi Arabia and Iran would collapse the

global economy. The US, European powers and Saudi Arabia have blamed the at-tacks on Iran. Tehran has denied any involvement. Instead, the Iran-aligned Yemeni Houthi rebel group claimed responsibility. “The political and peaceful solu-tion is much better than the military one,” he said.

The crown prince also said US President Donald Trump should meet with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to craft a new deal on Tehran’s nuclear programme and influ-ence across the MidEast.

2 EMIGRATION Tuesday, October 01, 2019

Published by IPEPCIL Publications LtdRNI No.: MAHENG/2018/76663

Publisher: Supreet M.J.Editor : E.L. VaidyanathanVolume No.: 1, Issue: 102

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

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PATIALA: Highlighting the Indian government’s push to deal with abandoned spouses, National Com-mission for Women (NCW) chairperson Rekha Sharma said that more than 4,700 complaints of women who were abandoned by their NRI husbands have been received in the last 10 years. The highest number of griev-ances came from Punjab and Delhi, she added.

Looking into country-wise statistics, Sharma said the highest number of com-plaints have been received from the US, followed by Australia and Canada. “As many as 1,105 complaints have been received about NRI husbands living in the US followed by Australia at 378 and Canada at 326 in the last 10 years,” she revealed. In the last 10 years, Sharma said they received a total of 4,779 complaints with the highest number received in 2018 at 750, followed by 582 in 2019. “Around 13.92pc of

Over 4,700 complaints received from spouses abandoned by NRIs

National Commission for Women chairperson Rekha Sharma (centre) chaired a national seminar on “NRI Marriages and Related Issues” in Patiala.

complaints were received from Delhi at 665, followed by 10pc of complaints re-ceived from Punjab at 479,”

she added.The NCW chairperson

emphasised the need to

increase awareness among families to do proper back-ground research into the man looking to marry their

daughter. “It is better to prevent such a marriage and for that, it is important that

there is awareness among people to do a proper back-ground search. Secondly, it is also important the per-

ception around marrying daughters to NRIs change,” she added.

COFFEE BREAK

Union External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar takes a coffee break at the SAARC Council of Foreign Ministers in New York with his Singapore counterpart Vivian Balakrishnan.

HOUSTON: A sheriff’s dep-uty described as “a trail-blazer” because he was the first Sikh deputy of the Har-ris County Sheriff ’s Office when he joined the force 10 years ago, was shot and killed while supervising traffic near Houston. Deputy Sandeep Dhaliwal ( 42), was pronounced dead at Memo-rial Hermann Hospital after the. Shooting in Houston.

Dhaliwal had stopped a vehicle with two people inside when one of the oc-cupants was able to leave the vehicle, approach the deputy from behind and shoot him at least twice — “basically just shot him in a very ruth-less, cold-blooded way,” said Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.Gonzalez’s prede-cessor as sheriff, Adrian Gar-

Sikh police offi cer shot dead

Sandeep Dhaliwal

cia, implemented a religious accommodation policy that allowed Dhaliwal to wear the

traditional turban and beard of the Sikh religion.

Dhaliwal’s dashboard camera captured video showing Dhaliwal speaking with the driver in what ap-peared to be a conversational

tone with “no combat, no arguing,” Sheriff’s Maj. Mike Lee said. The driver’s door was opened at one point, and Dhaliwal shut it as the driver remained in the vehicle. When Dhaliwal turned to walk back to his patrol car, the driver steps from the car “almost immediately run-ning with a gun already out,” Lee said. The driver shot the deputy from behind, hitting him in the back of the head. The driver got back in his car and drove away.

A deputy a short time later found and arrested a nervous man matching the description of the driver in a business at a nearby strip shopping center, Lee said. A woman believed to have been a passenger in the car also was taken into custody.

CALIFORNIA: Inder Singh, a staunch leader in the In-dian American commu-nity for decades, has passed away. Singh died just days before his 87th birthday. According to a close friend of Singh’s the past-president of the Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) had been dealing with some health issues over the past several months, and had most recently been admitted to a hospital in Southern California , staying there until his passing.

Singh was born Oct 1, 1932. He had been an ac-tive community leader for decades, starting in his local community and later moving to the national and then to the global arena, where he has spent a lifetime bringing the Indian community together. A resident of Los Angeles, Singh was president of GOPIO from 2004 through 2009 and had

Inder Singh deadbeen serving as the chair of the organisation since then. He has lobbied extensively for the issues faced by the Indian diaspora. He has rallied the support from his community and government leaders to en-

sure that the Indian diaspora is well represented in their new countries, according to his bio.

In addition to GOPIO, Singh also co-founded the Asian & Pacific American Republicans Coali t ion

which became an officially chartered organ of the Cali-fornia Republican Party. In the late 1990s, he was involved with the National Asian Pacific Center on Ag-ing. With offices in most states, the National Body of Asian Americans caters to the needs of Asian seniors. In 1981, Singh founded the Federation of Indian Ameri-can Associations of South-ern California. He served as the president of the Na-tional Federation of Indian American Associations from 1988 through 1992, and the chair of the NFIA from 1992 through 1996.

He also co-founded the Indian Association of Los Angeles. In 1987, Singh founded the Indian Ameri-can Heritage Foundation, a society that celebrates and honors academic excellence and achievements of Indian American youth.

Inder SinghNEW DELHI: The deadline to link permanent account num-ber (PAN) with Aadhaar has been extended till Dec 31. Ear-lier, the deadline was Sept 30. This is the seventh time that the government has extended the deadline for individuals to link their PAN with Aadhaar. The Central Board of Direct

PAN-Aadhaar linking date extended to Dec 31Taxes (CBDT) has extended the date for linking PAN and Aadhaar from Sept 30 to Dec 31 and a notification has been issued in this connection, the policy-making body for the IT department said.

It is now mandatory to link the two unique IDs for income tax purposes. The

Supreme Court, in Sept last year, had declared the Cen-tre’s flagship Aadhaar scheme as constitutionally valid and held that the biometric ID would remain mandatory for the filing of IT returns and allotment of PAN. Section 139 AA (2) of the IT Act says that every person having PAN as

on July 1, 2017, and eligible to obtain Aadhaar, must intimate his Aadhaar number to tax authorities. Aadhaar is issued by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) to a resident of India and PAN is a 10-digit alphanumeric number allotted by the IT Department to a person, firm or entity.

NEW DELHI: The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi has announced the winners of its presti-gious Distinguished Alumni Awards and Distinguished Alumni Service Awards 2019.

The institute said that the Distinguished Alumni Awards 2019 will be pre-sented to three alumni of the institute --- Prof Srinivasan Keshav, Cheriton School of Computer Science at the University of Waterloo, Dr Mohit Aron, Founder and CEO of Cohesity and Binny Bansal, Co-Founder, Flipkart.

Over 50pc of Indian or Indian-origin Unicorn founders are graduates of IIT

NRIs, PIOs feature in IIT-Delhi’s distinguished alumni awards list

Delhi and the Institute was celebrating their achieve-ments through these awards.The Distinguished Alumni Service Award 2019 will be conferred to two personali-ties --- Arun Duggal, Chair-man of ICRA, Mangalore Chemicals & Fertilisers and International Asset Recon-struction Company Amarjit Singh Bakshi, Founder and CMD of the Bakshi Group. Over 50,000 alumni

“IIT Delhi has over 50,000 alumni right now and many of them have done exceedingly well in their chosen professions and brought glory to the institute and the country,” Prof V Ramgopal Rao, Director, IIT

Delhi said while congratulat-ing the awardees. He added that over 50pc of Indian or Indian-origin Unicorn founders are graduates of IIT Delhi and the Institute was celebrating their achieve-ments through these awards.

