RNI No.

: MAHENG/2018/76663
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Domestic workers in
Oman to get health cover
MUSCAT: Domestic work-
ers in Oman will also be
covered under the manda-
tory health insurance scheme
being rolled out for private
sector employees. This was
confirmed by Ahmed Ali al
Mamari, Vice-President for
Insurance Sector, Capital
Market Authority (CMA),
during a meeting as part of
the campaign for the launch
of Standard Health Insurance
Policy. “A special insurance
policy will be issued for do-
mestic workers to provide
them with appropriate health-
care with regard to cost and
quality,” he said. Although he
did not divulge more details
about the policy, the indica-
tion is that it will be launched
in line with the unified Stan-
dard Health Insurance Policy
branded as “Dhamani”.
He said that the govern-
ment’s policy is to imple-
ment the scheme to provide
healthcare for national and
expatriate workforce in line
with the advanced medical
technology. “This will be
implemented through part-
nership with the private sec-
tor to furnish an integrated
system regulating the rela-
tionship between the par-
ties involved in the health
insurance represented by
the employers, insurance
companies, private health
services and the beneficia-
ries,” Al Mamari said.
According to data from
National Centre for Statistics
and Information, the number
of household workers do-
ing different jobs stood at
215,149 at the end of Feb this
year. This includes 157,854
females and 57,295 male
workers. According to Al Ma-
mari, “Dhamani” would con-
tribute to improvement in the
private health sector through
the expected demand.
“We expect the entry of
more quality private health
institutions with regard to
competent medical cad-
re and treatment systems,
which would contribute
to expansion of the health
services in Oman,” he said.
Visa reforms to trigger
investments by expats
ABU DHABI: Long-term resi-
dential visas and greater
flexibility for retirees would
encourage more expats to in-
vest their savings in the UAE.
The visa reforms in-
troduced recently by the
government for families,
visitors, experts and inves-
tors, are a clear indication
that the UAE is keen on
continuing with its drive to
make the country a perma-
nent home for expats and
to attract more businesses
investments.
Under the new reforms
that were announced last
year, widows, divorced
women and their children
are granted a one-year resi-
dency visa extension. The
new rules also allow a one-
year extension of residency
period for dependents who
have finished their univer-
sity studies and visit visa
holders can apply for a 30-
day extension for two times
without having to leave the
country.
With the introduction
of a 10-year-residence visa
for highly-skilled workers
and investors, it has created
more certainty for expats
and increased confidence
for investors, which will
have a direct positive impact
on the business community
in the UAE. The long-term
residence visa would also
result in more consumer
spending and savings in the
country as people will be
staying for a longer period.
Just last month, the UAE
Cabinet announced that it
had adopted a decision to
amend provisions of the
resolution on sponsoring
of foreign workers to their
families in the country. The
Cabinet’s decision to make
“salary” and not “profes-
sion” as the sole criteria for
residents to sponsor their
spouses is an inclusive mea-
sure and a progressive move
that will enable not just pro-
fessionals but also skilled
workers to procure resident
visas for their spouses and
children.
The Federal Authority
for Identity and Citizenship
(FAIC) has implemented
many of the visa reforms
while the latest ones will
come into effect in the near
future. The government said
the changes were intended
at providing the best servic-
es for expats and easing life
for everyone and to make
the Emirates as competitive
as possible as it’s keen on
remaining a global incuba-
tor for exceptional talents
and a permanent destination
for international investors.
Boost to business
UAE lawyer Nasser Ma-
lalla from Nasser Al Ma-
lalla, advocates and legal
consultants, said the new
visa reforms is an indication
that the government consid-
ers humanity and is keen
on easing life for expats
and boosting the economy.
“Recent changes to the UAE
visa system shows flexibil-
ity in the country’s legisla-
tions. The new rules would
create confidence among
expats and investors and
will make them stay longer
in the country.
“The visa reforms in
the country are expected
to encourage residents, es-
pecially highly-skilled pro-
fessionals to buy homes
and spend more on other
properties because they now
feel that the UAE is their
home.” According to Ma-
lalla, long-term residential
visas and greater flexibility
for retirees would encourage
more expats to invest their
savings in the UAE, which
will bring a huge boost to
the local economy.

Saudi Arabia unveils Expo World Malayalees to hold

2020 Dubai pavilion design
RIYADH: The Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia unveiled the
design of its pavilion at the
Expo 2020 Dubai. The pa-
vilion will be second in size
only to that of the UAE pa-
vilion, covering an area the
size of two football pitches.
The distinctive and
memorable pavilion symbol-
izes the nation’s welcoming
character, long heritage and
unlimited drive. The facade
opens like a large window
into the future, soaring into
the sky and reflecting a
society deeply rooted in
its culture with unlimited
ambitions.
Balancing the richness of
the nation’s history, culture
and natural wonders with
the boundless energy and
creativity of its people, the
pavilion will give visitors
an immersive experience of
the Kingdom’s transforma-
tion - a country where rich
tradition, ambition and in-
novation are shaping its, and
the world’s, future.
A path will lead visitors
through exhibition displays
which highlight the coun-
try’s openness to businesses
and tourists, and its desire to
build links and collaborate
with countries to create a
better future for everyone.
“This extraordinary and of Saudi Arabia’s participa-
innovative design perfectly tion in Expo 2020 Dubai.
captures the determination “A l l S a u d i s c a n b e
of the Kingdom to fulfill its
proud of the vision that this
promise of being an ambi- ground-breaking pavilion
tious nation while convey- will deliver to the world, and
ing a message of dynamism we look forward to inviting
and partnership with the global citizens to share in the
exciting story of our thriv-
ing and vibrant society”, Al
Tuwaijri added.
Reem Al Hashimy, UAE
Minister of State for Interna-
tional Cooperation and Di-
rector General of Dubai Expo
2020 Bureau, said: “The
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s
pavilion at Expo 2020 will
offer visitors a chance to ex-
perience the country’s rich
heritage and culture, while
world,” said Mohammed demonstrating how our re-
Al Tuwaijri, Ministry of gion is working together to
Economy and Planning and create a better future for ev-
Chairman of the Supervisory eryone. We look forward to
Committee for the Kingdom welcoming our brothers and
sisters from the Kingdom as
they join us for the first ever
World Expo to be held in
the Middle East, Africa and
South Asia region.”
Construction of the pavil-
ion, designed by Boris Micka
Associates, began in early
February 2019. The structure
will be instantly recogniz-
able to visitors to the Expo
site and a point of attraction
that will spark their interest
to explore further.
To date, 190 nations have
confirmed their participa-
tion in Expo 2020. Orga-
nizers expect to record 25
million visits between 20
October, 2020 and 10 April,
2021, with 70 per cent of
visitors projected to come
from outside the UAE - the
highest proportion of inter-
national visitors in the 168-
year history of World Expos.
humanitarian initiatives
MUSCAT: The Oman chap-
ter of the World Malay-
alee Federation (WMF), a
global non-profit body that
encourages co-ordination
of the people from Kerala
towards mutual help and
support along with other
charity and humanitarian
initiatives, will be carrying
out various humanitarian
initiatives.
To be launched on May
2, the organisation will
be supporting global hu-
manitarian causes and the
Oman chapter will follow
the fundamental prin-
ciples of the international
body. “We are delighted
to be announcing the of-
ficial opening of the Oman
chapter of the World Ma-
layalee Federation (WMF),
a global non-profit body
that values humanity and
supports people friendly
initiatives beyond any
differences,” Dr J Retnaku-
mar, President, WMF said.
The global body now has
international units in 102
countries and representa-
tive offices in 125 coun-
tries across the world.
While the official opening
of the body will take place
on May 2, the WMF Mid-
East family meet will be
on June 7 in Bahrain. It’s
a universal forum to help
support those who are in
need of help at times”,
Sudha Radhika, Media
coordinator said.
The committee mem-
bers added that while
paying much attention
to the overall growth and
development of Malay-
alee community in Oman,
equal attention will be
paid to sports, environ-
ment protection, support
to the victims of Okhi and
the recent floods in Kerala.

