FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 29, 2023 INDIA THIS WEEK 1 A W e e k l y N e w s p a p e r Fe a t u r i n g N e w s & Tr e n d s f r o m t h e I n d i a n S u b - C o n t i n e n t P u b l i s h e d f r o m t h e U S C a p i t a l Website: www.indiathisweek.online Vol. 31 No: 39 WASHINGTON DC • Phone: 301-445-0200 /301-445-3543/301-917-4800 • email: indiathisweekads@gmail.com • Friday September 29, 2023 Partnership between US, India vital for stability in Indo-Pacific: US Army Chief Gen Randy George New Delhi [India], September 26 (ANI): US Army’s Chief of Staff General Randy George on Tuesday said the partnership between the US and Indian Army is vital for stability in the Indo-Pacific and the relationship between the armies is strong and growing stronger. General George along with 17 other Army chiefs have arrived in New Delhi to attend the Indo-Pacific Armies Chiefs Conference (IPACC). The armies of India and the United States will host the 13th biannual Indo-Pacific Armies Chiefs Conference (IPACC), the 47th annual IndoPacific Army Management Seminar (IPAMS), the 9th Senior Enlisted Forum at the Manekshaw Center in the national capital from September 25-27. The gathering is notably the largest conference for land forces (army, marines, etc.) in the region. The objective of these meetings is to promote peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region through mutual understanding, dialogue, and friendship. The US Army chief said: “Our soldiers are sharpening their skills, mastering their craft and learning from each other. They are building trust and deepening the friendship between our armies. We all know how important trust and friendship are in a challenging global security environment. Having New Delhi [India], September 27 (ANI): ISRO Chairman S Somanath on Wednesday said he sees substantial potential in the Indian space during its ‘Amritkaal’, particularly in the application, services, and manufacturing domain. “When we reach our Amritkaal, the share of our economy in space will be substantially higher and it will come out in the secondary and tertiary sectors, and not by building rockets and satellites but by building applications, services, and manufacturing in India,” Somanath said addressing the 50th national management convention of All India Management Association (AIMA). He cited examples such as hyperlocal weather update services, map services, remote sensing, and communication applications, among others which have tremendous use cases. “For this, we are creating the right ecosystem,” the ISRO chief added. S Somanath assumed the charge of Secretary, Department of Space and Chairman, Space Commission on January 14, 2022 By 2047, the Indian space economy is expected to be 1.8 per cent of its total GDP at USD 0.7 trillion. Emerging trends in the space sector include mining rare metals and minerals, space real estate, and made-in-space products. Stressing the need for an able talent pool, Somanath noted that ISRO is working with various institutions as part of its great allies and partners is more important than ever before.” The remarks by George came during a joint press briefing with Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army General Manoj Pande. General George further said: “We are here at IPACC to talk about the role of land power. It not only contributes to our shared security, land power is decisive. Our land power network, the network that General Manoj Pande and I and all of our fellow chiefs are building here at IPACC is a security architecture that binds this region together and leads to unity and collected commitment across the region. And that unity and commitment are the best deterrence.” As per the US Army chief, the character of war is changing, and they all have to talk about how to strengthen their profession, the trust between the leaders in the land and standards and discipline. “We do these things, and we do them together, we deepen our unity and collective commitment, and that is how together we maintain a free and open IndoPacific,” he said. Speaking at the conference Army Chief General Manoj Pande said that the cooperation between land forces was critical. “Cooperation amongst our land forces is a critical component of the collective response through bilateral and multilateral engagements between components of Armed forces of nations have been ongoing...the theme of this year’s event together for peace, sustaining peace and stability in the Indopacific region resonates deeply with the idea of a secure, stable, free open and inclusive Indopacific which provides opportunities for growth of all nations” General Pande said. US INDIA PARTNERSHIP SEE PAGE 6 ISRO chief sees potential in space sector beyond just building rockets, satellites Remember: “A man who contemplates revenge keeps his wounds green.” – Francis Bacon capacity-building