A professor at Cheriton School of Computer Science at the University of Water-loo, Srinivasan Keshav is known for his cutting-edge research in the areas of com-puter networking and energy informatics. He received his BTech in Computer Science from IIT Delhi in 1986 and his PhD from the University of California, Berkeley in 1991. He currently focuses on research in blockchains

for transactive energy. Founder and CEO of Co-

hesity, Dr Mohit Aron is an entrepreneur and business-man and commonly referred to as the “Father of Hyper-Converged Infrastructure”. He co-founded Nutanix in 2009, and then Cohesity Inc. in 2013. He earned his PhD from Rice University in Computer Science in 2000 and received his BTech de-gree in Computer Science from IIT Delhi in 1995. In-dian billionaire and Internet entrepreneur, Binny Bansal is co-founder of the Indian online retail giant Flipkart. He did his BTech in Com-puter Science & Engineering from IIT Delhi in 2005.

Saudi to offer... (Contd. from page 1)coming to Saudi Arabia to visit the holy sites of Makkah and Ma-dinah, the governmenthas been keen to market the rest of Saudi Arabia as a tourist destination as well. Locations such as AlUla, NEOM, and the Red Sea are all being touted as potential tour-ist locations, with many other areas of the country preparing to meet the expected crowds as well. SCTH told reporters at the press conference that there are 10,000 historical locations all over the country.

Saudi to invest $100b...(Contd. from page 1)

to attract leading global innovators and investors to live and work in Saudi Arabia, and help drive the private sector growth needed to realise the goals set out in Saudi Vision 2030,” he said.

Asked whether Saudi Arabia will increase oil supply to India to address the shortfall due to curb on import of oil from Iran, the envoy said his country is committed to India’s energy security and will meet any shortfall that may arise due to disruptions from other sources.“As one of the world’s leading energy producers, the kingdom will continue work-ing constructively with other producers within and outside OPEC to maintain market stability, thus protecting all the interests of producers and consumers alike,” he said.

Indians among killed in Dubai road mishapDUBAI: as many as eight people were killed and six seriously injured on Monday morning in a traffic accident along Mohamed Bin Zayed Road. A Dubai police official, citing initial reports, said that not leaving a safe dis-tance and not paying atten-tion to the road caused the accident. Some Indians are said to be among the killed.

The horrific smash-up took place between a mini bus and a truck on the Shar-jah-bound lane, before Mir-dif City Centre. The mini bus was carrying 14 passengers, according to sources. Ac-cording to Khalifa Bin Drai, executive director of the Dubai Corporation for Am-bulance Services (DCAS), the accident happened dur-

ing the early hours of Mon-day at 4.54 am.

An emergency response team of ambulances and police patrols arrived at the scene and rushed the victims to Rashid Hospital. Traffic experts are preparing the technical report of the accident for Dubai Traffic Prosecution as part of the investigation.

Keep in mind needs of India,PM tells IIT graduatesCHENNAI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi requested the graduating students of IIT-Madras to keep in mind the needs of India irrespec-tive of where they lived across the world and think of how their work, innova-tion, and research can help other Indians.

“Not only is this your social responsibility, it also makes immense business sense,” the prime minister said, delivering the convo-cation address at the 56th Convocation Ceremony at the IIT-Madras campus here on Monday.

“Today, India is aspir-ing to become a $5trillion economy. Your innovation, and application of technol-ogy will fuel this dream. It

will become the bedrock of India’s big leap to be-come the most competitive economy,” he said.India’s contribution Pointing out that the In-dian community has made a mark for itself all over the world, especially in science, technology and innovation, the prime min-ister said this was being powered by many of the senior students who had graduated from IIT. “You are making Brand India stronger globally,” he said adding that the number of IIT graduates in the UPSC would surprise everyone.

“India’s innovation is a great blend of econom-ics and utility. IIT-Madras is born in that tradition,”

he said, adding that the government has worked to create a robust ecosystem for innovation, incubation and research and develop-ment in the country.

“There are Atal Incuba-tion Centres being created in many institutions. The next challenge is to find a market for the start-ups. The Start-Up India pro-gramme is designed to help meet this challenge. This will support innovations find their way to the mar-ket,” he said. Modi said India’s stride in the start-up ecosystem globally, where it is among the top three, was being powered by peo-ple from Tier-2, Tier-3 cities and even rural India.

Tuesday, October 01, 2019 3GULF JOBS & OPPORTUNITIES

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Your wellness

Plastic tea bags may release millions of micro and nano-sized

particles into your brewed beverage, a study claims.

Possible health effects of ingesting these particles are currently unknown, the study published in the jour-nal Environmental Science & Technology noted.

Over time, plastic breaks down into tiny microplas-tics and even smaller nano-plastics, the latter being less than 100 nanometers (nm) in size.

For comparison, a hu-man hair has a diameter of about 75,000 nm. Research-

Love your tea but beware of plastic tea bagsers from McGill University in Canada have detected the microscopic particles in the environment, aquatic organisms and the food supply, but they don’t know yet whether they are harmful to humans.

Nathalie Tufenkji and colleagues won-dered whether some plastic teabags could be releasing micro- and nano plastics into the beverage during brew-ing.

They also wanted to explore the effects of the released particles on small aquatic organisms called

Daphnia Magna, or water fleas, which are model organisms often used in

environmental studies.To conduct their analy-

sis, the researchers pur-

chased four different com-mercial teas packaged in plastic tea bags.

The researchers cut open the bags, re-moved the tea leaves and washed the empty bags. Then, they heated the teabags in contain-ers of water to simulate brewing conditions.

Using electron mi-croscopy, the team found that a single plastic teabag at brew-ing temperature re-leased about 11.6 bil-

lion microplastic and 3.1 billion nano plastic par-ticles into the water.

These levels were thou-sands of times higher than those reported previously in other foods, researchers said.

In another experiment, the team treated water fleas with various doses of the micro- and nano plastics from teabags.

Although the animals survived, they did show some anatomical and be-havioural abnormalities, researchers said.

More research is needed to determine if the plastics could have more subtle or chronic effects on humans, they said.

Exposure to air pol-lution during early life may contribute

to depression, anxiety, and other mental health prob-lems in adolescence, three new studies suggest.

A study, published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, found that short-term exposure to ambient air pollution was associated with ex-acerbations of psychiatric disorders in children one to two days later.

Researchers, including those from the University of Cincinnati in the US, also found that children living in disadvantaged neigh-bourhoods may be more

Air pollution linked to mental health issues in kids: Studysusceptible to the effects of air pollution compared to

other children, especially for disorders related to

anxiety and suicidality.“This study is the first

to show an association be-tween daily outdoor air pol-

lution levels and increased symptoms of psychiatric disorders, like anxiety and suicidality, in children,” said Cole Brokamp from Cincinnati Children’s Hos-pital Medical Center.

“More research is need-ed to confirm these find-ings, but it could lead to new prevention strategies for children experiencing symptoms related to a psy-chiatric disorder,” Brokamp said.

“The fact that children living in high poverty neighbourhoods experi-enced greater health effects of air pollution could mean that pollutant and neigh-bourhood stressors can

have synergistic effects on psychiatric symptom sever-ity and frequency,” he said.

Two other Cincinnati Children’s studies were recently published that also link air pollution to children’s m e n t a l health, re-searchers said.

A second study, pub-lished in the journal Envi-ronmental Research, found an association between recent high traffic related air pollution (TRAP) expo-sure and higher generalised anxiety.

The study is believed to be the first to use neu-

roimaging to link TRAP exposure, metabolic dis-turbances in the brain, and generalised anxiety symptoms among otherwise healthy children.