India short of 6 lakh docs, Hiring on rise for IT sector

20 lakh nurses: study
WASHINGTON: India has
shortage of an estimated 6
lakh doctors and 20 lakh
nurses, say scientists who
found that lack of staff prop-
erly trained in administering
antibiotics is preventing
patients from accessing life-
saving drugs.
Even when antibiotics
are available, patients are
often unable to afford them.
High out-of-pocket medi-
cal costs to the patient are
compounded by limited
government spending for
health services, according
to the report by the Center
for Disease Dynamics, Eco-
nomics & Policy (CDDEP)
in the US. In India, 65 per
cent of health expenditure
is out-of-pocket, and such
expenditures push some 5.7
crore people into poverty
each year.
The majority of the
world’s annual 57 lakh
antibiotic-treatable deaths
occur in low and middle-
income countries where
the mortality burden from
treatable bacterial infections
far exceeds the estimated
annual 7 lakh deaths from
antibiotic-resistant infec-
tions. Researchers at CD-
DEP in the US conducted
stakeholder interviews in
Uganda, India and Germany,
and literature reviews to
identify key access barriers
to antibiotics in low, middle
and high-income countries.
Health facilities in many
low and middle-income
countries are substandard
and lack staff who are prop-
erly trained in administering
antibiotics.
In India, there is one
government doctor for ev-
ery 10,189 persons (the
World Health Organisation
(WHO) recommends a ratio
of 1:1,000), or a deficit of 6
lakh doctors, and the nurse:
patient ratio is 1:483, im-
plying a shortage of 20 lakh
nurses.
BENGALURU: TCS and
Infosys, which both posted
their annual results, said
that net additional hires for
the year were more than
50,000.
TCS hired 29,287 em-
ployees and Infosys hired
24,016 techies in the 2018-
19 fiscal.
TCS total employee
headcount was 4,24,285
and Infosys closed 2019 fis-
cal at 2,28,123 employees.
In comparison, both the
IT majors added a total of
around 11,000 employees in
2018 fiscal.
Further, Infosys said that
it has crossed 10,000 em-
ployees in the US, which
includes re-badging of peo-
ple. Re-badging is industry
terminology for transferring
people from a customer to
an incoming supplier for
projects.
Other software export-
ers, such as Wipro, HCL and
Cognizant are expected to
announce their results this
month.
Industry watchers be-
compared to the last one,”
lieve that the transformation
said Kris Lakshmikanth,
This development comes of Indian software exporters,
CEO, Head Hunters India.
in the backdrop of IT compa- coupled with success in A bulk of the hiring is
nies handing out pink slips digital business are some of
happening at the entry-level,
in 2017-18 as a result of lack the reasons for this uptick
according to industry watch-
of projects, automation, mi- in hiring. ers. According to a cutshort.
io report, Banga-
lore, Pune, Delhi
and Hyderabad
constitute rough-
ly 65pc of the tal-
ent pool of full
stack developers.
“A l s o , w i t h
this hiring num-
bers, companies
are showing that
they are seeing
confidence in the
near future and
this is an effort
gration to cloud computing Also, the IT sector has to beef up the bench,” said
and others. performed well in the past Lakshmikanth.
The shake-up has passed, 12 months on the back of Infosys has also doled
and it augurs well for the currency tailwinds with the out 2,500 promotions. Sal-
future, said Rituparna Dollar hitting the 70 mark ary hikes offshore were 6 per
Chakraborty, co-founder, recently. cent, and onsite hikes were
TeamLease and President, “The market is definitely in the range of 1-1.5pc, said
Indian Staffing Federation. better off this year when COO Pravin Rao.

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 2 EMIGRATION Tuesday, April 16, 2019

Maximum paid Monsoon likely

leaves in Bahrain
M A N A M A : Wo r k f o r c e
in Bahrain is the happi-
est when it comes to paid
leaves, according to a study
conducted by resume.io,
a resume-writing online
service. Bahrain labour law
guarantees its workers up to
49 paid leaves in a year. The
Gulf country tops the world
in terms of number of leave
days that its workers can get
annually. The 49 days are
made up of 30 days of an-
nual paid leaves and 19 pub-
lic holidays including Eid Al
Fitr, Eid Al Adha, Arafat Day,
National Day, Ashoora and
the Prophet’s Birthday. Apart
from these 49 paid leaves,
workers can also avail sick
leaves and maternity leaves
without a pay cut. However,
this is dependent on each
company’s policy.
There are over 1.4 mil-
lion people residing in Bah-
rain which is one of the
30 countries in the world
which require companies to
give their employees an an-
nual leave of 30 days. Other
countries where a 30-day
annual leave is mandatory
include Finland, France,
Spain, Austria, and other
GCC countries like Kuwait,
Oman, and the UAE. Recent-
ly, the UAE government an-
nounced an equal number of
holidays for both public and
private sector employees.
to be near
normal: IMD
NEW DELHI: Monsoon is
likely to be “near normal”
this year, the India Meteo-
rological Department said.
Monsoon is likely to be
96pc of the long period aver-
age (LPA), a senior official of
the IMD said.
LPA is the average of
rainfall between 1951 and
2000, which is 89 cm. Any-
thing between 90-95 per
cent of LPA falls under the
“below normal” category. The California State Senate honoured members of the Telugu community in Sacramento and recognised Ugadi, the Telugu New Year.