program. “We are working with various institutions for the talent pool. ISRO is only a builder of the system to generate science outcomes out of it. We need laboratories, universities, and institutions that have great scientists who will make sense of the data,” he asserted. “We continuously interact with institutions like IITs, IISERs, and research laboratories in this country to create a talent pool.” He added that ISRO also collaborates with most of the nations in the world and has 60+ MoUs with various nations. Asked how ISRO makes costeffective space technologies and solutions, he said it is in the organisation’s culture. “Cost control is in the culture of the organisation...the organisation itself does not allow you to exceed cost.” Somanath said re-usage of hardware is another way how save cost. Further, on private participation in space, he said there are a huge amount of business opportunities opening up in the space sector private entrepreneurs can scale up their activities substantially. He said it would not be possible for the government to all the future space programs. Meanwhile, the Vikram lander and the Pragyan rover of Chandrayaan-3, who went into “sleep mode” near the Moon’s South Pole after having completed their set tasks, were expected to awake on Friday (September 22). “Efforts have been made to establish communication with the Vikram lander and Pragyan rover to ascertain their wake-up condition. As of now, no signals have been received from them. Efforts to establish contact will continue,” ISRO had said as it failed to awaken the modules on September 22. India took a giant leap as the Chandrayaan-3 lander module successfully landed on the moon’s South Pole on August 23, making it the first country to have achieved the historic feat and bringing to an end the disappointment over the crash landing of the Chandrayaan-2, four years ago. After having landed, the Vikram lander and the Pragyan rover performed different sets of tasks on the lunar surface for about 14 days, including finding the presence of sulphur and other minor elements, recording relative temperature, and listening to movements around it. One day on the Moon is equal to 14 days on Earth. (ANI)
September 29, 2023 INDIA THIS WEEK Friday Over 40 Years Of Experience 5 FAMILY HAIRCUT $ MEN • WOMEN • CHILDREN ROOT TOUCH-UP FOR MEN 20 & up $ SERVICES • BEARD TRIM $500 $ • SHAMPOO 1000 • BLOW DRY $1000 $ 00 • PERM FROM 20 $ 00 • COLOR FROM 20 • HIGHLIGHTS FROM $3500 • SPA PEDICURE FROM $1700 Beauty & Barber Shop 7311 Little River Turnpike, Annandale, VA 22003 info@csbarbernschool.com 24 roads in 5 districts blocked due to rain-related incidents in Himachal Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], September 25 (ANI): Almost three months after monsoon hit parts of Himachal Pradesh, heavy rainfall picked up pace again, blocking twenty-four roads in five districts of the state. According to the data by the State Disaster Management Authority, “16 roads remain blocked in Lahaul-Spiti district, 4 in Shimla, 2 in Kullu and 1 each in Kangra and Kinnaur districts.” As per data from the State Revenue Minister Jagat Singh Negi, “Since the onset of monsoon fury in the state, 468 people have died, 487 injured and 40 are missing.” “2,647 houses have been completely damaged, 1,129 houses damaged partially, 320 shops damaged and 5,977 Cowsheds damaged,” it said. Additionally, the data suggested reports of 168 landslide and 72 flash flood incidents during the past three months. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Monday tabled a resolution in the State Assembly to demand the Union government to announce the Disaster-hit Himachal Pradesh as a National Disaster whereas the opposition has brought the adjournment motion under rule 67 for discussion on the disaster situation in the state. Both the ruling Congress and Opposition BJP held Legislative party meetings. A total of seven meetings will be held in the session till September 25. In the monsoon session of the Himachal Pradesh Assembly which started in Shimla here on Monday, a total of 743 questions were received by the Assembly secretariat in the session. Out of which 70 per cent of questions were related to the disaster. One notice under Rule 62, 2 notices under Rule 101, 9 notices under Rule 130, one notice under Rule 102, and 1 notice under Rule 324 have been received. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu appealed to the opposition to bring issues related to disaster and funds from the Union government during the assembly. Sukhu also thanked the Congress working committee for passing a resolution to demand from Union government to announce the Disaster hit Himachal Pradesh as a National Disaster. (ANI)