Researchers, includ-ing Kelly B r u n s t from the U n i v e r -s i t y o f

Cincinnati, found higher myoinositol concentrations in the brain — a marker of the brain’s neuroinflamma-tory response to TRAP.

Another study, pub-lished in the journal Envi-ronmental Research, found that exposure to TRAP during early life and across childhood was significantly associated with self-report-

ed depression and anxiety symptoms in 12 year olds.

Similar findings have been reported in adults, but research showing clear connections between TRAP exposure and mental health in children has been lim-ited, according to Kimberly Yolton, director of research in the division of General and Community Pediatrics at Cincinnati Children’s.

“Collectively, these stud-ies contribute to the grow-ing body of evidence that exposure to air pollution during early life and child-hood may contribute to depression, anxiety, and other mental health prob-lems in adolescence,” said Patrick Ryan, a researcher at Cincinnati Children’s.

The Konkan Railway Corporation Limited (KRCL) has invited

candidates for a number of posts at konkanrailway.com. Interested candidates can visit the official web-site now and fill the ap-plication form for the same. The applications have been invited for the recruitment of Trainee Apprentices under National Apprentice Training Scheme (NATS). it is to be noted that the can-didates who wish to take part in the process need to send their applications on or before November 30, 2019.

Post Details: Total Posts – 135

Maharashtra: BE(Civil) – 17, BE (Electrical) – 17, BE (Electronics & Tele-communications) – 13, BE

Konkan Railway: Trainee apprentice posts on offer

(Mechanical) – 5, Diploma (Civil) – 12

Diploma (Electrical) – 15Madigan: BE(Civil) – 5,

BE (Electrical) – 3, BE (Elec-tronics & Telecommunica-tions) – 2, Diploma (Civil)

– 5, Diploma (Electrical) – 3Karrwa: BE(Civil) – 8,

BE (Electrical) – 10, BE (Electronics & Telecom-munications) – 3, Diplo-ma (Civil) – 7, Diploma (Electrical) – 10, Eligibility

CriteriaAge limit: 21 to 25 yearsCandidates who have

completed their gradua-tion degree in Engineering (Civil, Mechanical, Electri-cal or Signal & Telecom-

munications) or Diploma in Civil Engineering or Electrical Engineering can apply for this recruitment process. Those awaiting results of the final exami-nation of the prescribed

educational qualification SHOULD NOT apply.Stipend

Graduate Engineers – Rest 4984/- per month

Diploma Holders – Rs 3542/- per month

How to apply: Candi-dates who wish to apply for the posts on offer can visit the official website at konkanrailway.com. Once the application process is completed, applicants should take print out of the successfully filled form, they can then upload rel-evant documents. They have to send the same to of-fice of Assistant Personnel Officer II, Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd, 4th Floor, Belapur Bhavan, CBD Be-lapur, Navi Mumbai – 400 614 by 5 PM on November 30, 2019.

The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development

(NABARD) in its latest re-cruitment notification has invited candidates to apply for the post of Deputy Man-aging Director at nabard.org. Interested candidates can visit the official website now to fill the applica-tion and take part in the process. The last date to send in filled applications is October 11, 2019. The posts are available in NA-BARD’s Mumbai office and the selection of candidates will be on the basis of the terms and conditions set by NABARD. Check the follow-ing details to know more.

Post Details and Last date to apply

Posts on Offer – 2 Depu-ty Managing Director (DMD) posts

Last date to apply – Oc-tober 11, 2019

Age: The maximum age

NABARD: New posts on offerof entry for both internal as well as other candidates is 57 years.

Educational Qualifica-tion: Candidates interested in the posts on offer should have an Advanced Univer-sity Degree preferably in Economics, Finance, Busi-ness Administration, Agri-culture, Rural Development or in a similar related area.

Experience: Candidates need to have a minimum 20 years of experience as on the date of the vacancy, at different levels in Banks/Financial Institutions (FIs) or other organisations in Financial / Agriculture/ Cooperative/ Rural Develop-ment Sector. Out of these 20 years, they should have atleast 2 years of experience at the level of: (a) Chief General Manager (CGM) in NABARD/IDBI/SIDBI; (b) General Manager of Nation-alized Banks; (c) Equivalent positions in other organisa-

tions; and (d Supertime scale in All India/ Central/ State Service.

Salary: The post carries a pay scale of Rs 1,76,800 – Rs 2,24,000/- (Level 14A) as fixed by the Government in consultation with the 7th CPC, plus admissible allowance.

How to Apply: Can-didates interested in the posts on offer can fill and send in their duly filled applications in the pre-scribed format along with all the verified documents through proper channels to PK Singh, Under Secretary (AC), Department of Finan-cial Services, Ministry of Finance, 3rd floor, Jeevan Deep Building, Parliament Street, New Delhi – 110001 by October 11, 2019. They should make sure that the envelope containing the filled in application form clearly mentions the ad-dress.

Over 7500 Assistant level posts are on offer by the Life

Insurance Corporation of India for interested candi-dates at licindia.in. Candi-dates who are interested can visit the official web-site of LIC to fill the appli-cation and take part in the recruitment process. The organisation aims to 7500 Assistant vacancies across various regional offices. The application process is being conducted by LIC to select candidates to per-form various duties includ-ing cashier, single-window operator, customer service executive. Check the details below to know more.Important Dates

Online registration started on September 17, 2019

Apply online for over 7500 Assistant posts at licindia.in

Online registration ends – October 1, 2019

Last date for printing applications – October 22, 2019

Online Fee payment

– September 17, 2019 to October 1, 2019

Salary: The Pay Scale of LIC Assistant (Clerk) is Rs 14435-840(1)-15275-915(2)-17105-1030(5)-22255-1195 (2)-24645-

1455(3)-29010-1510(2)-32030-1610(5)-40080. The Basic Pay of LIC assistant is Rs 14435/- per month. Candidates selected for the post of Assistant will also

get to enjoy other perks that include – admissible allowances, House Rent Allowance, Travel Allow-ance, and Dearness Allow-ance. The total in-hand salary of a LIC Assistant

goes up to Rs 30,000/- per month.Eligibility Criteria

Age limit: Minimum 18 years and Maximum 30 years as on September 1, 2019

How to apply: Candi-dates who wish to apply for the posts on offer can visit the official website of LIC India at licindia.in. On the homepage, click on ‘Careers.’ Now click the link that says ‘Recruitment of Assistants 2019.’ Now select the name of the city that you wish to apply for. Proceed with the form and complete the process.

Application fees: For SC/ST/PwBD candidates: Rs 85 + Transaction charg-es + GST. For all other candidates: Application fee-cum-intimation charges

of Rs 510 + transaction charges + GST.Examination Pattern

Phase-I: Preliminary Examination; 1. English Language/ Hindi Language – 30 questions for 30 marks (20 minutes). 2. Numerical Ability – 35 questions for 35 marks (20 minutes). 3. Reasoning Ability – 35 questions for 35 marks (20 minutes).

Phase-II: Main Exami-nation

1. General/Financial Awareness – 40 questions for 40 marks. 2. General English – 40 questions for 40 marks. 3. Quantitative Aptitude – 40 questions for 40 marks. 4. Reasoning Ability and Computer Apti-tude – 40 questions for 40 marks. 5. Hindi Language – 40 questions for 40 marks

The National Institute of Technology (NIT) in Srinagar, where

classes were suspended in the wake of the situa-

tion there, will reopen on October 15, according to the HRD Ministry. Restric-tions were imposed across Kashmir on August 5 when the Centre announced its decision to abrogate provi-sions of Article 370 of the Constitution and bifurcate the state into union territo-

NIT Srinagar to reopen on October 15

ries of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.