Indian embassy advisory for students coming to US

WASHINGTON: In the wake
of the Jan arrest of 129
Indian students, who had
enrolled at a fake university,
in what US law enforce-
ment alleged was “a pay to
stay” visa racket, the Indian
embassy here has put out
an unusual advisory urging
India students to “exercise
due diligence” while seek-
ing admission to American
universities.
The advisory issued
noted that “in recent years,
instances of fake universi-
ties set up by the US law
enforcement agencies have
come to light,” and stated,
“According to the US law
enforcement, these univer-
sities are run by undercover
law enforcement agents of
the US, who pose as own-
ers and employees of the
university.” “The sole ob-
jective of such operations
is to identify recruiters and
entities engaged in immigra-
tion fraud in the US,” the
embassy said.
The advisory pointed
out that “the most recent US.” that “these Indian students, and of knowingly remaining
examples of such universi- “In both cases,” the em- many of whom claimed enrolled in a fake univer-
ties are the University of bassy said “a number of later that they were caught sity for the sole purpose of
Northern New Jersey set up Indian students enrolled unawares, were subse- continuing their stay in the
US without the intention
of pursuing any academic
activity.”
Due diligence
Thus, the embassy coun-
selled: “In order to ensure
that Indian students do not
fall into such traps, it is
advised that due diligence
be exercised while seeking
admission in US universi-
ties and cautioned that
“the fact that a university is
duly accredited by relevant
US authorities such as its
inclusion in the Student
and Exchange Visitor Pro-
gramme (SEVIS), is not an
assurance in itself about the
bona-fides of a university.”
Consequently, the advi-
Indian students in the US.
sory said: “Before seeking
in 2013 and of Farmington into these universities, paid quently detained by US admission in a university,
University established in the requisite tuition fee and law enforcement agencies students are advised to take
2015 by the Homeland Se- were granted F1 visa as and subjected to deporta- into account several other
curity Investigations (HSI) well as Curricular Practical tion proceedings. They were factors,” and outlined three
in the Department of Home- Training (CPT) permission.” accused of having violated criteria in particular, which
land Security(DHS) of the But, the advisory said the US immigration laws were:
(1)Does the university
function from a campus or
merely maintains a web-
site and has administrative
premises only? If not, such
universities are not to be
regarded as a bona-fide
educational institution and
admission into such uni-
versities should be avoided.
(2) Does the university
have a faculty and regular
instructors/educators? If
not, admissions to such uni-
versities should be avoided.
It may be noted that such
universities typically em-
ploy only administrative
staff and their websites have
no information in respect of
faculty.
(3) Does the university
have a proper curriculum,
hold regular classes and
actively implement aca-
demic or educational activ-
ity? If not, admissions to
such universities may be
avoided. Students admitted
to such universities, even
if in possession of regular
student visa may be tried
for violation of visa norms
and subjected to detention
and subsequent deportation
from the US.
The embassy said:
“This advisory is not ex-
haustive and intended only
to provide general guidance
to the students in taking
the right decision while
seeking admission in US
universities.” At the time
of the arrests of the Indian
students and eight Indian
recruiters, Immigration and
Customs Enforcement (ICE)
said the investigation had
begun in 2015 and HSI
agents had been operating
the fake school since 2017,
and when the indictments
were unsealed in Jan, it said
the eight recruiters had en-
rolled hundreds of foreign
nationals as students at the
university. These eight re-
cruiters have been indicted
for conspiracy to commit
visa fraud and harboring
aliens for profit by the US
Attorney for the Eastern
District of Michigan.

Foreign portfolio investors Thomas Cook goes places with AI, analytics
stay bullish on India MUMBAI: Thomas Cook
India Ltd (TCIL) has seen a
the technological portals,
Iyer said: “Dynamic packag-
a tool which would give it
accurate and researched
want to build an up-selling
tab for customers who want
NEW DELHI: Foreign inves- pects of foreign money in the sentiments among foreign 14pc jump in lead conver- ing is something the entire results. to upscale their packages
tors have pumped in a net Indian market,” said Harsh investors,” said Himanshu sion, with the use of ana- industry has not been able “On the basis of the intel and put add-ons to their
sum of Rs 11,096 crore into Jain, COO at Groww. Srivastava, senior research lytics, artificial intelligence to crack. Companies can that was provided to us by the itinerary. We also want to
the Indian capital markets in A dovish stance by cen- analyst, manager research (AI) and upgradation of its either build a great itiner- AI tool, our conversion rates, add an online, real time
April so far, driven by global tral banks globally has also at Morningstar. internal technology portal. ary, price it correctly, make which were 33-34pc, have feedback button along with
and domestic factors. For- contributed to this trend, However, India is not The travel service pro- the bookings or fulfil the gone up to 47pc overall.” selling forex via the app in
eign portfolio investors were analysts said. the only country benefit- vider is now set to upgrade customer experience. But Thomas Cook’s mobile the future,” he said.
net buyers for the previous “The foreign inflows ing from the global factors its mobile app, said Mahesh packaging and getting every app, available on both An- In India, TCIL has ven-
two months as well, infusing since February are due to the as the trend is similar in Iyer, ED of Thomas Cook. bit right is something com- driod and IOS, has an us- tured into several business
a net sum of Rs 11,182 crore shift in stance on monetary other emerging markets as Last year, the company panies need to improve.” erbase of over five lakh that cater to the different
in February and Rs 45,981 policy outlook by various well. India is in the midst acquired a 24pc stake in a “TCIL has bits of it right, people. needs of customers in the
crore in March. Prior to that, central banks globally. This of general elections and any travel-tech start-up, Travel and hence, to put everything However, the app is travel industry such as
FPIs had pulled out a net Rs along with expectation of surprise on the political Junkie Solution. together, we needed a tech- “static” at the moment, and forex, inbound, outbound,
5,360 crore from the capital a positive outcome from or economic growth front For access to analytics, nological tool which could so TCIL is planning to scale leisure and business travel
markets (both equity and the US-China trade agree- could potentially reverse TCIL partnered with Ac- bind all of these things it up, said Iyer. products, along with online
debt) in January. ment bolstered the risk-on the ongoing trend, he added. centure. The entire cost of together. Analytics and AI “We want to marry AI and offline travel agencies.
As per depositories data, upgrading and integrating have helped us bridge those and the app. It’s a staged “We want to create a
FPIs invested a net amount Reliance Jio launches JioNews App AI into its online, offline
portals and mobile app cost
gaps,” he added.
Instead of spending
approach, it’s ongoing. We
have already added real-
touch point where our cus-
tomers can be tapped and
of Rs 13,308.78 crore in MUMBAI: Reliance Jio In- news, would also offer Live
equities and pulled out Rs focomm, a wholly-owned TV, videos, magazines, news- around $1 million. heavily on advertising and time updates on the app. We we will use this AI tool to
2,212.08 crore from the debt subsidiary of Reliance Indus- papers and much more, the Speaking about why it hoping for returns, the com- want to add a social media create that experience,”
segment during April 1-12, tries Ltd (RIL), has launched company said in a statement. was important to upgrade pany decided to invest in connecter to it as well. We said Iyer.
taking the total net invest- JioNews as an App and a
ment to Rs 11,096.70 crore.
“We are seeing this posi-
tive rally since February
web-based service, timing
it with the Lok Sabha and
Assembly Elections 2019,
UK experts join Indian medics to counter surgical infection threat
LONDON: Experts from the of an operation, half of these faster,” he said. beyond in order to improve workshop marked a key
largely due to the rising ongoing IPL 2019 and Cricket University of Birmingham deaths occurring in low- and As part of the global patient care and reduce the stage in establishing the
confidence in having a sta- World Cup 2019 among oth- have tied up with medical middle-income countries initiative, patients would devastating impact of a lack independent and sustain-
ble government post elec- ers. The app is available on professionals in India to set such as India. Surgical Site also need fewer and shorter of surgical care. able research hubs and trial
tions. The fear of economic both the Google Play Store up an innovative research Infection (SSI) is the most courses of antibiotics, help- “We are delighted to link centre – part of a major
slowdown in the developed and Apple App Store. JioNe- centre that will help im- common surgical compli- ing to reduce global antimi- with our partners at the health research programme
world has increased pros- ws, apart from provid ing prove care for surgical pa- cation and this workshop crobial resistance as well University of Birmingham to help develop surgical
tients. A team from the uni- represents an important as for hospitals reducing in this latest stage of a global research that will have the
versity’s joint research team, step forward in reducing costs by discharging pa- health research initiative potential to improve the
involving the UK’s National SSI in India and other coun- tients earlier and preventing that has the potential to quality of surgery. Launched
Published by IPEPCIL Publications Ltd Institute for Health Research tries,” said NIHR’s Clinical re-admissions. Dr Nepogo- save many thousands of with partners from low- and
RNI No.: MAHENG/2018/76663 Global Health Research Unit Research Fellow Dr Dmitri diev co-led the programme lives in India.” Among the middle-income countries
Publisher: Supreet M.J. on Global Surgery (NIHR), Nepogodiev. “SSI can have with Programme Manager first studies to be launched and the Universities of Ed-
Editor : E.L. Vaidyanathan travelled to Punjab recently a catastrophic impact on Dr Sohini Chakrabortee, by the joint India-UK team inburgh and Warwick, the
to launch the first-ever sur- patients in India, driving along with surgeons from is a surgical trial to look at Global Health Research Unit
Volume No.: 1, Issue: 54
gical research hub in India many people into poverty India – Dr Dhruv Ghosh interventions to reduce the aims to establish hubs and/
Published at: Office No. 1001, 10th Floor,
at Christian Medical College as they struggle to work and (CMC Ludhiana) and Dr impact of post-surgical in- or trial centres in India and
Navjivan Commercial Premises Co-op. Society Ltd., and Hospital (CMC) in Lud- pay healthcare bills. Reduc- Rohin Mittal (CMC Vellore). fection. The team will also other partner countries that
Lamington Road, (Dr.D.B.Marg), Mumbai Central, hiana and deliver a training ing SSI has huge benefits as Hub Lead Dr Ghosh added: evaluate access to health- will perform their own clini-
Mumbai - 400 008. Ph.: 022 - 23001102 / 23001103. workshop. patients suffer less and save “There is a critical need care for patients requiring cal research relevant to local
Printed at: Inquilab Offset Printers Ltd., 156, D J Dadaji Road, “Each year, 4.2 million money, whilst being able to improve surgical infra- surgery. populations, whilst serving
Tardeo, Mumbai-400 034, Maharashtra, India. people die within 30 days to return to work or school structure across India and A two-day training global needs.
Tuesday, April 16, 2019
GULF JOBS & OPPORTUNITIES 3

