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France and India
Ravi meets French minister |
India will soon finalise a social security agreement with France for its citizens living in that country, Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi, on a European visit, said. Ravi, who held discussions with the French Social Security and the Family Minister Philippe Bas in Paris, said the deal would be finalised in January during bilateral discussions in the Indian capital. The Minister discussed certain irritants in the double taxation avoidance agreement between the two countries.
“Many Indians complain they have to pay double taxes in France. The minister has handed over a draft for an agreement on social security for the Indians in France,” said a statement from the overseas Indian affairs ministry. “The minister also indicated that most of the provisions in the draft form were acceptable to the French minister and the final decision would be taken in the January meeting.” There is an agreement on avoidance of double taxation between India and France.
Ravi also urged the French government to strengthen its trade relations with New Delhi. According to the overseas Indian affairs ministry, Bas will visit India soon. Ravi also met Indian students, members of Indian Professional Association and non-resident Indian employees of Unesco in Paris. |
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SINGAPORE AND INDIA
Singapore president launches Indian diaspora encyclopaedia |
An encyclopaedia showcasing the history and development of the Indian diaspora across the world has been launched by Singapore President S.R. Nathan.
The idea of such an encyclopaedia came from a group of enterprising Singaporean Indians, including Nathan, according to a report in Channel News Asia. The team worked with the National University of Singapore and the Australian National University for over two years on this project, launched Monday evening. The cost of the project is estimated at S$1 million.
More than 60 experts from some 15 countries have contributed to the 400-page book. The editors hope the book will also serve to connect the vast Indian diaspora globally. “It will give them a sense that they’re part of a larger mosaic,” said Brij Lal of the Australian National University, the encyclopaedia’s general editor. “Maybe you are part of the Indian community in Mauritius but you are part of the larger community that came from a similar experience of indentured migration.
“So I think, in terms of giving these people a sense of identity, a sense of history, a sense of evolution, this book will play an important role in that regard,” he said. Singaporeans of Indian origin, including President Nathan, Deputy Prime Minister S. Jayakumar and Temasek Holdings’ chairman S. Dhanabalan feature in the encyclopaedia.
Among others who find place in the book are steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal and technocrat Sudhir Gupta of Amtel. “We wanted a diasporic voice in the encyclopaedia and we’ve got that —people writing about their own communities in the Caribbean, in South Africa, in Fiji, Mauritius and so on,” said Peter Reeves, head of the South Asian Studies Programme at the National University of Singapore.
Around 16,000 copies of the book have been printed so far and the publishers are now gearing up for its worldwide launch in New Delhi, New York, Sydney and Melbourne. |
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