“NIT Srinagar will re-open on October 15,” Hu-man Resource Development

H i g h e r Education Secretary R Subra-manyam.

T h e NIT had suspended classes in Sr inagar last month

after the district adminis-tration directed the edu-cational institutions to be watchful of the situation. The administration had later clarified that the de-cision by the institution to suspend classes is an indi-vidual call and the directive is only to be watchful.

IN FOCUS6 Tuesday, October 01, 2019

GULF FAQsAt my workplace, we have a senior man-ager who swears at us during meetings when he is disappointed. I understand that our work is very stressful, but does that give him the right to insult his col-leagues? I would like to know how to file a complaint against him. I do not have any recording of his swearing or insults, but my colleagues can stand witness. What’s the way out?

Pursuant to your queries, an employer should not abuse his employees at the workplace as abusing any individual in the UAE is a criminal offence. This is in accordance with Article 374 of the Federal Law No. 3 of 1987 in issuance of Penal Code of UAE. It states: “Punishment by detention for a period not exceeding six months or by a fine not exceeding Dh5,000 shall ap-ply if slander or abuse is transmitted by telephone or face to face with the victim and in the presence of a third party.” Based on the aforementioned provision of law and Article 10 (4) of the Federal Law No. 35 of 1992 related to Criminal Procedure Law, a criminal action may be lodged upon a written or verbal complaint of the victim or their legal representative with the police against the perpetrator of an offence related to insult and slander. Therefore, you may initiate a criminal complaint against the person who used abusive language against you and other employees. Further, your colleagues as witnesses may support your complaint.

On the other hand, you and your col-leagues may file a written complaint with the department concerned of your employer or senior management of the employer. A copy of the said letter may be addressed to the Ministry of HR and Emriratisation (MOHRE). This is in accordance with Ar-ticle 155 of the Federal Law No. 8 of 1980 regulating employment relations in the UAE (the ‘Employment Law’) which states: “If a dispute arises between an employer(s) and all or part of his/their employees and both parties fail to reach an amicable settlement, the following steps shall be taken:

1) The employees shall submit their complaint in writing to the employer and simultaneously dispatch a copy thereof to the MOHRE.

2) The employer shall reply in writing to the complaint or claims of the employees within seven working days from the date of receipt of the complaint. A simultane-ous copy thereof shall be submitted to the MOHRE at the same time.

3) If the employer fails to submit his reply to the complaint within the fixed period or if his reply does not result in settlement of the dispute, the competent MOHRE of its own motion or at a request of either party shall mediate to settle the dispute amicably.4) If the complaint is made by the employer, he must submit the complaint directly to the MOHRE to mediate for an amicable settlement of the dispute.”Changing jobs

What is the process for leaving a company on an unlimited term contract? I joined a company last month and I want to leave now as I have a better opportunity. My visa is not stamped yet but the entry permit status change has been done. Do I have to bear the cost of the visa expenses? If so, how much will it be approximately? Do I have to serve a notice period?

You have accepted the terms of employ-ment for the change of status to take place and to start the visa process, so from a legal point of view you are deemed to be an employee. Under UAE Labour Law, either the employer or employee can terminate the contract of employment without reason or notice if an employee is still in their pro-bationary period. It is best to immediately notify the employer in writing and to obtain confirmation to avoid any confusion. The employer will have already incurred costs and although they will not be happy about the expense, they are not permitted to pass this on to the employee, no matter the circumstances. No company should ask an employee to pay for the cost of their visa or employment generally; the employer is also expected to pay for the Emirates Iden-tity Card. This was covered in Ministerial Order 52 of 1989, Article 6 which makes it clear that all expenses incurred in tak-ing on an employee must be borne by the employer and cannot be passed on. As he will be leaving service without staying with employer for at least six months, you are likely to receive an employment ban. The rules are slightly different for each type of contract and even on an unlimited contract, someone who does not complete six months of service can receive a ban if they are

No one can insult you in UAE deemed unskilled labour and are in one of the lower employment categories, categories four and five. These are for people without degree, high school diplomas or acceptable professional qualifications. The ban can be for a period of six months in this situation.Maternity leave

My wife is employed on a two-year limited period of employment contract that will expire in Feb 2020. The employer of my wife intimated her that she is required to inform her employer pertaining to the renewal of the employment contract three months prior to the expiry of the agree-ment. Further, her employer has stated that in the event she does not intend to renew the employment contract, she has to serve notice period till the expiry of the agree-ment. My wife is due to deliver child in Feb 2020. Can she avail maternity leave or other paid leaves after informing her employer with respect to the non-renewal of her employment?

Pursuant to your query, we assume that your wife is employed by a company based in the mainland of UAE and, therefore, the provisions of Federal Law No. (8) of 1980 regulating employment relations in the UAE (the “Employment Law”) and Ministerial Decree No. 765 of 2015 on rules and con-ditions for the termination of employment relations (the “Ministerial Decree No. 765 of 2015”) shall be applicable. As per the provisions of the Ministerial Decree No. 765 of 2015, it may be noted that an employ-ment relation between an employer and an employee is terminated if the term of an employment contract of a limited dura-tion expires and it is not renewed. This is in accordance with Article 1 (I)(1) of the Ministerial Decree No. 765 of 2015 which states: “An employment relation between employer and employee may be terminated as follows:* In the case of fixed-term con-tracts (approved by the ministry for a term of no more than two years), an employment relation is terminated if this instance occurs: *The term of the contract expires and the contract is not renewed.”

Based on the aforementioned provision of the ministerial decree, it may be noted that an employee may not be required to serve a notice as the employment contract of a limited duration is being terminated due to the expiry of the employment con-tract and not due to a termination at the behest of the employee. Therefore, your wife is not required to serve the notice period. Further, based on the provisions of the Employment Law, it may be pertinent to note that your wife is entitled to 45 days of maternity leave and thereafter 100 days of consecutive or non-consecutive days of absence for illness due to pregnancy-related matters. This is in accordance with Article 30 of the Employment Law which states: “The female employee shall be entitled to a maternity leave with full payment of the remuneration thereof, and such for a period of 45 days that include the pre and post-natal periods, provided that the continuous service period for the employer is at least of one year. The maternity leave will be granted with half remuneration should the employee not have completed the afore-mentioned period. Upon the end of the maternity leave, the employee may remain absent from work without pay for a period of 100 consecutive or non-consecutive days at most should such absence be caused by an illness hindering her from returning to work. Such illness shall be established by means of a medical certificate issued by the medical entity appointed by the competent health authority or ratified by such author-ity stating that such illness arises from the pregnancy or the delivery. The leave referred to in the preceding paragraphs shall not be deducted from other leaves.”

Based on the aforementioned provision of the Employment Law and the Ministe-rial Decree, it may be noted that your wife may not be under an obligation to intimate her employer through a notice of three months’ prior to the expiry of the employment contract regarding the non-renewal of the employment contract and therefore, there is no necessity to serve the notice period. She may avail her fully paid maternity leave for a duration of 45 days as her service to the employer is continu-ous and exceeds more than one year. The non-renewal letter to the employer may be addressed within a reasonable period of time. The term “‘reasonable time” may be as agreed between your wife and her employer. However, your wife may write to her employer informing her decision not to renew the employment contract and a written application to maternity leave well in advance within reasonable time.

Hindi actress Dia Mirza and American actor Alec Baldwin hosted the UN’s Champions Gala 2019 for the second time in New York. Dia is happy to have shared the stage with the comedian, who she thinks is “so driven, honest and committed to sustainability and climate action.”

