Bharat Rakshak

Immigration authorities worked closely with a marine oil-rig company in Mississippi to discourage protests by temporary guest workers from India over their job conditions, including advising managers to send some workers back to India, according to new testimony in a federal lawsuit against the company, Signal International.

Mr. Schnoor said the “direction” he received from an immigration enforcement agent was this: “Don’t give them any advance notice. Take them all out of the line on the way to work; get their personal belongings; get them in a van, and get their tickets, and get them to the airport, and send them back to India.”

prasannasimha wrote:The law is interpreted that if the Parents are USAite or if born in USA thye can claim US citizenship and are eligible for US POTUS position. Obama was born in Hawaii and his Mother was a natural born American.

Lilo wrote:Some times I think the "potential" of this huge vocalized anglophone mass is the reason for Indians getting barraged by psyops day in and day out by internal collaborators in Paid media and their masters abroad on a scale totally different to any other Nationality in the world...

TSJones wrote: Well, I really think this is about Mrs. Richard not wanting to step into Khobragade family power play back in India. Khobragades weren't doing Mrs. Richard any favor by offering a ticket back to India.

UlanBatori wrote:since I am a newbie onlee, could some kind person pls post the expansion of MUTU? I am too lazy to go search for the Lexicon thread.

**** lashed out at an "overzealous and intransigent prosecution, prejudiced and narrow-minded investigation, unwillingness to admit mistake (and) reliance on unreliable testimony and evidence".
She also accused prosecutors of "character assassination, inconsistent and unfounded accusatory theory, and counterproductive and coercive interrogation techniques that produce false confessions and inaccurate statements.

UlanBatori wrote:since I am a newbie onlee, could some kind person pls post the expansion of MUTU? I am too lazy to go search for the Lexicon thread.

saip wrote:Unfortunately it appears to be true and there were lot of arrests in this case.

Why then is there a problem of sentiment? The fact is that to a considerable degree, we are victims of our own success. The India-US relationship arrived - some would say, at last - and by doing so, ended the romance of the phase of courtship. The change is visible in the less integrated approach we take, leaving each department or agency to handle its counterpart. That no longer allows the luxury of cutting some slack on an account that matters, expecting to make up elsewhere. The willingness to take risks also decreases as there is no longer a great cause to pursue. And grand strategy, once achieved, quickly changes from rocket science to a no-brainer! As we settle into the partnership, it takes a different mindset to address the less exciting chores of maintenance, upkeep and progress. The danger here is that individual problems that may well have been dismissed in the earlier era can now dominate the narrative.

We are accepting only the brightest from these countries and denying those very countries the people they need to change their dire situation.

Jan. 14--NEW DELHI -- India's two biggest airlines, state-run Air India Ltd and Jet Airways (India) Ltd, could be worse hit than previously thought and may lose their code-sharing privilege on US routes if the US aviation regulator downgrades India's air safety ranking over the coming fortnight.

The airlines will have to snap ties with American counterparts -- a move that may have an impact on Air India's entry into the prestigious Star Alliance and Jet Airways' plan to integrate its network with that of Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways PJSC, which has bought a stake in it.

As known earlier, Air India and Jet Airways would be barred from increasing flights to the US if the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) downgrades India's air safety ranking to so-called Category II. The FAA in December inspected the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to determine if it had taken action to correct 33 deficiencies that came to light in a September audit.

The two airlines' existing flights would also be subjected to additional checks at American airports.

Air India announced last year that it would be joining Star Alliance, the biggest club of world airlines. Jet, which sold a 24% stake to Etihad Airways for $379 million, plans to align its network with that of Etihad, especially for passenger traffic to the US and Europe.

While a downgrade, if at all it happens, does not reflect on the safety of India's airlines -- the rankings measure the ability of the Indian regulator to follow safety procedures and not that of the airlines -- India risks being perceived in a negative light.

A Category II safety rating means the civil aviation authority does not comply with International Civil Aviation Organization standards and is deficient in one or more areas, such as technical expertise, trained personnel and record-keeping or inspection procedures, according to FAA.

