Category: India

In 2024, America held an important election, and former President Donald Trump won, making him the 47th President. The election had a lot of excitement, with Trump and Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris as the main candidates. Throughout the year, people talked a lot about India and its influence on the election. There are around 2.6 million Indian-Americans eligible to vote, and many of them live in key states that Trump won, showing how much the Indian community matters in U.S. politics.

This year, many Indian-Americans changed their voting habits, moving from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party. They made headlines and were highlighted in both political parties. Here’s a look at some key Indian-American figures who made a splash in the election:

Kamala Harris: Known worldwide, Harris made history as the first woman Vice President and the first person of Indian descent in such a high role. Her mother was an Indian-American scientist, and she often talked about her during her campaign. Harris lost her presidential bid on November 4, 2024, but increased India’s presence in U.S. politics.

Tulsi Gabbard: Although not of Indian descent, Gabbard identifies as a Hindu. She is a long-time Congresswoman who made headlines when she left the Democratic Party to support Trump. Recently, Trump selected her as the Director of National Intelligence.

Vivek Ramaswamy: A biotech entrepreneur with roots in Kerala, Ramaswamy ran against Trump in the Republican primaries. He’s known for challenging government rules and is now co-leading a new project aimed at reducing government bureaucracy.

Usha Vance: Usha is set to become the first Indian-origin Second Lady of the United States. She introduced her husband, JD Vance, at the Republican National Convention. Usha has a background as a lawyer and has supported her husband’s political journey.

Kash Patel: Born in New York to Indian immigrants, Patel has been named the Director of the FBI. He is known for wanting to reform the FBI and make it more effective, which has made him both popular and controversial.

Jay Bhattacharya: A health expert from Kolkata, Bhattacharya has been appointed as the Director of the National Institutes of Health. He is known for his views on COVID-19 restrictions and will manage a large budget for medical research.

Harmeet Kaur Dhillon: A lawyer, Dhillon has been nominated as the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights. She is known for her work on election integrity and supporting Trump’s legal efforts in the past.

As we wrap up the year, it’s clear that Indian-Americans have played significant roles in shaping U.S. politics, and their influence continues to grow.

New Delhi: The Indian government has taken action against coaching centers that trick people with false ads. They issued 45 notices and fined 19 coaching centers a total of ₹61.6 lakhs. This was shared by B.L. Verma, the Minister of State for consumer affairs, during a discussion in the Lok Sabha.

On November 13, the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) announced new rules called “Guidelines for Prevention of Misleading Advertisements in the Coaching Sector, 2024.” These rules aim to stop coaching centers from making false promises about their success rates, rankings, and admissions. For example, they cannot claim that every student will get into their desired college.

The guidelines also say that coaching centers need to get written permission before they use a student’s name, picture, or testimonials in their ads. Furthermore, they must tell students whether they paid for the courses themselves or if someone else sponsored their education.

Coaching centers now need to link up with the National Consumer Helpline (NCH) to help students complain about misleading ads and unfair practices. Verma noted that the NCH has helped resolve issues for students preparing for competitive exams like UPSC Civil Services, JEE, and NEET, resulting in refunds totaling ₹1.15 crore.

The government is acting quickly because of fierce competition for engineering and medical school spots and the exaggerated claims made in ads, which sometimes lead to serious stress and even tragic outcomes for students. Recently, a coaching center, Sriram’s IAS, was fined ₹3 lakhs for making false claims in their advertisements.

The rise of coaching centers has caused many concerns. This is especially true in Kota, Rajasthan, where many students come to study. Many feel overwhelmed as they prepare for their exams, often living far away from their families.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is going to visit Kuwait on December 21 and 22, 2024. This is a big deal because it’s the first time in 43 years that an Indian Prime Minister will visit Kuwait, as mentioned by the Ministry of External Affairs.

During his visit, PM Modi will talk with Kuwait’s leaders and connect with the Indian community living there. India and Kuwait have a strong friendship that goes way back, based on history, trade, and the many people-to-people connections. India is one of Kuwait’s top trading partners, and the Indian community is the largest group of foreigners in Kuwait.

This visit is a great chance to make the bond between India and Kuwait even stronger. Recently, Kuwait’s Foreign Minister Abdullah Ali Al-Yahya visited India and met with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar. The Ministry of External Affairs welcomed him warmly, saying this visit would boost the relationship between the two countries.

India and Kuwait also signed an agreement to create a Joint Commission for Cooperation, which will help both countries work together more effectively.

Umar Khalid, a former student leader from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), has been given a temporary release from jail. A court in Karkardooma allowed him to attend his cousin’s wedding. Khalid can spend seven days outside of prison for this special family occasion. More updates will follow soon!

IDFC FIRST Private Banking and Hurun India have shared the second edition of the “IDFC FIRST Private & Hurun India’s Top 200 Self-Made Entrepreneurs of the Millennium 2024” list. Leading the list this year is Radhakishan Damani, who founded Avenue Supermarts (DMart). His company is now valued at over Rs 3.4 lakh crore, which is an impressive 44% increase! This list highlights entrepreneurs who started their businesses after the year 2000 and have made a big impact on India’s business world.