Credit card vs debit card paymentWhich is safe for festival shopping? Credit card vs debit card payment:

Festival sales are here again with companies, online and offline

stores offering big discounts on prod-ucts across all categories. Some of the offers might be too tempting to ignore. But what should you use for payment? Cash, debit card or credit card? Cash is no longer the best option for shop-ping for several reasons you are already aware of. The choice between debit and credit card should also be made con-sciously. There are differing opinions on which of the two is the best option for making payments – online or offline.

Ex-con artist and cyber fraud expert Frank Abagnale warns that debit card should never be used. In an article for CNBC, Abagnale reasons that a debit card is the “worst financial tool”. Your money and bank account is at risk every time you use a debit card.

If your debit card details land in hands of a fraudster, he can steal all money from your account within min-utes. Popular Hollywood movie “Catch Me If You Can” is based on Abagnale’s memoir of the same name.

Instead of debit card, Abagnale sug-gests credit card should be used as there are multiple benefits. First, with credit card, you spend the credit card company’s money and pay at the end of the month while your own money in account earns interest for that time. Secondly, there is a credit limit on cards. So, no one can spend on your card over the limit. Thirdly, even when there is a large data breach and your card details fall in the hands of fraudsters, the company will cancel the card and send you a new one.Both okay?

However, there is another view that says there is no risk in using either

debit card or credit card if transactions are done while following the best safety practices. “Customers can use both credit and debit cards to make payments for online and offline purchases. In case of debit cards, customers spend money by drawing on funds that they already have in their bank account while on the other hand credit card consumers borrow money from the card issuer for purchasing items. Debit is paying now while credit is pay later. While both debit and credit cards have their benefits, it completely depends on the customers’

requirements on which one to use,” Navtej Singh, CEO of Digital Business, Hitachi Payment Services, says.

Singh further said these days it is safer to transact using any card but consumer awareness about frauds are important. “Presently digital transac-tions are considerably safer with the introduction of stricter compliances and regulatory norms such as EMV chip, tokenisation and two-factor

authentication. At the same time to avoid frauds, consumer awareness is equally imperative. It is important that consumers religiously follow user safety guidelines while performing any digital transaction. This combination of secure technology and payment sys-tems coupled with complete customer awareness is the only route towards safer digital transactions,” he said.

Rajesh Desai, CEO , Lyra Network (India), stressed on the need to follow certain security measures to avoid frauds. “With the technology becom-

ing more and more sophisticated with each passing day, digital transactions are hardly vulnerable to breaches anymore. Today, the payment gateways offer highly effective security and anti-fraud tools to make transactions safe and secure. Transactions are done after double (or even triple). authentication. So, we can say that following certain security measures can help one avoid any cyber fraud,” Desai says.

GVK to spend Rs 8,500cr on Navi Mumbai airportHYDERABAD: The GVK group, which is in the pro-cess of developing Navi Mumbai International Air-port, will be spending Rs 8,500 crore in the first phase to cater to 10 million pas-sengers per annum, Chair-man of the infra major GVK Reddy said here.

The airport is a public-private partnership venture in which the GVK-led Mum-bai International Airport has a 74pc stake with CIDCO, the Maharashtra govern-ment’s nodal agency for the project, holding the remain-ing 26pc. The greenfield international airport will be built on 1,160 hectares in phases and eventually cater to 60 million passengers per year.

“In the first phase, it is going to be about Rs 8,500 crore. It goes in phases.

It will be 10 million pas-sengers (in the first phase). Maybe by spending another Rs 2,500 crore or Rs 3,000 crore, another 20 million can go ahead. The project is on track and going on well,” Reddy told shareholders at the AGM of GVKPIL (GVK Power and Infrastructure Limited).

The concession agree-ment for Navi Mumbai Inter-national Airport was signed on Jan 8, 2018 between Navi Mumbai International Air-port and City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO). GVK, which cur-rently manages the Mum-bai International Airport through its subsidiary GVK Airport Developers, said Yes Bank would be the lead bank and mandate lead arranger for phase-I and phase-II of the Navi Mumbai airport

GV Reddy

project. The initial conces-sion period is 30 years from the appointed date which is extendable for a further 10

years. Navi Mumbai Inter-national Airport proposed and submitted master plan to CIDCO and also provided performance security as per the terms of concession agreement.

The company has ar-ranged its debt funding requirements for the phase-I of NIMIAL project from Yes Bank and is in the process of finalising the financing and security documents.

As much as 94pc of land development works have been completed as on April 30, 2019 and about 85pc of structures at the site have been demolished and va-cated by CIDCO, Reddy said.

Replying to another que-ry, he said the group is deter-mined to acquire the 13.5pc in Mumbai International Airport Limited owned by South African firm Bid Ser-vices Division Mauritius or Bidvest. Other shareholders are ACSA Global (Airports Company of South Africa) which owns 10pc, Airports Authority of India (26pc) and GVK Airport Holdings, which is the majority owner with a 50.5pc ownership in the company that runs the coun-try’s second busiest airport. GVK has already announced its intention to acquire ASCA Globals’ 10pc stake.

CORPORATE NEWS 7Tuesday, October 01, 2019

Registering strong growth in its online and offline business-

es, online grocery platform Grofers plans to clock $1 billion in revenue by the end of the current finan-cial year.

The Gurugram-based firm also aims to add 700 kirana stores to the network and increase the contribu-tion of its G-brand to the total revenue.

“We are aggressively growing our business and aiming to clock $1 billion in revenue by the end of 2019 with a significant focus on our in-house brands. Our G-brands contribute 40pc to our current revenue, and we plan to increase it to 60pc in the coming years,” Grofers founder Saurabh Kumar told mediapersons.

Grofers eyes $1b revenue, aims to add 700 kirana stores

According to Kumar, expansion to offline Kirana stores earlier this year has helped the company to

expand penetration of the G-brands.

“We help partner stores optimise their operations and improve their profit-

ability by accessing our supply chain and technol-ogy. We are now expand-ing into new markets and

are aiming t o p a r t -ne r wi th 50,000 of-fline stores i n t h e next 30-36 m o n t h s , ” he said.

F o r quite some time, the Softbank-f u n d e d f i r m h a s been con-verting Ki-

rana shops and supermar-kets into own branded outlets to boost their prod-ucts. Grofers currently has over 1,200 products spread

across categories such as kitchen staples, FMCG products, personal hygiene products and household needs.

Grofers, which exited the hyperlocal delivery market three years ago, is pursuing profitability by consolidating its presence in the cities it operates and is also focusing on expand-ing its sales. The company is also gearing up to hit the capital market with an initial public offer within the next three years.

In May this year, Grofers raised over $200 million (Rs 1,400 crore) in fund-ing, led by SoftBank Vision Fund, while in July it was reported that Abu Dhabi Capital Group had invested $10 million in the grocery firm.

State Bank of India opened its Melbourne office on Monday, be-

coming the first Indian bank to have a branch in the Australian state of Victoria.

The Melbourne office will assist the growing trade and investment relations between Victoria and India and is the outcome of the state’s 10-year India Strat-egy — our shared future, according to a press release.

Speaking at the inaugu-ration, Victoria’s parliamen-

SBI: first Indian bank to open office in Australia

tary secretary to the trea-surer, Steve Dimopoulos, said, “We are delighted to welcome SBI to Victoria — the first Indian bank to set up operations in our State.”

“This investment by

India’s largest commercial bank is a testament to our thriving financial ser-vices sector and our highly skilled workforce,” he said.