New Delhi: India has warned the US to expect retaliation if the US aviation regulator, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), downgrades the country’s air safety rankings. Retaliatory action could include a year’s embargo on the delivery of Boeing Co.’s 787 Dreamliner aircraft to Air India Ltd.
The FAA has decided to inspect India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in December again for compliance with corrective measures on 33 deficiencies that came to light in a September audit of the Indian regulator.
It could possibly downgrade India’s safety rankings to category II from category I after the audit. A category II safety rating means the civil aviation authority does not comply with International Civil Aviation Organization standards and is deficient in one or more areas, such as technical expertise, trained personnel and record-keeping or inspection procedures, according to FAA.
Indian airlines won’t be able to increase flights to the US and additional checks will be imposed on existing flights of Air India and Jet Airways (India) Ltd if a downgrades takes place. It may also hurt airlines like Singapore Airlines Ltd and AirAsia Bhd that have proposed joint ventures with Tata Sons Ltd and may want to fly to the US.
The matter escalated between the two sides over the past one month. An Indian delegation led by aviation minister Ajit Singh, which was in Washington for the fourth India-US Aviation Summit in Washington on 30 October, was given indications during meetings with US officials that a downgrade can’t be ruled out, according to two government officials who declined to be named.
“There will be an equal and befitting response which will include a one-year ban on delivery of any new Boeing’s Dreamliners for Air India,” said one of the two officials.
A downgrade of India’s air safety rankings will mean that Boeing, General Electric Co., maker of the engines that power the Dreamliner, and Honeywell International Inc., which manufactures other components that go into the jet plane, and “others will all suffer,” this official said.
“It has been communicated to them informally,” the official said.
An email sent to Boeing on Sunday remained unanswered.
A spokeswoman for FAA declined to comment on whether it has communicated with India on a possible downgrade through diplomatic channels. On Thursday, the spokeswoman had said, “The only thing I can confirm is that the FAA is continuing consultations with the civil aviation authority of India.”
Boeing has a $6 billion order from Air India for 27 Dreamliners of which less than a dozen have been delivered to the state-owned airline.
Only 14 of the 27 aircraft have been cleared by the government to be inducted into Air India so far as part of a turnaround plan for the airline in which the government is infusing nearly $6 billion. A decision on the induction of the remaining 13 Dreamliners is expected to be taken in 2014 by the government.
To be sure, the threatened embargo on the delivery of the remaining planes may not come to pass.
Still, in a signal of the seriousness with which the situation is being viewed, the Prime Minister’s Office intervened in the matter last week. The Prime Minister’s principal secretary Pulok Chatterji, foreign secretary Sujatha Singh,aviation secretary K.N. Srivastava and other top civil servants held a review meeting to sort out the issue.
The threat of a downgrade of India’s air safety rankings is imminent, Mint first reported on 15 November, citing a government official who didn’t want to be named.
While a downgrade does not reflect on the safety of India’s airlines—the rankings measure the ability of the Indian regulator to follow safety processes and not that of the airlines—India risks being perceived in a negative light. It could also hurt business sentiment.
India is expected to be the third-largest aviation market by 2020, handling 336 million domestic and 85 million international passengers with projected investment to the tune of $120 billion by 2020, aviation minister Singh said at the Washington summit.
The problem lies in the current government trying to do a cosmetic job on DGCA deficiencies so that the status quo can remain until a new government takes office after general elections due by May next year, a person with knowledge of the matter said. He isn’t one of the two officials cited above.
“They have been told by FAA through diplomatic channels that this time they will not be able to hold back,” this person said, also on condition of anonymity.
The FAA downgraded the safety ranking of strong US allies like Mexico in 2010 and Israel in 2008.
The PMO meeting discussed steps to convince the FAA audit team when it arrives in the second week of December that India is serious about making changes, said the official cited in the first instance.
Among the many steps taken, said the first government official, was a decision to allow the DGCA to hire commanders (senior pilots) for airlines safety audits directly and pay them market salaries, which can be nearly as much as Rs.10 lakh per month.
DGCA has been so far bound to pay government-mandated salaries, which are way below industry average. The regulator has, therefore, been forced to take on flight operations inspectors from Air India and private airlines. And in contravention of its own rules, these inspectors also serve in management positions in their airlines.
Since the inspectors are those who audit airlines, they cannot be expected to be objective, analysts say. This conflict of interest is another major issue flagged by FAA, Mint reported on 15 November.
Another key flaw the FAA has pointed out in its report is that India does not have a trained examiner for the Boeing 787 Dreamliners, said the second government official.
India is likely to tell the US that there are no trained examiners for Dreamliners outside the US since it is a new aircraft. India will demand that Boeing station such examiners in India immediately.
“If not, they can keep the rest of the Dreamliners in Seattle (Boeing headquarters) itself. We don’t need any of them,” the second government official said. “If we can’t fly to US, then American airlines will also not be able to expand into India.”
Jet Airways’ former chief executive Steve Forte, who is based in New York, said both sides need to cool down the situation. “A win-win amicable solution would be much more desirable. How to achieve it? DGCA should show the willingness to work together with the FAA to resolve all issues and to accept their recommendations as long as they are factual and have a purpose,” he said. “It is important for the DGCA to negotiate a reasonable timetable to get the work done after this next audit and before the following. DGCA and FAA should cooperate together to publish a timeline with specific goals and dates to be met.”
India has cleared a proposal for the formation of a new, more autonomous regulator, the Civil Aviation Authority. The decision has since been sent to a parliamentary committee for further review.
“The FAA has to understand the difficulties in the dealings and struggles within the Indian government that may be hampering the work of the DGCA (such as lack of a sufficient workforce), but in the final analysis the FAA cannot afford to be lax on rules that concern the safety of passengers, crews and aircraft,” Forte said. “Their assessment (and the DGCA’s) has to do with lives and equipment, and not politics.”