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September 29, 2023 INDIA THIS WEEK Friday Despite inclement weather Karuna Charities hold Golf Tournament Karuna Charities Washington, Inc. successfully held its 12th Annual Golf Tournament at the PB Dye Golf Club, Ijamsville, Maryland on Sunday, September 10, 2023. The weather was playing a see-saw game for some days! It was rain, thunderstorm and more rain sort of weekend! To be or not to be, a Hamlet sort of situation! The weather pundits predicted rain —but as the President, Amrit Kalotra and Karuna Charities said “Let’s Play”! And play they did - and the weather gods relented it turned out the rain held off except for a very short spell. There was a tie for the Men’s first place: Rippy Singh & Sujan Singh and Bobby Khan & Umar Sadiq. Senior winners were Jigar Shah and Sandy Weininger. Karuna Charities thanked all its our valuable Sponsors, Platinum Sponsors -Vint & Sigrid Cerf and International Business & Technical Consultants, Inc., donors, volunteers and all the Golfers who made The Karuna Golf experience such a success! Karuna also expresses its sincere appreciation to Mrs. Ajay Kalotra, the Principal Coordinator of this Golf Tournament for his dedication and support. Karuna Charities is a 501(c)3 Organization based in Maryland that helps to ameliorate the lives of women, children and families in need in the The rest of the time it seemed the gods smiled and it was perfect Golf weather. PB DYE Golf Club is a beautiful, challenging golf course and the Sugarloaf Mountain provide a most charming backdrop. The Golfers played with a joie de vivre, in a friendly competitive style and then enjoyed the best of Indian cuisine by Bombay Tandoor Restaurant. The results were announced and the winners were handed their Trophies. The two very excited firstplace ladies winners were —Jasbir Sethi and Savita Malhotra. AANCHAL Washington metropolitan area, India and around the world. Karuna engages in community services by serving meals in shelters and provided much-needed supplies to Organizations, shelters and food banks. Karuna has established educational scholarships in four local institutions: Northern Virginia Community College (NVCC), Montgomery College, University of the District of Columbia (UDC) and The Universities at Shady Grove. It contributed wholeheartedly during the COVID pandemic. In May 2023, Karuna Charities celebrated its Silver Jubilee by holding a highly entertaining program at the Double Tree by Hilton, Gaithersburg, Maryland. Over 300 attendees enjoyed a beautiful evening which comprised an opening song, cultural dance, Singing Talent Contest, Raffle, Dinner and Dance. Karuna Charities is a Charity by the Community, with the Community and for the Community. After completing 25 years of service this year, it looks forward to serving the needs of the Community for many more years. Karuna Charities is grateful for the heartwarming support and appreciation it receives from its members and wellwishers. For information about Karuna’s goals, activities and announcements about forthcoming events can be found on the following website: https:// karunacharities.org/ NINA JEWELERS WILL REMAIN CLOSED FROM OCTOBERT 2 TO OCTOBER 18 DUE TO FAMILY EMERGENCY. WILL REOPEN ON OCTOBER 19 2023. SINCERELY REGRET THE INCONVENIENCE. AND
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September 29, 2023 Friday Partnership between US, India vital for stability in Indo-Pacific INDO-US PARTNERSHIP FROM PAGE 1 The theme of this year’s IPACC is “Together for Peace: Sustaining Peace and Stability in the IndoPacific Region.” There will be both larger plenary sessions and more intimate break-out sessions at the conference. Participants will take part in vibrant conversations on subjects including peacekeeping operations, humanitarian aid/disaster relief, leadership development, and women’s emancipation as well as hear from eminent guest speakers. Participation in IPAMS has grown from nine nations at the first conference held in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1977, to 31 nations in Seoul, Korea in 2017. IPACC is now held every two years and is co-hosted by the United States Army and the hosting country. IPAMS is the longest-running land forces conference held every year. In 2014, the SELF was added allowing senior enlisted members to experience the same fellowship, discussion and sharing opportunities, but from a different perspective, the US Embassy release read. Meanwhile, Indian Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande on Monday interacted individually with Chiefs of Armies who arrived in New Delhi to attend the Indo-Pacific Armies Chiefs Conference 2023. According to the officials of the Indian Army, the Army Chief interacted individually with them to deliberate on ways for further enhancing the Defence Cooperation between the respective Armies. “The chiefs he met included Gen Morishita Yasunori of Japan, Gen Simon Stuart, Australian Army, US Army Chief Gen Randy George, Vietnam Peoples’ Army’s Dy Chief of General Staff Lt Gen Nguyen Doan Anh & Lt Gen Peter Mbogo Njiru, Commander, Kenyan Army,” officials said. “Discussions on a collaborative approach for strategic & constructive partnership to promote peace & stability in the Indo-Pacific region were also carried out during the interactions,” they added. (ANI) From The Poet’s Pen INDIA THIS WEEK- September 15, 2023 The Way of Love Apostle Paul If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned,[a] but have not love, I gain nothing. 