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 4 GULF JOBS & OPPORTUNITIES Tuesday, April 16, 2019

PayU acquires digital payments co Wibmo

NEW DELHI: PayU, an online pay-
ment service provider and Naspers’
fintech arm has announced the
acquisition of Wibmo, a Cupertino,
CA-based industry leader
in digital payment secu-
rity and mobile payment
technologies.
This strategic ac-
quisition combines Pa-
yU’s strong merchant net-
work and Wibmo’s leader-
ship in digital transaction
security solutions to offer
industry-leading payments
solutions to merchants
and financial institutions
in India and other high
growth markets.
Wibmo, a digital payment company
partners and deeply integrates with
banks in over twenty countries to offer
payment authentication and risk-based
decisioning across billions of online
and mobile payment transactions.
The acquisition of Wibmo will
enable PayU to build a robust digital
payment ecosystem capable of harmo-
nizing transaction processing on both
issuing and acquiring side, to deliver
a seamless payment experience and
industry-leading success rates in online
and mobile payments.
Additionally, PayU and Wibmo
together will be able to work with
merchants and financial institutions to
offer targeted payment solutions lever-
aging data from hundreds of millions
of Indian consumers annually.
This acquisition will also help
PayU accelerate its credit business by
leveraging big data to power credit on
various online and offline merchants
in partnership with leading lending
players.
Aakash Moondhra, CFO, PayU
Global said, “Through the acquisition of
Wibmo, our endeavour is to positively
impact and add value to the entire
ecosystem including banks, consum-
ers and merchants, with the combined
service offerings of PayU and Wibmo.
We will partner with leading banks to
enable digital banking,
merchants will gain with
higher conversions rates
and increased sales, and
consumers will have a
frictionless experience in
completing digital pay-
ments transactions.”
Govind Setlur, founder
and CEO, Wibmo added,
“We are excited to embark
on this next chapter of
Wibmo’s growth with
PayU. By combining our
track record and expertise N AT I O N A L
in payment security and mobile pay-
ments with PayU’s strong merchant
network and heritage in payments, the
combined entity will be focussed on
delivering more secure and seamless
payments experience to its customers.”
Wibmo will continue to operate
and serve all of its clients as a wholly-
owned subsidiary of Naspers’ PayU
under the leadership of Govind.
Avendus was the exclusive strategic
and financial advisor to Wibmo on the
transaction.

H-1B requests cross 2 lakh, 42pc likely to get visas

PUNE: The US Citizen and
Immigration Services on Fri-
day said it received 201,011
applications for H-1B tempo-
rary work visas for this fiscal
since the filing started on
April 1, including sufficient
petitions to meet the quota
of 20,000 for US master de-
gree holders.Out of the total
applicants only about 42%
will receive visas as US has
a ceiling of 85,000 for new
H-1B visas a year. The US has
changed norms this year to
include 20,000 H-1B visas for
US master degree holders in
the initial quota of 65,000 vi-
sas.Till last year, 65,000 visas
were being issued to bachelor
degree holders and an addi-
tional 20,000 for petitioners
with higher qualifications,
including US master degree
holders. “Several companies
have said that they have
dropped filings, so the de-
mand from Indian IT appears
to be 20-30% lower. “Visa ap-
provals to Indian companies
declined by 49% last year,
with only 22,429 H-1B visas
granted to the top five IT firms
as against 43.957 in 2017,
as per a research report by
CARE Ratings. Petitions filed
for current H-1B workers who
have been counted previously
against the cap, and who still
retain their cap number, are
exempt from the FY 2020
H-1B cap. USCIS will also
continue to accept and pro-
cess petitions filed to extend
the amount of time a current
H-1B worker may remain in
the US, change in terms of FOR SUBSCRIPTION
FOR ADVERTISEMENT CALL
employment for current work- CALL
ers, or to allow current H-1B 022 - 23001102 022 - 23001102
workers to change employers
022 - 23001103
or work concurrently in a
second H-1B position.
Email: circulation@newsandnri.com 022 - 23001103

Paytm Mall plans to hire 300 Differently abled people require different skills
people in next few months NEW DELHI: HRD Minister han (40.16pc). There are sev- Smartphone market which neurial ventures are expand- 4. IoT and AI Skills:
NEW DELHI: Alibaba- hire 300 people in next few Satyapal Singh stated that eral courses available where is currently being organised ing in the prospering Indian New technology brings new
backed Indian e-commerce months across biz, tech- out of the 12 million dis- they can get employment or and but still driven by local economy where startups and hurdles in front of every
firm Paytm Mall said it has nology, product segments abled children in our coun- start a startup business by brick & mortar retailers established businesses need business and startup. New
hired 200 people across Paytm Mall SVP Srini- try, only one per cent takes just participating in it. is also coming themselves to have online presence for technology is constantly
vas Mothey said: “We education. About 63.66pc of 1. Digital Marketing: In- online. Flipkart, Amazon, more revenue benefits. Now needed for the betterment
are observing strong the differently abled popula- ternet has built its notewor- InstaCash, Quikr and some in India, numerous institutes of the organization, which is
traction for O2O with tion is jobless, compared to thy buzz and influencing on why every big organization
the business. To sup- the 60.21pc employment in marketing approach world- is adopting AI at work and
port this growth, we rural and urban areas. These wide. Most of businesses target consumers. There
have re-aligned some jaw-gripping figures generate are digital today and small are numerous colleges and
of our teams and have a cause of concern. Most traders also opt for virtual institutes now teaching IoT
added 200 more peo- likely, the resolution for market for increasing their and AI skills to students.
ple for the business.” these marginalized groups product value by joining 5. Communication man-
various functions and is “We further plan to could be the resurgence digital and social media. Dif- agement: This program’s
planning to hire another add an additional work- of education that would ferently abled students can focal point is effective com-
300 in the coming months. force of 300 people across target in obtaining social see a profit-making career munication strategies used
Paytm Mall is fast emerg- business, technology, and evolution, social justice and as a digital marketer after by professionals in public
ing as the preferred online- product in the next few equity in the society. finishing 10+2. NGOs like Narayan Seva are providing web develop- relations, advocacy, and ne-
to-offline (O2O) platform months.” According to the 2011 2. Mobile Repairing: A Sansthan are offering the ment courses. These courses gotiation. Aspiring students
across the country and has With O2O, Paytm Mall census, the lowest literacy Cisco Report stated that vocational course to differ- necessitate creativity skills and starters learn ways to
witnessed over 200 percent is ensuring availability of rate among the differently Smartphone users are sup- ently abled. This course can and passion for the course utilize new communication
growth for their O2O busi- a wide range of products abled individuals is reported posedly going to double by be done post 10+2. for better employment in technology, for example
ness in the last six months. and offers across online from Arunachal Pradesh 2022 and can reach to 829 3. Web development: the industry and setting up websites, e-mail, and social
Paytm Mall plans to and offline stores, it said. (38.75pc) followed by Rajast- million users. Refurbished Small and new entrepre- startups. media.