shiv wrote:One of the enduring stories about the US that has been doing the rounds in India is like the "Dick Whittington" tale - that US streets are paved with gold and going to the US is a sure fire path to wealth. This story is pervasive and is also encouraged both by the US itself and Indian immgrants to the US so it is worth looking at what happens to immigrants who go to the US.

Naturally if immigration to th US leads to automatic wealth, then every effort must be made to send poor people to America to give them freedom from the bondage and poverty that pervades their lives in India. If, on the other hand the story of immigration to the US is one of hardship, then Indians must be discouraged from trying to get to the US.

Looking at immigration versus poverty figures in the US one finds that 2 of 3 black or hispanic immigrants to the US is poor. But only one in 6 or 7 Indian immigrants is poor. This makes it appear that Indians must do their best to get to America because about 85% will not be poor.

However, if you look at literacy, you find that it is highly literate Indians who are doing well in America. Fact is highly literate Indians do well in India as well and a very large percentage are able to shift successfully from India to US or US to India. The Indians who do well in the US and sing the prises of the US in India while being critical of India are largely MATAs who bash India with the same stick that assorted NGOs, evangelical groups and humans rights groups bash India with, ignoring the fact that it was an education in India that primarily enabled first generation Indian immigrants to succeed in the US n the first place. It is the illiterate immigrants who remain poor in the US.

If you are illiterate in India, and America decides to take you in, you are likely to remain poor and your voice will not be heard in your country of origin. If you are literate or highly educated to start with, America will take you and you will likely succeed and your voice will be heard as a success story in your country of origin.

The rush to go to America is driven by a carefully nurtured reputation that America is all success, all wealth. The caveats to such success need to be documented by examining stories where the immigrant Indian did not succeed.

They told us, you guys don't even know how to design a Pakistan!

Thrust reberjer failed onlee. It failed at Srinagar, but we are allowed to fly if only one thrust reberjer eej kaput

It is better to be down here wishing you were up there, than up there wishing you were down here

Sravan wrote: Shiv,

Although I agree with most of your posts, there is a stark difference in government aptitude and efficiency when you compare India and US success rates. The efficiency with which work gets done for a highly skilled individual is stupendous in the United States. You are rewarded purely on merit and there is no shota bada admi attitude.

As a entrepreneur living off unemployment insurance, I have no trouble getting meetings with CEOs or filing grants to the National Science Foundation.

I have tried similar efforts in India and it is all about your political pull, bribing or strong arming the government to get your way. The US is in a whole another league when it comes to rewarding knowledge driven merit based ideas. This trend started after the German scientists were poached after World War II.

India on the other hand has failed me miserably numerous times. I can cite many personal examples, however I believe you should take into consideration, the point I bring up. I speak from personal experience, and I believe there is not much recourse other than the RTI act in India.

Simple things like registering a company, or setting up a payment gateway take months wherein it is processed in hours in the United States.

Your point about people leaving the Indian market is not because the US is paved with gold, but it is currently the path of least resistance. Your efforts are augmented and supported by a huge support ecosystem. From deferred legal fees, to the small business government grants to the VC investment that nurtures and stimulates entrepreneurial activity.

India on the other hand has made every single task impossibly hard for me to kick off my ventures there. I have applied for a PAN card, and it's taking over 2 months to get it right.

shiv wrote:

Sravan wrote: Shiv,

Although I agree with most of your posts, there is a stark difference in government aptitude and efficiency
.....