4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;[b] 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. 11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. 13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. INDIA THIS WEEK India, US eyeing collaboration in batteries, critical minerals: Special Advisor to PM New Delhi [India], September 27 (ANI): Amid the quest for energy transition and ambitious net zero goals, India and the US are looking to collaborate in the fields of battery technologies and critical minerals, said Tarun Kapoor, the special advisor to the Prime Minister. He was speaking at the 20th Indo-US Economic Summit, organised by the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce (IACC). The theme of this year’s summit is ‘Sharing ideas & potential for a substantial partnership between India and the US for the next 25 years’. Addressing a session on infrastructure, road transport and highways, he noted that both countries are already collaborating to set up funds for renewable energy, and are also working on payment security mechanisms for electric buses. “We have a good scope of collaboration even further in terms of getting more investments into the country, partnerships between companies in India and US companies particularly considering the technology play which is happing all over the world,” he said. “Batteries and critical minerals are two areas where we are looking forward to good collaboration because in order to secure our energy requirements we have to move from absolutely basics which means the materials that go into these minerals also need to be tied up which are so critical, lithium and others, they also need to be tied up for which we have discussions going on at present,” Kapoor added. Observing that India has witnessed rapid growth in terms of manufacturing in the electric vehicle space, he stressed that there is a need to set up good charging infrastructure in the country. “Public charging infrastructure is very essential. We have this plan of covering 22,000 petrol stations with INDIA THIS WEEK Address: P.O. Box 352, Bryans Road, MD 20616 Phone: 301-445-0200; 301-917-4800 www.indiathisweek.online India This Week is published every Friday by ADV Solutions Inc, Views expressed in this paper are those of the individual writers and not necessarily of India This Week. India This Week accepts no liability for the errors in advertisements or in any of its reports. For remedial actions any errors should be brought to the attention of the editor by the information provided below. Publisher: Chief Editor: Contributing Editors: Dr. Babu Stephen Rajan George Saju Mathew Isaac George Asst. Editors: Manu Jacob Sherena Panjikkaran Special Business Correspondent Elisha B. Pulivarti Business Coordinators Rajan C. George Jithu Johny Panjikkaran Dr. Renuka Misra, Special Correspondent: Geeta Goindi Community Coordinator: Prof. Vinod Goel India Office Manesh Krishna Columnists: Anadi Naik World Religions Dr. Sam Prasad Jillella Photo Journalist: Mathew Karmel, System Admn. & Maintenance: Rajan C. George Layout & Graphics: Prinston Samuel, Business Affairs: Mrs. Molly George CALL US • 301-445-0200 • 301-917-4800 e-Mails: Advertisements: indiathisweekads@gmail.com Press Releases: indiathisweekpress@yahoo.com Web: www.indiathisweek.online charging infrastructure. In the next 2-3 years we will have very good charging infrastructure,” he said. Further, with the need to set up charging infrastructure along national highways, he said that the sector would require a lot of investment. Throwing light on the government’s focus on improving the road infrastructure in the country, he said that India will have access to expressways in the range of 50 km to 100 km from any part of the country. He said that currently 25 per cent of cargo movement is done through railways, and there is a target to take this to 40 per cent. Kapoor further said that given that Indian Railways has turned electric, it will eventually turn green with the complete greening of the power grid. “As far as roads are concerned, the efforts of the government are to have a better network of roads,” he said. Given that highways and rural roads have been constructed over the years in the country, Kapoor said that there is a need to ensure that the networks of roads are seamlessly integrated. Addressing the