Start small with post-office RDs

MUMBAI: Looking to invest
in small doses in something
that does not subject you to
the ups and downs of the
stock market? Recurring
deposits are an option you
can consider. RDs not only
fetch you a good return but
also help inculcate a habit
of systematic investment.
Besides banks, India Post
also offers recurring deposit
schemes.
Accessibility
Post-office RD schemes
can be opened in any post
office across the country.
Even transferring your
account is easy. A duly
filled application form
can be given either at the
transferring office or the
transferee office. However,
there is no online facility
to operate a post office RD
account, unlike in banks.
The minimum invest-
ment for a post office RD is
Rs 10 per month; you can
invest any higher amount
in multiples of five. There
is no limit to the maximum
amount you can invest
every month. The mini-
mum investment is much
lower than the Rs 100/500
mandated by banks. Some
private sector banks have
an even higher minimum
investments of up to Rs
1,000.
While a lower mini-
mum investment is a posi-
tive for post-office RDS,
banks offer flexibility in
the monthly instalments
when you opt for a flexi
RD, which is not the case
with post-office RDs.
Also, if you open the
account and make your
first investment within the
15th of a month, subse-
quent monthly instalments
will have to be paid within
the 15th of every month.
Similarly, for investments
started after 15th of a given
month, subsequent instal-
ments will have to be paid
within the last working
day of the calendar month.
In the event of failure to
pay the instalment within
the stipulated time-frame, a
default fee will be charged
at Rs 0.05 for every Rs 5
due as instalment. In case
of default in paying the
monthly instalments, the
depositor will have to first
pay the defaulted monthly
deposit with the default
fee, before paying the fur- 100 will be deducted from post office RD accounts post-office RDS, there’s no
ther instalments. If you fail the balance in the account. that can be opened by option for regular interest
to make the investment for Post office incentivises an individual. Post-office payment.
four consecutive months, those who opt to pay the RDs can be opened in the Payment for your post-
instalments in ad- name of an individual who office RD scheme can be
vance. Customers is a minor. A minor can made through cheque or
get a rebate of 1 per open and operate the ac- by way of cash. In case
cent if they choose count. Upon attainment of of cheque payment, the
to pay a minimum majority, the account will deposit will be effected
of six instalments have to be converted into only upon realisation of the
in advance. For a regular account. Joint cheque. While, India Post
example, if the accounts can be opened is a Central government
total instalment by two individuals, and entity and does carry sover-
for six months is nomination facility is also eign guarantee, there is no
Rs 20,000, they available. deposit insurance unlike in
need to pay only Returns the case of public/private
Rs 19,800. For ad- The current interest banks, which cover every
vance payment of rate on the post-office RD individual for deposits of
12 instalments, the scheme is 7.3pc per annum up to Rs 1 lakh. While
rebate is 4pc. which is compounded post-office RDs score over
The tenure for a every quarter. The inter- bank RDs for non-senior
the recurring deposit will post-office RD is five years, est rate is a tad higher citizens, given the lowest
be automatically discon- unlike banks which offer a than the 7.25pc offered by minimum investment and
tinued. However, if you wide range of tenures from large private banks such better interest rate, for
desire to revive it, the same six months to 10 years. as ICICI Bank and HDFC senior citizens, bank RDs
needs to be done within One can, however, choose Bank. However, if you are may be a better option,
two months. If not, you to extend it in periods of a senior citizen (completed given the convenience of
will not be able to make five years. 60 years of age), banks will transacting from the com-
any further investment. A There is no limit on offer you an additional 0.5 fort of your home and at-
penal rate of Rs 2 per Rs the maximum number of per cent interest. Also, in tractive interest rates.
 Tuesday, April 16, 2019
IIMA PGPX 2019 batch registers increase in female students Amrita varsity starts slot booking for AEEE 2019
I A
n the 14th batch of the
Indian Institute of Man-
agement (IIM) Ahmed-
abad’s one-year full-time
residential Post Graduate
Programme (PGP) in Man-
agement for Executives gender diversity, the current batch has an average GMAT
(PGPX), there is an increase batch is also very diverse in score of around 702 and
in the female candidates, terms of work experience GRE score of 320. The age of
IB invites application for multiple posts
T
he lntelligence Bu-
reau under the Home
Ministry of India has
invited candidates to apply
for a number of posts on its
official website. This is a
golden chance for all those
candidates who aspire to
serve under the Ministry of
Home Affairs. According to
the notification released by
the ministry, the posts on
offer are for- Assistant Cen-
tral Intelligence Officer-l
(ACIO), Assistant Cen-
tral Intelligence Officer-l
(ACIO), Senior Research
Officer, Junior Intelligence
Officer-ll/Tech, among oth-
ers. It is necessary that
candidates who wish to
apply for the posts on of-
fer, fulfil all the eligibility
criteria that have been laid
down. Check the details
below to know more.
IB Recruitment 2019: Post
details-
Deputy Director/Tech – 3
Posts
Senior Accounts Officer
– 2 Posts
Senior Research Officer–
2 Posts
Security Officer (Techni-
cal) – 6 Posts
Deputy Central Intelli-
gence Officer/Tech-Tele-
phone – 1 Post
Lack of nutritious food hampers learning in Indian teens
F
ood insecurity -- lim-
ited access to suffi-
cient safe and nutri-
tious food at home -- nega-
tively impacts the learning
ability of adolescents in
India, a study has found.
Researchers from BITS
Pilani in Goa and Imperial
College London in the UK
investigated inequalities
in learning achievements
at 12 years by examining
test scores.
The study, published in
the journal Economics of
Education Review, looked
at whether food insecurity
at home at the ages of 5, 8
and 12 was linked to lower
test scores at age 12.
Some 47pc of children
studied had experienced
Fight digestive diseases with healthy lifestyle
D 
igestive diseases,
some of which com-
monly known can be
treated at home, while others
require medical intervention.
Symptoms can range from
a simple acidity to deadly
colon or rectal cancers.
The digestive system con-
tains Gastro intestinal tract,
Pancreas, liver, Gall bladder.
All of these together aid in
breaking down the food or
water and flushing out the
wastes too. Starting from the
mouth, including food pipe,
the digestive tract ends at
GULF JOBS & CAREERS
with 23 pc of the female (21 industries, innumerable
students register in 2019-20
functional areas, and 140
batch. Last year, in 2018-19,
companies), NRIs (9.29pc
the percentage of female are residing outside India,
students was 17pc. spread across 6 countries)
Apart from the rise inand international work-ex-
perience
( 3 5 p c
of the
batch has
worked
abroad
before
joining
PGPX),
m e n -
tioned the
official re-
lease.
T h e
2019-20
Assistant Central Intelli- Security Officer (Tech-
gence Officer-l/Executive nical) – Pay Band-3, Rs
– 54 Posts 15600-39100 with Grade
Deputy Central Intelli- Pay of Rs 5400/- (LeveI 10
gence Officer/Tech – 7 of the Pay Matrix Rs 56100-
Posts 177500/- as per 7th CPC)
Assistant Security Officer Deputy Central Intel-
(Technical) – 12 Posts ligence Officer/Tech-Tele-
Assistant Security phone – Pay Band 3, Rs
Officer(General) – 10 Posts 15600-39100/- with Grade
Personal Assistant -7 Posts Pay of Rs 5400/- (Level 10
Caretaker – 4 Posts of the Pay Matrix Rs 56100-
Junior Intelligence Officer- 177500/- as per 7th CPC)
ll/Tech – 167 Posts Assistant Central Intel-
Research Assistant – 2 ligence Officer-l/Executive
Posts – Level 8 of the PayMatrix
Halwai Cum Cook -11 (Rs 47,600-1,51,100/-)
Posts Deputy Central Intel-
Accountant – 26 Posts ligence Officer/Tech – Pay