According to official figures, the two-way mer-chandise trade between Victoria and India was to the tune of Australian

$1.76 billion in 2018.SBI Managing Direc-

tor Dinesh Kumar Khara said “It is a great privilege to have our presence in the vibrant and business-friendly city of Melbourne. I am confident that our footprint in Melbourne will further strengthen the relationship between the two countries”

Victoria already has the presence of leading Indian businesses, includ-ing Cipla, Cyient, HCL, Infosys, Ramco, Samvard-hana Motherson Group, TCS, Tech Mahindra, Ugam Solutions, Wipro, Zoonga and Zomato.

Victoria’s financial sec-tor employs more than 122,000 and generates around A$40 billion ev-ery year.

Yes Bank said it has received the go-ahead from the Re-

serve Bank of India (RBI) for its capital raising plans, even as its share price touched a 10-year low

amidst concerns about its exposure to a large housing finance company.

“The Bank is pleased to inform you that it has received acknowledgement from the Reserve Bank of India to go ahead with the proposed increase in its authorised share capital,”

YES Bank gets RBI approval to raise capital

it said in a regulatory filing on Monday, adding that it will now seek necessary shareholders’ consent and proceed expeditiously with its capital raise.

“Subsequent to receiv-ing the go-ahead from the RBI on September 27, 2019, the Bank is firmly on track to raising the re-quired growth

capital,” said Ravneet Gill, Managing Director and CEO, Yes Bank.

Last month, the bank’s board approved a proposal to “raise growth capital” by increasing the authorised share capital of the bank to Rs 1,100 crore from the current Rs 800 crore.

Kitchenware and culi-nary brand Tupper-ware India has an-

nounced to stop the usage of single-use plastic for product packag-ing from October 1, and instead use recyclable paper-based com-postable packag-ing material.

In a s ta te -ment, the com-pany has said that the transi-tion would increase the company’s expenditure by around 7pc, but the company would not pass on the rise in cost to the consumers.

“After six months of thor-

Tupperware to stop using single-use plastic from Oct 1

ough research, evaluation of options and initial testing in India and select inter-national markets, the brand is ready to switch from

single-use plastic packaging to compostable packaging material starting October 1, 2019, for all future manu-facturing in India,” it said.

Speaking about the ini-tiative, Deepak Chhabra,

Managing Director, Tupper-ware India said: “Our global vision ‘no time to waste’ is also aimed at signifi-cantly reducing plastic and

food waste t h r o u g h product in-novation, packaging reduction, operation-a l g o a l s and stra-tegic part-nerships.”

As per the company, the 100pc recyclable packaging is not only safe for the en-vironment but has passed all safety tests conducted across India, Brazil and Indonesia.

Largest private sector lender HDFC Bank has emerged as the

most valued Indian brand at $ 22.70 billion.

The list of top ten brands, prepared by the world’s largest media buyer WPP, includes companies

from banking, financial services and insurance, telecom and auto segments. A brand’s overall fortunes had a direct bearing on the brand valuations, as seen in the telecom space, where Airtel’s value fell by 10 pc to 10 billion, while Reli-

HDFC Bank emerges as India’s most valuable brand

ance Jio’s value went up by 34 pc to $ 5.47 billion.

The Mukesh Ambani-run largest telco was placed ninth in the list of brands, while the second largest telecom firm was still hold-ing to the fourth place. Among the state-run com-

panies, insurance behe-moth LIC was placed second, valued at $ 20 billion with a 2pc growth, while banking giant SBI was fifth at

$ 8.40 billion with a surge of 7pc.

Slowdown in the auto sector seemed to be playing on the valuations of largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki, which had its brand value come down by 14 pc to $ 5.93 billion.

Samsung, the country’s largest consumer elec-tronics and smartphone

brand, has launched Sam-sung Finance+, an offline digital lending platform with instant offers on Galaxy smartphones.

This lending platform will provide financing to prospec-tive consumers to buy Galaxy smartphones.

Senior Vice President, Mobile Business, Samsung India said that Samsung is launching Samsung Fi-nance+ at over 5,000 stores in 30 cities across the coun-try. “Samsung plans to reach to 10,000 outlets in 100 cities by the end of 2019,” he said.

The main effort is to pro-vide a mechanism for financ-ing smartphones for millions

of Indians who currently do not have a credit history.

For this offering, Sam-sung has tied up with DMI Finance, which will do the credit assessment at the back end, and provide the finance to end customers. This facil-ity can be availed in any Samsung outlet or any other multi-brand outlet.

Singh said that the plat-form is fully digital and paperless.

“Nearly all consumers ap-plying for finance will end up getting an offer on the Galaxy smartphones,” he said.

“At Samsung, consumers are at the heart of everything we do. Samsung Finance+ is a testimony of our consumer-centric innovation. It is also a ‘Make for India’ initiative

towards financial inclusion and Digital India. We are confident that Samsung Fi-nance+ will touch the lives of millions of consumers in India,” he said.Fast processing

Consumers buying a Gal-axy smartphone at Samsung stores equipped with Sam-sung Finance+ platform can opt for easy finance on their smartphones.

All they have to do is to log in to the in-store Samsung Finance+ application on a Galaxy Tab. After filling is their personal details for a simple KYC verification and credit scoring, they will get an offer screen on various Galaxy smartphones. The entire journey is fully digital, fast and convenient.

Samsung India launches Samsung Finance+

ITI Limited, a public sector undertaking in the telecommunications

technology segment has launched its cloud services and solu-tions platform for central and state government enti-ties, banks, public sector undertak-ings, small and me-dium enterprises and Start Ups in India.

The newly launched Cloud services include Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Ser-vice (PaaS), Software as a Service (SaaS) and Storage as a Service (STaaS). The

ITI launches cloud services for customersCloud facility is expected to achieve optimum utili-zation of the infrastructure and speed up the devel-

opment and deployment of various ICT-IOT based applications for customers. It would also help govern-ment and non-government enterprises to procure ICT services on demand.

To host these services from Data Center, ITI has signed an agreement with Connectivity IT Solutions

Private Limited (CS) where ITI will host the cloud at its data center facility while CS will support with Cloud infrastruc-ture, R&D capabil-ities and technical manpower.

Launching the Cloud services of ITI Data Center, K Alagesan, CMD, ITI Said, “ITI has been in the Data Center busi-ness for the last 10 years with Government of India organizations and private

companies. The new cloud service offered by ITI Data Center are expected to provide end-to-end IT in-frastructure including new age cloud services to all its customers in the coming years. The initiative also exhibits ITI’s commitment to the Government of In-dia’s flagship initiatives like Digital India, Make in India and Smart City”.

ITI’s data centre is equipped to host, operate and administer an authen-tication portal with services like Authentication User Agency, Authentication Service Agency, KYC Ser-vice Agency etc. on the SaaS model.

US-based ride-hailing giant Uber said that it will offer free in-

surance to its riders in case of accidents while on a trip across categories such as cars, autos and motorcycles.

Riders will be insured for up to Rs 5 lakh in case of accidental death or disability and up to Rs 2 lakh for hos-pitalisation, including an OPD benefit of up to Rs 50,000.

Uber, which operates in over 40 Indian cities, has partnered with Bharti AXA to provide insurance for car rides and with TATA AIG for auto and moto rides.

“We engage closely with our riders and our focus is on ensuring a smooth and safe experience for them.

We already offer insurance

Uber to offer free accident insurance to ridersfor our driver-partners, and we are confident that this development will give riders a greater sense of security and assurance when they take an Uber ride,” Uber Head of Central Operations (Rides) for India and South Asia Pavan Vaish said.

While there are very few instances of accidents be-ing reported, the company wanted to ensure that riders are taken care of, he added.

Uber’s rival Ola also has a similar insurance offer for riders under which they can opt-in for the facility for Rs 2 per ride.

Vaish explained that the insurance provides cover for physical injury as a result of any accident that might occur while on the trip with Uber,

from the point the rider enters the vehicle until the end of the trip.