programme, Damon DuBord, Energy Unit Chief, US Embassy in India said that electrifying the transportation sector will be important and promoting e-mobility is an important component of both countries’ journey towards net zero. The session was chaired by Sunil Jain, Regional Council Member, IACC and the other speakers included Gunita Pahwa, Joint Managing Partner, S&A Law Offices, Amol Chitnis, Co-Founder and Director, Reliable Autotech Private Limited. (ANI) M u m b a i (Maharashtra) [India], September 27 (ANI): An eight-year-old girl was raped by a 53-year-old man in Mumbai’s Jogeshwari area, police said on Wednesday. According to Mumbai police, the accused and the victim lived in the same building and the girl’s mother used to leave her at the accused’s home while going to work as there was nobody at home to take care of her. A few days ago, the girl narrated the incident to her mother and her mother immediately lodged a complaint at the Police station. Mumbai police registered a case under Section 376 of the IPC and POCSO Act and the accused was arrested. (ANI) 8-year-old raped in Mumbai’s Jogeshwari, accused arrested Remember: “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. ” JESUS CHRIST
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No-Confidence Motion from page 1 September 29, 2023 INDIA THIS WEEK Friday An Interview with Technology Whisperer and Visionary – Mr Vennard Wright by Mihir Jaiswal Mr Vennard Wright is the CEO of Wave Welcome, an innovative organization. It is currently implementing a new technology, PerVista, that detects firearms with the help of AI through surveillance cameras and automatically notifies police. He is also coming up with his book, Cracking the C-Code, that explains the essential skills aspiring CIOs need. His experience as Chief Information Officer (CIO) and Vice President of Operations for Iron Bow Technologies, CIO for WSSC Water, CIO for Prince George’s County Government (MD), Director of Technology for Hillary Clinton during her successful United States Senate re-election campaign and subsequent 2008 Presidential Campaign and the Chief Technology Officer and Technical Organization Delivery Manager for Electronic Data Systems (EDS) qualifies him as the expert in the field. In this interview, he discusses everything from his organization and its offerings to his successful career. Mihir: You have used a title for yourself – ‘Technology Whisperer’. What is technology whisperer? Vennard: It’s a play on Cesar Millan’s dog whisperer. With our pets, we are always wondering what they are thinking. To us, they are mysterious. Same happens with the technology. People try to figure out what quantum computing is, what AI is and so on. I pride myself on being able to offer straight forward examples of how technology can be used in a way that lay people can understand. That’s what I mean by technology whisperer, a translator for people who are not wellversed in technology. Mihir: You are currently doing that through your current organization, Wave Welcome. What is the vision of Wave Welcome? Vennard: I do appreciate that question. When I started Wave Welcome, I wanted to make sure that small and medium enterprises had access to latest technology. I have been CIO of four different billion dollar organizations that could afford to have a CIO. Many organizations cannot afford to have a high level CIO. To be honest, there are not that many capable CIOs, who can operate at the highest level. Our company was founded to bridge that gap – the gap between where the technology is headed and where the small organizations are. Number two is lack of diversity at the CIO level. Wave Welcome also gives hand-on experience to diverse tenant and to train them into what it takes to be a C-level executive. I am on board of several colleges and universities. The goal is to align the curriculum to what industry needs are. The last one is to leverage technology to solve the problems of the world. There are certain indications like violent crime, foreclosures, section 8 housing, lower test scores, health disparities that give negative impression of Prince Georges County. We would like to find creative ways with the help of technology to solve some of these challenges. Ultimately, I consider our firm to be an innovation firm. We subscribe to the principle of conscious capitalism. We are in the business of making money but we also believe that there are other types of capital we should pay attention to, like environment, network and people. Mihir: When you have such diverse vision for Wave Welcome, how do you identify a problem worth solving and create value proposition? Vennard: Number one, I am focused on making sure that Prince George’s County serves as a beacon of technology. One way to do this is to identify needs of the PG County. Can we change the situation with crime? Can we increase the