Nursing Orderly – 2 Posts Band 3, Rs. 15600-39100/-
Female Staff Nurse – 1 with Grade Pay of Rs 5400/-
Post (Level 10 of the Pay Matrix
Salary with 7th pay Com- Rs 56100-177500/- as per
mission benefits- 7th CPC)
Deputy Director/Tech Assistant Security Offi-
– Level-13 A in the Pay cer (Technical) – Pay Band-
Matrix 2, Rs 9300-34800 +G.P. Rs
Senior Accounts Officer 4600/- (Level 7 of the Pay
– Pay Band-3, Rs 15600- Matrix Rest 44900-142400/-
39100 + Grade Pay Rs as per 7th CPC)
6600/- (Level 11 of the Pay- Assistant Security
Matrix Rest 67700-208700/- Officer(General) – Pay
as per 7th CPC) Band-2, Rs 9300-34800/-
Senior Research Officer– with Grade Pay of Rs 4600/-
Pay Band 3, Rs 15600- (Level 7 of the pay matrix
39100/- with the Grade Pay Rs 44900-142400 as per
of Rs 6600/- (Level-11 of 7th CPC).
the Pay Matrix Rs 67700- Personal Assistant – Pay
208700/- as per 7th CPC) Band-2 of Rs 9300-34800/-
household ‘food insecu- early experiences of food
rity’ -- including skipping insecurity can have a last-
meals, eating less when ing impact on outcomes
needed and families not across the life course,”
having enough money to Jasmine Fledderjohann, of
put food on the table -- at Lancaster University in the
some stage during the ob- UK, said in a statement.
servation period. About 18pc of the
“Our findings really wealthiest of families in
highlight how even very the study had also experi-
the anus. coli, Rotavirus, Salmonella)
A simple healthy life- (3) Unhealthy and sedentary
style and regular health lifestyle (4) Side effects of
checks can prevent digestive NSAIDS, antibiotics, and
problems like gas, stomach anti-inflammatory, Diabetes
cramps, pain, constipation drugs cause nausea, diar-
or acidity. The causes of rhoea, constipation, ulcers
digestive disorders are mul- (5) Post-surgery discomforts
tiple. Some are restricted to like gall bladder surgery,
the digestive system, and bowel obstruction, pancreas
sometimes it is a symptom obstruction, stomach resec-
of a wider systemic problem tion and malabsorption (6)
Common causes Decreased GI motility and
(1) Food allergy or intoler- saliva production due to
ance (2) Stomach infection or ageing (7) Other diseases like
Flu due to contaminated food HIV, Heart failure, genetic
or water intake (Escherichia diseases, diabetes, sclero-
the candidates vary around
32 years, average total work
experience of 8.9 years, and
average international expe-
rience of a year and half.
Launched in 2006, more
than 1000 students have
graduated from PGPX so
far. Till 2016-17, the PGPX
intake was 90 and from
2017-18, the institute added
one more section to en-
hance learning experience
of participants.
Established in 1961, the
Indian Institute of Manage-
ment, Ahmedabad (IIMA)
is recognised globally for
excellence in management
education. The flagship
Post Graduate Programme
(PGP) is ranked 21st in the
Financial Times Masters in
Management Ranking 2017.
Najma Akhtar takes over as Jamia Millia VC
N
ajma Akhtar, who
has spent nearly
four decades in
academic planning and
administration, took over
as the first woman Vice-
Chancellor of Jamia Mil-
lia Islamia as it heads
towards marking its cen-
tenary year in 2020.
Interacting with the
media VC, Prof. Akhtar
said that she would start
more job-oriented cours-
es, improve innovation
and entrepreneurship
training and will look
for different avenues of
fund generation for the
university. She added that
she would take a complete
look at all the courses that
are offered at Jamia and
see which are the ones
with Grade Pay of Rs 4600/-
(Level 7 of the Pay Matrix
Rs 44900-142400/- as per
7th CPC).
Caretaker – Level 5 of
the Pay Matrix Rs 29200-
92300/- as per 7th CPC
Junior Intelligence Of-
ficer-ll/Tech – Pay Band 1,
Rs 5200-20200/- with Grade
Pay of Rs 2400/- (Level-4 of
the Pay Matrix Rs 25500-
81100/- as per 7thCPC).
enced insecurity, highlight-
ing that food insecurity is
not exclusively a matter of
poverty.
Food insecurity at all
ages hampered learning.
The data showed lower
vocabulary, reading, maths,
Telugu and English scores
in early adolescence.
Children who suffered
food insecurity at age five
or chronic
food insecu-
rity had the Your wellness
lowest scores
across all outcomes.
Early and chronic food
insecurity were the most
consistent predictor of
impaired cognitive skills
at 12 years, particularly
reading and vocabulary
derma (8) Change in routine,
travelling, pregnancy (9)
Depression, anxiety too (10)
Identifying digestive disorder
Not all disorders can last
for a short while; some long
lasting disorders may need
medical assistance.
Ways to recognise digestive
diseases:
(1) Diet history, medical
history, Food allergies (2)
Psychological analysis (3)
Physical checkup (Abdomi-
nal swelling or tenderness)
Diagnostic tests:
(a) Acid reflux test (b)
mrita University 2019 slot booking involves
has started the slot selecting exam date and
booking for the Am- time slot as per the candi-
rita Entrance Examina- date’s choice. They have
tion for Engineering (AEEE to give three preferences of
2019). The candidates can test centres or cities from
book their slot through the the list of exam centres
official website — amrita.
edu. The online window
for the application process
had started from October
19. The candidates will be
offered a seat on the basis
the marks they score in the while filling the applica-
AEEEE 2019. tion form provided by the
The Computer Based varsity. The slot booking
Test (CBT) will start from of AEEE 2019 will be on
April 22 to April 26. The first-come-first-serve basis.
AEEE results will be out AEEE slot booking 2019:
on May 5, 2019 and the al- Exam pattern
lotment will begin on May The syllabus of Amrita
10. The last date to submit University (AU) entrance
the application is May 15. is similar to other national
The process of AEEE level exams such as JEE
ing Jamia’s position in the
that need to be updated to
suit industry requirements. ranking structure, Prof.
“We need to create job Akhtar said that the uni-
givers and not job seekers versity needs to enrol more
by igniting the entrepre- international students and
neurial spirit in students collaborate with foreign
and helping them with universities.
Prof. Akhtar
said that one
of the things
she would like
to do in her
tenure would
be to start a
medical col-
lege on the
campus but it
was not going
to be an easy
task.
their funding and expertise Prof. Akhtar also said
in the initial phases,” said that she would like to
the new Vice-Chancellor. improve the gender ratio
Talking about improv- in the university and have
Research Assistant – Pay the Pay Matrix Rs 35400-
Band 2, Rs 9300-34800/- 112400/- as per 7th CPC)
plus Grade Pay of Rs 4200/- Nursing Orderly – Pay
(Level 6 of the Pay Matrix Band-1 of Rs 5200-20,200/-
Rs 35400-112400/- as per with the Grade Pay of Rs
7th CPC) 1900/- (Level 2 of the Pay
Halwai Cum Cook – Matrix Rs 19900-69100/- as
Level-3 of the Pay Matrix per 7th CPC)
Rs 21700-69100/- as per7th Female Staff Nurse – Pay
CPC Band-1, Rs 5200-20,200/-
Accountant – Band-2 of with the Grade Pay of Rs
Rs 9300-34800/- with Grade 2800/- (Level 5 of the Pay
Pay Rs 4200/-(LeveI 6 of Matrix Rs 29200-92300/- as
development. one level builds directly
Food insecurity in mid- upon learning at the previ-
childhood and early ado- ous level, food insecurity at
lescence were associated any time may derail cur-
with impaired ability in rent and future learning.
maths and English. Through lower learn-
These differences by ing levels, food insecurity
subject suggest that the during childhood can have
influence of food insecurity ripple effects for future
is not universal throughout earnings and health, which
childhood. matters both for individu-
For subjects such as als and for the economic
reading and development of the country
vocabulary,
establishing
overall.
This is the first study
foundational of its kind to look at ado-
skills early on is very im- lescent learning differ-
portant. ences and household food
Early life food insecu- insecurities at three stages
rity may disrupt building of childhood -- early, mid
these baseline skills. and adolescence -- in India,
For subjects such as researchers said.
maths, where learning at The data, involving al-
Fun Corner
Sudoku Puzzle
       
