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First woman to head BBC is Indian |
Dr Chitra Bharucha will be the first woman and the first NRI to become the Vice-Chairman of the recently formed BBC trust from January 1, 2007. This comes in the wake of the resignation of BBC chairperson Michael Grade. She will continue to carry out the responsibilities until a full-time chairman is appointed. The tenure does not really matter; what matters is the prestige of the position, considering that BBC is one of the largest broadcasting companies in the world. It is a £4 billion company with a staff of 26,000 people!
Chitra was born in Madurai in India. She has lived in Britain since 1972. She is a haematologist by profession and currently chairs the General Medical Council panel which decides on how fit doctors are to practise medicine. In 1996 she moved to a career in media when she joined BBC Broadcasting Council for Northern Ireland. She held this position till 2003. Her first job as Vice Chairperson will be to carry on with the negotiation on the licence fee, something that her predecessor was in the midst of, at the time of his resignation.
Currently she is an associate member of the General Medical Council and chairs the Advisory Committee on Animal Feedingstuffs for the Food Standards Agency. She has been involved with many high profile groups across various different fields, ranging from the Independent Television Commission (ITC) to the GM Science Review Panel. She was appointed to the ASA council in November 2004. |
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Convention for NRIs of Goan origin in January |
The Goa government has scheduled a Global Goans Convention January 3 to 5, 2007, in Goa. The convention is meant for Non Resident Goans, persons of Goan origin, former Non Resident Goans and others concerned with NRI issues. This convention will be the first to be organised by the state appointed NRI Commissioner. Past conventions were the responsibility of the NRI Facilitation Centre which wound up operations.
Goa’s Chief Minister will inaugurate the meet. Several ambassadors and ministers will also address the delegates. Membership fees for the three day event is Rs 1,250 ($28) and Rs 625 ($14) for students. Details can be seen on the official website www.globalgoans.org.in
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Punjab police cell to NRIs’ rescue |
An innovative idea started by the Punjab Police is providing assistance to NRIs who are being cheated in disputes over property, theft, marriage, or other scenarios. Known as the NRI cell of the Punjab Police, it is accessible by phone or email. The Cell has started an NRI radio helpline for Canadian NRIs, in a live programme with Radio in Canada. They are also moving ahead in attempts to contact other radio and TV stations for this purpose.
Awareness of the Cell is not yet widespread, so the Punjab Police are hoping to spread their message to NRIs in many more countries.
In a recent case a Canadian Indian approached the NRI Cell of the Punjab Police when his family was subjected to attacks by miscreant gangs in their village, who, when they sought the help of the local police, were given no help at all. This resulted in Palwinder Singh flying over to India from Toronto in an attempt to help his parents. He approached the NRI Cell and registered a case which put the criminals under arrest and in jail.
In another case a Canadian Indian on a visit to the Punjab was wrongly faced with criminal action. His brother contacted the NRI Cell who investigated the case and has his brother exonerated.
Located in Chandigarh, the Cell works 24 hours registering NRI grievances. Since its formations in 2004 the Cell has handled over 900 complaints. Contact via email:
pbpolicenri@yahoo.co.uk. |
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Emigration clearance now required for only 18 countries |
The government has lifted the Emigration Clearance Requirement (ECR) for most countries of the world, barring 18. These ECR regulations put Indians wishing to work abroad through long delays and hassles in dealing with corrupt passport authorities, money grubbing touts and fradulent recruitment agencies.
While the new liberalisation is in place, the ECR is still required for Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Syria, Jordan, Malaysia, Afghanistan, Thailand, Indonesia, Iraq, Brunei, Nigeria, Sudan and Libya.
It is recorded that over 500,000 people leave India to work abroad each year. In fact to upgrade the skills and marketability of the Indian worker, the government has instituted programmes for training in pre-employment workshops. These training materials have been obtained from the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and adapted for the purpose. |
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