talent pool in modern technology? Is there an opportunity to reduce disparities in preventable diseases? Previously, we developed a vulnerabilities index using many different data points within PG County to understand why higher type diabetes rate in the County. Based on number of gyms, fast food restaurants, walking trail and many other data we could analyze the likelihood of getting type 2 diabetes based on the zip code. Last year, there was a high profile case where three teenagers entered a school bus behind another teenager and one of the three tried to shoot the teenager in the bus. Luckily, the gun jammed. Based on that incident, I had a conversation with the state attorney and her question was whether technology can solve the crime problem. I did market research from that point onward and we came up with our platform, In the book there are fifteen chapters and each chapter focuses on one skill. As an author, my suggestion is to take a month for each skill. Do the exercises. Digest the concept and practice. Ensuring balance, financial literacy, spiral dynamics, finite vs. infinite needs are some of the things I discuss in the book. You need these to get to the C-level and survive there. If it sounds like a lot, being a CIO is a lot. It is a demanding job. PerVista. Mihir: I understand that PerVista is using AI to detect the firearms and alert police. What kind of impact do you see through the success of PerVista? Vennard: I’d like to get to a point that it (PerVista) becomes a deterrent, that schools are no longer soft targets they have been. Through PerVista, police are able to respond quickly, but I want to get to a place where the incidents don’t happen at all. Second, I want to make sure that, by building this company in PG County, there are local jobs available. I would like that we manufacture cameras and drones right here in PG County creating even more jobs. Mihir: What partnerships are driving success of PerVista? Vennard: We work closely with Amazon and using their platform and technology. We are AWS partner. Another critical partnership we have is with FSC first, Financial Service Corporation for the Prince George’s County. This project is expensive. FSC first is our partner for funding. Last important partnership is in the public sector, with the public safety officials. To develop this solution, we need positive matching of the firearms. Police are on the frontline and they know which kind of firearms is being used. We need pictures of those firearms from different angles, different light, different times of the day, different weather, and different people holding them. We need to cover as many variations as we can. Mihir: With years of experience as CIO, can you explain the role of CIO in an organization? Vennard: I believe CIO is one of the most important roles in a company. CIO needs to understand what the organization does and what technology is needed to support it. As a CIO, I have never led with the technology. I certainly understood it as well as anyone, but I learned about the organization first. CIO is someone who is able to do the translation from process and people to technology. CIO’s first job is to make sure that the organization is efficient, understand where it is going and then align with the technology. Mihir: You are soon coming out with a book to help potential CIO candidates for their upcoming career – Cracking the C-Code. How does one crack the C-code? Vennard: The book has 150 pages and someone sticks to it till the end is one fundamental skill for CIO. Nothing happens overnight. People look at where you are, but they need to understand the journey. Mihir: You have held so many important positions, including Director of Technology for Senator Clinton. How do you describe your journey? How do you explain to someone who is starting their journey about the support you had, decisions you made or risks you took? Vennard: That question is more profound than it sounds. I grew up in a neighborhood, where I was not expected to succeed. I didn’t know anyone around me, who was where I am now. Because I didn’t have an example to follow, a lot of my career was experimentation. One of the best things happen to me, accidently, was marrying to my wife. My marriage gave me someone who believed in me unconditionally, it grounded me, it gave me a reason to keep pushing. You need to have a good reason to do it. Being a C-level executive means working nights and weekends, sometimes. Because I had people that believed in me, I did not have an option of failure. Over time I leaned the importance of support system. I learned the lessons of sacrificing fun for hard work and internalized it. I learned to avoid burn-out by taking break. You have to learn about yourself and to be aware of what works for you. The biggest thing I would emphasize is that it is a process and does not happen overnight.