Stool test (fungi, parasites,
bacteria and WBC in stool)
(c) Endoscopy (d) Laparos-         
copy (e) Barium and nor-
        
mal x-rays, CT scan, MRI,
Ultrasound         
Frequent and awkward
burps, irregular stools,        
heartburns after meals,
and other digestive prob-        
lems should never be taken
       
lightly. Regular assess-
ments will always act as a       
precaution. Early possible
diagnosis always helps       
to fight further digestive
problems. Puzzle #: 54 Difficulty : Medium
5
Mains and BITSAT. Most
of the questions are derived
from the concepts men-
tioned in NCERT. Hence,
candidates are advised to
revisit their textbooks to
ace the exam.
The AEEE 2019 exam
will be conducted both in
online and offline mode.
Questions asked in the
exam will be in MCQ for-
mat. The questions will be
divided into three sections
— Physics, Chemistry, and
Mathematics.
The total duration for
the exam is three hours and
the total numbers of ques-
tions asked are 120. Three
marks are awarded for each
correct answer whereas one
mark is deducted for an
incorrect one.
50pc female students by
building more hostels and
facilities.
Formerly associated
with the National Institute
of Educational Planning
and Administration (NIE-
PA), Prof. Akhtar is known
for spearheading the in-
ternational educational
administrators’ course for
senior officials from 130
countries for more than
15 years at the institute.
She developed the first
state level management
institute (SIEMET) at Al-
lahabad for developing
educational administra-
tors for the country. A
gold medallist of Aligarh
Muslim University, Prof.
Akhtar also studied at
University of Warwick.
per 7th CPC).
How to Apply:
Interested and eligible
candidates can send in
their completely filled ap-
plication forms to the Joint
Deputy Director/G. Intel-
ligence Bureau, Ministry
of Home Affairs, 35 S.P.
Marg, Bapu Dham, New
Delhi-21 within 60 days
(Last date- April 17) from
the date of the circular.
most 2,000, was taken from
the Young Lives Study in
India.
The research team hope
their study findings will
inform educational pro-
grammes targeting children
at a higher risk of food
insecurity -- in tribal areas,
urban slums and remote
areas -providing them with
extra educational support.
“These effects are
above and beyond factors
such as schooling itself,
nutrition, and children’s
individual characteris-
tics because we have ac-
counted for these potential
alternative explanations in
our models,” said Elisa-
betta Aurino, of Imperial
College London.
Rules: To solve a Su-
doku puzzle, every digit
from 1 to 9 must appear
in each of the nine verti-
cal columns, in each of
the nine horizontal rows
and in each of the nine
boxes.
Solution for Puzzle # 54
will be in next issue.

 Sudoku Puzzle 53 Answer
        

        
        
        
          
        
          
        
        