Here are the Top 10 entrepreneurs:

1. Radhakishan Damani (Avenue Supermarts)
2. Deepinder Goyal (Zomato)
3. Sriharsha Majety & Nandan Reddy (Swiggy)
4. Deep Kalra & Rajesh Magow (Makemytrip)
5. Abhay Soi (Max Healthcare Institute)
6. Yashish Dahiya & Alok Bansal (Policy Bazaar)
7. Bhavit Sheth & Harsh Jain (Dream11)
8. Nithin Kamath & Nikhil Kamath (Zerodha)
9. Harshil Mathur & Shashank Kumar (Razorpay)
10. Falguni Nayar (Nykaa)

Vikas Sharma, who leads Wealth Management & Private Banking at IDFC FIRST Bank, talked about how important this report is. He said it shines a light on the amazing work of India’s entrepreneurs. These leaders show hard work, creativity, and a constant drive for success. By releasing this report, we celebrate their achievements and show our support for the entrepreneurial spirit that helps India grow, he mentioned. This year’s list celebrates the power of Indian entrepreneurs, highlighting those who have changed industries, introduced new ideas, and helped the country’s economy grow.

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court asked for two men in jail to join a hearing online on December 19. This is part of a serious case involving AAP MLA Naresh Balyan, which falls under strict laws against organized crime. Justice Manoj Kumar Ohri told the jail chief to make sure Rohit and Sachin Chikara appear in a video call for the hearing. The court was looking at a request from police to move the case from a local court in Dwarka to a special court that deals with cases involving politicians. The police explained that while they are handling other related cases in a special court, the remaining accused are appearing in different courts, which makes things complicated. Justice Ohri noted that even though the two accused were informed about the transfer request, they didn’t have anyone to represent them. The lawyer for another accused, Ritik, said he had no issues if the case was moved to the special court. The police arrested Balyan on December 4 for alleged organized crime, just after he had been granted bail for a separate extortion case. The special court had refused the police request to keep Balyan in custody longer and sent him to jail until January 9, 2025.

New Delhi: The Congress party is demanding the resignation of Home Minister Amit Shah after he made comments in the Rajya Sabha that they say insulted B.R. Ambedkar, who played a big role in making India’s Constitution. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said that Shah suggested they talk about Ambedkar too much and joked that if they mentioned God as often, they would have gone to heaven many times.

Kharge stated, “What Amit Shah did was wrong. He insulted Babasaheb Ambedkar and the Constitution that he created. The way Shah speaks reflects the ideas of Manusmriti and the RSS, showing disrespect toward Ambedkar and the Constitution.” He added that if such insults continue, there could be serious protests across the country.

Congress General Secretary K.C. Venugopal announced that Congress members across the country will hold marches to protest Shah’s comments and other issues like the controversial Adani scandal and the situation in Manipur.

During a press conference, Congress MP Neeraj Dangi stated that Shah’s comments were a direct insult to Dalits, who are people from historically underprivileged communities. He added, “Shah has shown what kind of thoughts BJP leaders have. The oppressed community will not forget this, and they will reduce BJP’s power.”

The Congress party has been very vocal about their demand for Shah to apologize publicly and step down as Home Minister. They believe his comments show a hatred toward Ambedkar and that he has no right to hold a constitutional position anymore.

In the Rajya Sabha, Shah criticized the Congress party for treating the Constitution as if it belonged to just one family, accusing them of fostering unfair politics. He also questioned their support for Muslim laws, stating that they never truly worked for the disadvantaged communities. He concluded by stating that the BJP has already implemented a common civil code in Uttarakhand and plans to do the same in other states soon.

Union Minister for the Development of North Eastern Region, Jyotiraditya Scindia, praised the quick growth in the North East of India, thanks to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He talked about how much better the roads, railways, airports, and waterways have become.

In an interview, Scindia recognized that Manipur has been facing serious problems, but he said these issues have existed for 25 to 40 years, not just recently. He emphasized that both the central and state governments are committed to solving the problems while discussing with all groups involved.

The Union Minister for Communications pointed out that fighting and conflicts in the North East have decreased by about 80% over the last 10 years. He argued that it’s unfair to call the North East a conflict zone because, under Modi’s leadership, the area has never been more peaceful. More people have given up their old ways and joined the effort to build India.

Scindia shared that 16,000 kilometers of national highways have been built, which is a lot more than what was built in the last 60 years. The construction of railway tracks has also increased, going from about 6.5 kilometers a month to over 19 kilometers.

He noted that the number of airports in the North East has gone from 9 to 17 and rail connectivity is expanding. Right now, there are 19 railway projects worth nearly 88,000 crore rupees happening.

Additionally, a big semiconductor factory is coming to Assam, worth around 27,000 crores, which will be important for the region’s progress. The Minister mentioned that interest in investing in the North East is very high, with about 45,000 crores in agreements made so far.

Scindia highlighted that while India grows at around 6.5 to 7.5% each year, the North East grows even faster—by about 9.5 to 11%. Thus, the North East is becoming a vital area for India’s growth.

On the subject of development near the border with China, Scindia mentioned that the government is focusing on improving the last villages of India, making them vibrant. He stated that hundreds of ministerial visits have already taken place in the North East.

When asked about the “One Nation, One Election” proposal, Scindia explained that this idea comes from the people’s desire to have fewer elections and spend less money on them. He believes that the Prime Minister is working hard to fulfill the wishes of the country.