FRIDAY US Embassy in India issued record 90,000 student visas this summer New Delhi [India], September 25 (ANI): The US Embassy in India has issued a record 90,000 student visas this Summer (July-August). With this, almost one in four student visas issued worldwide, was issued in the India. “The US Mission in India is pleased to announce that we issued a record number – over 90,000 – of student visas this Summer/ in June, July, and August. This summer almost one in four student visas worldwide was issued right here in India!” the US Embassy in India wrote on ‘X’ formerly Twitter on Monday. The US Embassy then congratulated students who have chosen the United States to make their higher education goals a reality. Recently, United States Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti said that the wait time for first-time tourist visa interviews has been reduced by more than 50 per cent, adding that goal for 2023 is to process at least one million visas. Speaking at IIT Delhi, Garcetti highlighted the progress made in visa processing, stating that the US Mission in India is currently processing visas faster than ever before. Addressing the audience at IIT Delhi, Garcetti said, “We’re already doing this. We’re currently processing more visas, faster, than the US Mission in India ever has before. We have set a goal for ourselves to process at least a million visas in 2023, and we’re already more than halfway towards reaching that goal.” India and the US have taken several initiatives to make the visa process smooth. Earlier, during his visit to the United State, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced that Indian professionals will no longer need to leave America for the renewal of their H-1B visas. The United States authorities announced that they will introduce ‘incountry’ renewable H-1B visas as part of the peopleto-people initiative to smoothen the process of H1B visa renewal. PM Modi had also announced that the United States will open new consulates in Bengaluru and Ahmedabad. Meanwhile, India is going to open a new consulate in Seattle this year. Apart from this, Indian Consulates will be opened in 2 more cities in America. Earlier in June speaking at the US embassy, US envoy to India Eric Garcetti had said that one of every 5 student visas were issued in India. “One out of every 5 US students visa was issued here in India in 2022. One out of five in the world which is more than the proportion of the Indian population in the world” Garcetti had said. “So, Indians have not only pursued an education in the United States but for decades have shown their excellence in the United States and we are on track to process the highest number of visa applications in our history”Garcetti added. (ANI) SEPTEMBER 29, 2023 9 Big blow to land mafia in UP, property worth more than Rs 1 billion confiscated Unnao (Uttar Pradesh) [India], September 25 (ANI): Unnao district administration took major action on Sunday to tighten its grip on the land mafia and attached movable and immovable property worth more than one billion rupees of accused Dr Naseem Ahmed. The action was taken on the orders of the District Magistrate (DM) of Unnao, Uttar Pradesh, and the announcement was made by playing ‘dhol’ in the presence of Unnao Sadar Tehsildar, CO City, and revenue personnel. Ashutosh Kumar, CO City, Unnao said “The accused, Naseem Ahmed, is a resident of Akhalok Nagar in the Jajmau police station area of Gangaghat Kotwali of Unnao. He is accused of illegally forming a gang for financial and material gains, and of gaining financial benefits by occupying the land of poor farmers in Katri Piparkheda and surrounding areas of Gangaghat area, plotting it, and selling it illegally,” “Ahmed has been buying and selling land in the name of his brother, nephew, and other family members. A total of eight cases are registered against him in Gangaghat Kotwali and Sadar Kotwali, in which two cases are for death threats, and other cases are for buying and selling land by preparing fake documents. Goonda Act proceedings were also initiated against him in 2022, and he was sealed for six months,” said Ashutosh Kumar, CO City, Unnao On Sunday, on the instructions of the district administration, property worth Rs 1 billion 22 crore 65 lakh 26 thousand lying at various places in Katri Peepar Kheda was seized against Ahmed. The property includes land, houses, and other assets. Further information is awaited. (ANI)
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