UlanBatori wrote: .....

TSJones wrote:

Hitesh wrote: In that case, why would Snowden want to go back to US and face trumped up charges arranged by NSA et al?

For abusing his passport?

New Delhi: The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has downgraded India's aviation safety ranking, which means Indian carriers cannot increase flights to the United States and face additional checks for existing flights, the Mint newspaper reported, citing the Indian aviation regulator.

The FAA has downgraded India to Category 2 from Category 1, Prabhat Kumar, India's director general of civil aviation, was quoted by the paper as saying. Jet Airways and state-run Air India operate flights from India to the United States. Kumar could not be reached for comment.

UlanBatori wrote:What Sravan says is accurate.

Muslims in America Face Two Educational Challenges
A key factor behind the development of American cultural and political institutions has been the freedom of religion. The framers of the US Constitution, well aware of the dangers of religious oppression, sought to guarantee tolerance of faiths through the First Amendment, which sets forth the separation of church and state. However, ideals are not always translated into reality. This nation's schools, far from offering an education sensitive to children of all faiths, are afflicted by a Judeo-Christian bias which poses a formidable challenge to the ethical and intellectual growth of America's Muslim students.

The following description of Islam is excerpted from an American textbook currently in use: "It is uncertain whether Muhammad learned to read or write. . . The things he heard and saw later became part of the Koran. . . The Koran places males above females. . ." Ironically, the aforementioned text was one used by a private Islamic school. It is obvious that America's Muslims must take active steps to dispel such misinformation, as well as to preserve the religious identities and values of their children.

Current efforts center on working within the US educational establishment to increase the quality of texts and resource materials related to Islam and establishing private Islamic elementary and secondary schools to meet the unique intellectual and spiritual needs of their students.

Educational organizations working to improve resource materials on Islam include the Middle East Social Studies Association (MESSA), the Southeastern Regional Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies Seminar (SERIMESS), and the Middle East Outreach Council (MEOC). MESSA has published numerous bibliographies and reviews of Islamic materials, and provides audio-visual works on the topic to this nation's public schools. SERIMESS, now compromising some 300 members, offers teaching and curriculum development workshops on Islam to social studies instructors throughout the southeastern United States. Operating at the higher educational level in MEOC, an 11-member association of universities which sponsors the distribution of accurate, informed resource materials on Islam to US educators.

For their part, Muslim organizations such as the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) and the International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT) have coordinated efforts to provide learning materials to US schools. The result is the project "Teaching About the Middle East and the Islamic World-A Resource Oriented Workshop." It has been successfully used in over 25 school systems nationwide. Fears that the project is an attempt to gain new converts to Islam are unfounded. As the editor of a US Muslim magazine explains, "The movement is not a proselytizing push for Islam. It preaches accurate understanding about Islam and peoples of the Middle East."

American Muslim parents who are not satisfied with the level of instruction or who are concerned about the atmosphere in some American public schools have alternatives in independent schooling. Nearly 60 full-time Islamic elementary and secondary schools have been established in the United States to date, although the majority operate only from kindergarten through the sixth grade.

Curriculum development is a major problem, since generally accepted Islamic course structures and learning materials are as yet unformulated. In addition, in order to gain accreditation, Islamic schools must use only textbooks approved by the state. Matters are further complicated by the lack of qualified instructors. A recent analysis of this nation's 300 Islamic teachers concluded that roughly 75 percent have inadequate professional credentials.

Most Muslim parents, though, rely upon "weekend schools," the Islamic equivalent of the Christian Sunday school. Some 370 such schools are in existence, enrolling close to 40,000 students.

Within America's Muslim community, considerable attention is devoted to the issue of alternative Islamic education. The Islamice Society of North America's Education Committee scheduled the symposium "Towards An Applied Islamic Educational Model in North America" October 13 through 15 in Indianapolis, IN, to facilitate information exchange among Muslim educators from throughout the US and Canada.

For more information on Islam and education at the national level, write to ISNA, Department of Education, PO Box 38, Plainfield, IN 46168 or call (317) 839-1840. Those interested in hearing from informed lecturers on topics related to Islam are invited to contact the AET Speakers Bureau c/o the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs.

Uzra Zeya is a staff member of the American Educational Trust specializing in Islamic affairs.

One Nashun under (Alla*). With sebarashun oph ishtate and masjid

While she was putting all the efforts in evacuating SR's family, US diplomats in Benghazi died. Not to mention her stunt did no favor to US diplomats in India.