In case of more than one rider in the vehicle, the insurance coverage will be provided to each traveller individually.

To report an accident to Uber, riders can go to the ‘Past Trips’ section and navigate to the ‘I was involved in an accident’ option.

Uber’s support team will then reach out to the rider and coordinate with the in-surance partner to take them through the claim process, Vaish said.

The company, however, did not comment on the aver-age number of rides taken on its platform in a day.

In August last year, Uber

had announced that it had completed one billion rides in India and South Asia in five years.

In a separate statement, Ola Money (financial ser-vices arm of Ola) said it has partnered Religare Health Insurance for an insurance policy that will offer holders claim of Rs 5,000 per day of hospitalisation.

“The policy will be avail-able to all registered Ola users and can be purchased directly through Ola app.

The policy, with a pre-mium as low as Rs 3 per day, is available as individual and family plans and can be purchased monthly or for a period of 1-year renewable thereafter,” Ola said in its statement.

Satin Creditcare, a leading microfinance lender, is eyeing 20-

25pc growth in overall assets under management (AUM) in each of the next five years, a top official said.

This Non-banking fi-nance company (NBFC) is also looking to grow the share of its non-microfi-nance book to one third of the overall in the next five years, HP Singh, CMD, said. Currently, nearly 90pc of its overall Rs 7,100 crore book is accounted for by microfinance at Rs 6,300 crore with the rest

Satin Creditcare eyes 25pc overall AUM growth

accounted for by business-es around SME financing, business correspondents and affordable housing.

“We want to grow steadily. The current en-vironment is also ...(not conducive for aggressive risk taking). There is how-ever now no slowdown in our sector and there is enough liquidity to sup-port our growth in micro-finance space”, he said. Satin Creditcare, which was only in eight states when demonetisation hap-pened in November 2016, has now emerged as a pan India player with presence

in 23 States, Singh said.“After demonetisation,

things were difficult for us. microfinance was ter-ribly hit as most of it was cash based. Demon-etisation was a learning experience for us. After demonetisation, our risk mitigation strategy was focused on diversification. We wanted to diversify geographically and prod-uct wise. From being a North India focused play-er, we have now become a pan India player and entered into affordable housing, SME finance in a big way”, he said.

8 Travel / Entertainment Tuesday, October 01, 2019

EXCHANGE RATESEXCHANGE RATES

Rates are subect to change without notice. Errors &omissions excepted

As on 30th September, 2019 (In rupees)

Currency Buying Selling

Australian Dollar 46.25 49.25 Bahraini Dinar 183.00 193.00British Pound 85.60 88.60Canadian Dollar 52.00 54.90Emirati Dirham 18.80 19.80 Euro 75.75 78.75 Kuwaiti Dinar 227.30 237.30Omani Rial 178.90 188.90Qatari Riyal 18.00 20.50 Saudi Riyal 18.40 19.40 Singapore Dollar 49.60 52.60 Swiss Franc 69.65 72.65US Dollar 69.50 72.00

Source:

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Owing to consistent ef-forts by Goa Tourism Development Corpo-

ration (GTDC) in turning Goa into a premium adventure tourism destination during the last five years, Goa Tour-ism has bagged the award for Best State for Adventure Tourism at the National Tourism Awards 2019.

In yet another shot-in-the-arm for Goa Tourism, the state has for the third consecutive year bagged the

Kitne Aadmi The? (How many men were there?) Gabbar questions Kaalia---Amjad Khan with Viju Khote in Sholay.

Sholay’s ‘Kaalia’ dead

Who can forget Sholay’s Kaa-l i a and An-

daz Apna Apna’s Rob-ert? Who can forget Viju Khote and his exemplified

performances? Unfortu-nately, the noted Hindi and Marathi actor, who was entertaining his fans for nearly six decades breathed his last at 78. The actor passed away at his residence in South Mumbai on Monday

morning.He is survived by his

sister Shubha Khote, who is also an actor. Renowned for his comedy roles, Viju Khote was famed for his role

as the dacoit “Kaalia” in the Amitabh Bachchan-starrer Sholay. One of the more popular lines from the 1975 film saw Amjad Khan’s Gab-bar questions Kaalia about a raid gone wrong --- “Kitne Aadmi The? (How many men were there?) Gabbar

questions Kaalia—this be-came a popular dialogue.

Viju Khote worked in over 300 films, including “Phir Hera Pheri” and the bumbling Robert in “An-

daz Apna Apna”, aside from numerous TV shows, including the popular “Zabaan Sambhal Ke”, which was an adaptation of the hit British comedy “Mind Your Language”. Tributes poured in for the veteran star from all over.

Goa bags two tourism awardsNational Tourism Award for Comprehensive Devel-opment of Tourism (Rest of India). This hat-trick of National Tourism Award for Comprehensive Develop-ment of Tourism has been attributed to the performance of the state in providing ame-nities, facilities, new tourism services, initiatives, activities etc for tourists visiting Goa.

The awards were pre-sented at a function in the national capital on the occa-

sion of World Tourism Day. The awards were presented by Vice President Venkaiah Naidu to Deputy Chief Min-ister and Tourism Minister Manohar Ajgaonkar, GTDC chairman Dayanand Sopte, Secretary Tourism J Ashok Kumar and GTDC MD Nikhil Desai. Union Minister of State for Tourism Prahlad Singh Patel and Secretary-General, UNWTO, Zurab Pololikashvili were also pres-ent.

During the last five years, Goa Tourism through the ef-forts of GTDC has introduced a large number of new tour-ism services and adventure activities which includes scuba diving, hot air balloon rides, hop-on-hop-off luxury double-decker bus tours, bungee jumping, sea rafting, electric bicycle tours, white water rafting and eco-trek-king during the monsoons, cycling tours, kayaking, off-roading and motor cross.

Airlines are preparing for major peak-hour diversions, cancel-

lations and disruptions to flight schedules at Mumbai’s international airport, the country’s second busiest, on account of a partial shut-down due to the re-carpeting work of the main runway. The main runway at Chha-trapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA), which can handle 46 flights an hour, will be shut for commercial flights between 9am and 5.30pm from Nov 1, 2019 to March 28, 2020.

Emirates’ special off er

Dubai-based Emir-ates (airline) is of-fering UAE travel-

lers a chance to plan early and book their next trip to the Philippines. Custom-ers can take advantage and fly back home to visit family and friends in Ma-nila, Clark and Cebu. Book now and look forward to a festive winter holiday. The offer is valid for bookings till Oct 8, 2019, for travel until June 30, 2020.

Leisure travellers can also take advantage and discover the country’s cultural heritage and pristine beaches. Emir-ates economy class and business class passengers can plan a trip to Manila, Clark or Cebu. Economy class tickets for flights to Manila are available start-ing Dh1,795, while busi-ness class travellers can fly for Dh7,995 upwards. If flying to Clark, econo-my tickets cost Dh1,895, while business class tick-ets will set you back by Dh7,995. Those flying to Cebu will have to pay at least Dh2,145 for econo-my class, while business class seats will be avail-able starting Dh8,055.

Emirates’ passengers can also enjoy additional generous baggage allow-ance by purchasing dis-counted rates online and availing 50pc off the first five kg and 20pc off for any subsequent amount. Customers travelling from Dubai can avail the offer until June 10, 2020.

Mumbai airport’s main runway tobe partially closed for fi ve months

The runway will be op-erating on Sundays and a few select days during the five-month period. All op-erations will be shifted to the secondary runway, which can handle at least 36 flights an hour. “All airlines have been informed about the unavail-ability of the primary runway at the Mumbai airport about a year back, so that they could prepare for the operations accordingly,” a spokesper-son said, adding that airlines have been meeting airport operators every month to discuss the situation. On a

normal day, the CSIA handles around 940 flights. The air-port, however, can operate only one runway at a time as both the runways crisscross each other. In comparison, Indira Gandhi International airport in New Delhi has three near-parallel runways.

“The airport authorities will be working with the ATC (air traffic control) to maximise the efficiency of the secondary runway dur-ing the time the primary runway is unavailable due to re-carpeting work,” said a person aware of the matter.

Saudi govt entities ink SR100b tourism agreements

How to apply for Saudi tourist visa?

As Saudi Arabia opens to tourists f rom across the world,

the General Investment Authority (Sagia) and the Saudi Commission for Tour-ism and National Heritage (SCTH) announce a number of memoranda of under-standing and agreements with regional and interna-tional investors totalling around SR100 billion.

Signed at a ceremony in Riyadh, these agreements reflect the enormous poten-tial Saudi Arabia’s growing tourism sector offers to inves-tors across the Kingdom and around the world. Opening Saudi Arabia to tourism is a key milestone in the implementation of Vision 2030. Saudi Arabia expects to increase international and domestic visits to 100 million a year by 2030, attracting sig-

nificant foreign and domestic investment and creating a million jobs. Eng Ibrahim Al Omar, governor of Sagia, said: “Signing these agree-ments represents a milestone for the Kingdom as we con-tinue charting a path to a new diversified economy.”

Ahmad Al Khateeb, chair-man of the SCTH, added: “These exciting and wide-ranging agreements are only the beginning of the invest-ment opportunities that will arise within Saudi Arabia --- the fastest-growing tourism sector on earth. Sagia signed agreements with Majid Al Futtaim, Triple 5, Nenking Group/Ajlan Brothers, FTG Development, Kerten Hos-pitality and Tetrapylon. The SCTH, meanwhile, inked deals with Saudi Arabian Airlines, Al Khozama and the Diriyah Gate Develop-

ment Authority. Meanwhile, Seera Group announced an investment of over SR1 bil-lion in tourism for the king-dom covering promotion, distribution, infrastructure and Saudi human capital development. This was an-nounced by Abdullah Al Dawood, board member and group CEO of Seera Group, at the signing of an agreement with Al Khateeb in Riyadh. “Our investment highlights our commitment to build the tourism value chain of the kingdom, as Saudi Arabia enters a new era of growth,” Al Dawood said in a state-ment. “In this transformation of the tourism sector, the private sector will play a key role in enabling global visi-tors to experience the rich and diverse cultural heritage and modern attractions of the kingdom.”

To apply for a tourist visa from the Saudi Embassy or Consul-

ate, applicants should be at least 18 years old while underage applicants re-quire a guardian. Accord-ing to the Saudi Tourism website, there is no need to mention your religion as it is not relevant and a letter from your sponsor is also not required for the visa application.

Before applying, make sure the passport is valid

for at least six months at the time of entering Saudi Arabia. Refunds in the event of a rejection is not possible, and visa fees are also non-refundable. It is also impor-tant to note that applicants will be charged SR 100 for each day of overstaying the tourist visa.

As of this week, citizens from 49 countries, including US, Canada and UK, are now eligible to apply for a Saudi tourist e-visa by registering on the government website visa.

visitsaudi.com. The e-visa will be a one-year, multiple entry visa, allowing tour-ists to spend up to 90 days in the country. The e-visa process can be carried out in two steps, and all that eligible applicants are re-quired to do is fill out the application form and then pay the SR 440 visa fee. Al-ternatively, applicants can also apply for an e-visa by download the Saudi Tour-ism app from Google Play or the Apple Store.

Scoot overtakes AirAsia to win best low-cost carrier award for Asia-Pacifi cThe budget arm of

Singapore Airlines, Scoot, has bagged

the “Best Low-Cost Carrier” award for the Asia-Pacific region at the 30th Annual TTG Travel Awards 2019.

This is the first time Scoot has clinched the award since its inception in 2011. The budget category of the TTG Travel Awards has been dominated by Malaysia’s AirAsia, which won the title seven times in eight years between 2011 and 2018.

The airline will be add-ing nine new destinations by end-2020. Its operations will be moved from Singa-pore Changi Airport Termi-nal 2 to Terminal -1 from Oct 22, 2019, to enhance the pre-flight experience and facilitate future growth.

Earlier this month, Scoot removed all payment pro-cessing fees globally for all bookings made on its di-rect channels. Meanwhile, Scoot’s parent company

Singapore Airlines retained its title as the best full-service carrier.

The TTG Travel Awards is organised by TTG Asia, with voting being open to readers of the TTG stable of publications, as well as travel industry profession-als.

The UK government has ordered an investiga-tion into the role of

Thomas Cook Group’s man-agement in the collapse of the 178-year-old tour operator.

Business Secretary An-drea Leadsom asked the In-solvency Service, a state agency, to investigate the re-sponsibility of the company’s directors and whether any action they took may have “caused detriment” to lend-ers or the pension schemes.

Thomas Cook managers face UK government probe

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has defended the govern-ment’s decision to refuse a bailout of Thomas Cook, say-ing it would set up “a moral hazard.”

The government also has expressed concerns about bo-nuses paid to Thomas Cook directors. The UK started re-patriating more than 1.5 lakh stranded tourists on Monday after fundraising talks failed. The Civil Aviation Author-ity operated 64 flights on

Monday, bringing back to the country more than 14,700 passengers. Seventy-four flights are scheduled to oper-ate on Tuesday, with the pro-gramme, dubbed Operation Matterhorn, running until Oct 6. The demise of one of the UK’s best-known brands leaves more than 21,000 jobs at risk and caps months of talks with its investors, led by Fosun Tourism Group, the Chinese owner of the Club Med resort chain.

The four-month mon-soon officially ended on Monday, but it is

unlikely that it will with-drawal in the coming week, IMD Director General Mri-tunjay Mohapatra said. The monsoon season officially begins on June 1 and ends on Sept 30. It reaches Ganga-nagar in west Rajasthan, the last post for the monsoon in the country, on July 15 and starts retreating from Sept1.

Nevertheless, the mon-soon has not shown signs of withdrawal. Instead, active monsoon still prevails over parts of Rajasthan, Bihar and UP. Parts of Gujarat and Rajas-than are getting rainfall due to a low pressure area and this could continue until Oct 5, Mohapatra said.

The IMD in its forecast

Monsoon offi cially endsuntil Oct 3 sees “large excess rainfall” likely over Bihar and adjoining areas of east UP, Jharkhand and Gangetic West Bengal and “above normal” rains over Punjab, MP, interior Maharashtra, north Odisha, Gujarat, Mizoram, Tripura, Kerala and Lakshadweep.

Mohapatra said this could also, perhaps, be the longest recorded delayed withdrawal of monsoon. KJ Ramesh, Mohapatra’s prede-cessor, said there have been instances in the past that monsoon has withdrawn in the first week of Oct. “It has been observed that the instances of delayed mon-soon withdrawal are on the rise since 2010,” Ramesh said. Overall, the country has received nine per cent

more rainfall than normal. Of the four meteorological divisions of the IMD, the east and northeast India and northwest India divi-sions have recorded rainfall deficiency of minus 13 and three per cent respectively. The east and northeast In-dia covers states of West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar and all seven northeastern states. The northwest India division covers states of UP, Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttara-khand, Jammu and Kashmir and Delhi.

The Central India divi-sion, which covers Maha-rashtra, MP, Odisha, Chhat-tisgarh, Gujarat and Goa, has recorded 28pc more rainfall than normal.