 6 IN FOCUS
GULF FAQs
Can wife sponsor husband?
Can my wife sponsor me (husband) and
my kid, if she is a pharmacist with a
salary of Dh7,000 total? What is the
law regarding wives sponsoring their
husbands?
It is understood that your wife is a
pharmacist drawing a salary of Dh7,000
per month. Further, she intends to spon-
sor you and your kid’s residence visa in
the UAE. Pursuant to your query, a wife
may sponsor her husband and children if
she is earning a basic salary of Dh3,000
plus accommodation or a total salary of
Dh4,000 without accommodation if she
is a teacher or in any role in the medi-
cal sector. However, you may contact
General Directorate of Residency and
Foreigners Affairs for the requirement
as their requirements may change from
time-to-time.
Paid vacation?
I am going for my annual paid vacation
from Aug 1 to 30. There are three days
of Eid Al Adha holidays falling during
my vacation. Am I entitled for salary
for these three days because they are
falling within my annual leave?
Pursuant to your queries, any pub-
lic holidays which may fall during the
annual leave of an employee will be
reckoned as part of annual leave. This
is in accordance with Article 77 of the
Federal Law No. 8 of 1980 Regulat-
ing Employment Relations in the UAE
(the “Employment Law”), which states:
“Holidays for which provisions have been
made by law or agreement or any other
days of absence from work on account of
sickness shall be reckoned as part of the
annual leave if such holidays fall within
the annual leave”. However, if your em-
ployer’s HR policies in its manual state
that the employees are entitled for extra
holidays for the public holidays falling
within the annual leave, then you are
entitled for such extra days of leave. In
the event the HR policy formulated by
the employer is not in accordance with
Employment Law, then such HR policy
shall be null and void, if such HR policy
is not more beneficial to the employee.
This is in accordance with Article-7 of
the Employment Law, which states: “Any
stipulations contrary to the provisions of
this Law, even if it was made prior to its
commencement, shall be null and void
unless they are more advantageous to the
Cheque payment
I gave a cheque to a friend as security
for an amount of money they lent me a
few months ago. I have now paid back
nearly 75pc of the money and will pay
the rest soon. I have asked my friend
to return the cheque as I no longer owe
that amount. He said no, so I want to
know where I stand and whether I can
make him give the cheque back? Or can
I tell my bank not to cash it if he tries
to pay it in?
This is a tricky situation and unless
there is a proper agreement in writing,
which I don’t believe there is, is impos-
sible to prove what was agreed and the
terms. Under UAE law, if a cheque has
been signed and given to someone, it is
not permitted to request the return of a
cheque or to ask for it to be cancelled
or rejected by a bank. Article 401 of
Criminal Law 3 of 1987, commonly
known as the UAE Penal Code, clearly
states that it is illegal to give a cheque
in bad faith or knowing it cannot be
honoured but is also goes on to say, “(he)
shall be sentenced to detention or to a
fine… if he orders a drawee not to cash
a cheque or makes or signs the cheque
in a manner that prevents it from being
cashed .” This remains the case even if
the bulk of the monies owed have been
repaid. I suggest that you try to come to
an amicable agreement with your friend
and that once you have agreed how to
proceed that they put this in writing to
protect both your r interests.
Losing job
I have been with my company for just
two months but business is not good
and there are rumours that staff will be
made redundant. This is a worry as I
only moved to Abu Dhabi a few months
ago and need the job. If I was to lose
my job does the company has to pay me
anything? Do I have any rights even if
I have only been there a short period?
I have established that you are on a
two-year fixed contract and your em-
ployer is a mainland company. Under
Tuesday, April 16, 2019
UAE Labour Law, properly known as
Federal Law no 8 of 1980, there are
distinct differences between someone
whose employment is terminated when
they are on a fixed-term contract and
someone on an unlimited contract. While
a company can terminate employment
for legitimate financial reasons without
any issues or having to pay anything
more that the usual salary over the
agreed notice period, if an employee is
on a fixed term contract there is an addi-
tional liability. Article 115 of Labour Law
states: “Should the employment contract
be of a determined term … he shall be
bound to compensate the worker for
the damage incurred thereto, provided
that the compensation amount does not
Singapore Khalsa Association organised Vesakhi Mela-2019 where Sikhs and members of other community
exceed in any case the total wage due
joined the celebrations to mark the harvest festival of Punjab.
for the period of three months or for
the remaining period of the contract,
whichever is shorter, unless otherwise
stipulated in the contract.” Whether
the employer is liable for the cost of a
Indian Embassy assures passport
flight to a home country depends on the
circumstances of the employment. You
were hired when already in the UAE
guidelines are hijab-friendly
ABU DHABI: Indian Em- urugan said for a comment. But the cepted for visa application,”
so is on a “local contract”; this means
bassy has revoked a con- BLS, which manages the guidelines for the passport says one of the guidelines.
the employer is not obliged to pay the
troversial move by the BLS passport and visa services photo on its website states However, head coverings for
cost of a flight to a home country. The
to insist Muslim women for the Indian missions that ‘head coverings are not male Sikhs, Muslim ladies
employer, however, is obliged to pay a
should show their ears in in the UAE, had recently permitted, except for reli- and Muslim male maulanas
sum equivalent to three months’ salary
photos while submitting drawn ire from a section gious and medical reasons’. are acceptable for passport
if he is made redundant.
passport applications. of the customers for refus- As per the norm, the photographs.
Freezing account M Rajamurugan, Con- ing to accept applications photo should have full Rajamurugan said the
I have returned home after spending sular - Passport and Visa from Muslim women who face, front view with eyes detailed guidelines for pass-
several years working in and main- section at the embassy, said submitted photos with Hi- opened. Facial features from port photos along with
taining a bank account in Dubai. My the existing rules are hijab- jab that covered their ears. bottom of chin to top of demonstrative pictures will
resident visa expired in April and I friendly and no new guide- The official said the em- forehead and both edges soon be made available
have initiated the required procedure to lines have been issued. bassy intervened following of the face must be clearly on the Indian embassy’s
have a new resident visa. As a result of “Muslim women who complaints from applicants. shown. website.
my current status, my bank said it will wear head scarf or hijab “Both Muslim women “Head gears (e.g. Arabic “Our aim is to serve the
freeze my account. Would you consider need not reveal their ears who wear hijab and men head gear) which are not people and we will make
that following the issuance of my new in Indian passport photos. who wear turban are ex- part of Indian culture are all the relevant information
resident visa this will result in revers- There was some communi- empted as the guidelines are not allowed for passport available on the public do-
ing my account to the normal status? cation gap that caused the clear on exempting people application even if their main in order to avoid any
It is standard practice for banks in the confusion. We have clarified who wear headgear for re- current passport is having inconvenience to the public.
UAE to freeze accounts when notified the matter and the rules ligious purpose.” the same photograph. How- If they face any difficulties,
that a customer is leaving his job so it is remain the same,” Rajam- BLS was not available ever, the same can be ac- we are always here to help.”
unusual that the account was not frozen
at the time you left your employment.
Residency visas should also be cancelled One million meals to be distributed
at the time that employment ends so it
is somewhat irregular that this appears
not to have been the case here. Where
in UAE during holy month
ABU DHABI: Mohammed Haji Al Khouri, Director- Al Khouri thanked President His Highness Shaikh
a bank account has been frozen, this is
General of the Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Founda- Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and His Highness Shaikh
usually reversed within days if there
tion, has said that 951,000 meals will be distributed Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince
are no debts such as personal loans or
as part of the of Abu
credit cards. Where there are debts, the
“Ramadan Iftar Dhabi and
common practice is to unfreeze the ac-
Project,” in co- Deputy
count once the customer provides sight
operation with Supreme
of a new employment visa, proof of
the Emirates C o m -
income and the first month’s salary has
Post, the Emir- mander of
been paid in.
ates Transport the UAE
Notice period and 317 Emi- Armed
rati families Fo r c e s ,
I work in Dubai on an unlimited con-
tract. I am planning to leave the com- who will pre- as well
pare the meals. as His
pany by giving a notice period of one
month but my contract says the notice A total of Highness
31,700 meals Shaikh
period is three months. I have an offer
with another company and have to start will be distrib- Mansour
uted per day in Bin Zayed
there in one month’s time. My boss said
he is not ready to accept my resigna- 102 locations. Al Nahy-
He added an, Dep-
tion but I have not been paid for three
months. What can I do about this issue? that the foun- uty Prime
dation is carrying out this initiative as part of its Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs and
While UAE Labour Law says the
minimum notice period required in all seasonal humanitarian project to mark Ramadan and Chairman of the Foundation, for ensuring the success
serve the largest number of beneficiaries. of the foundation’s local and international initiatives.
cases is 30 days, if a contract has been
signed by both parties that states the
notice period is three months, this is
the agreement that is valid. By accept-
ing the contract you have agreed to
NRIs cannot cast vote online, mission clarifies
DUBAI: The Indian mission in Dubai Dubai, Vipul, said there will be no e- “It is easily believable because there
the three-month notice period and an has dismissed rumours that said it voting for the 2019 elections. has been a lot of activism towards this
employer is within his rights to enforce was “possible for non-resident Indians “One can register on the National cause in the UAE. A lot of NRIs want
this if he choose to do so. This situation (NRIs) to vote online for the ongoing Voters’ Service Portal (NVSP), and en- to exercise their right to vote, so I as-
is complicated by the fact SC says he general elections”. It’s not true, of- sure that their name has appeared in sumed it has become a reality,” she said.
has not been paid for a period of three ficials said. the electoral roll,” he said. However, Nihad Ahmed, a marketing profes-
months. The employer is in breach of Several Indian expatriates in the the only way people can vote is by sional from Kashmir, said: “I got a
UAE Labour Law and Article 121 states: UAE have complained that social media personally visiting the polling booth in forward a few months ago. It was a
“The worker may leave work without platforms have been rife with forwards their respective constituency. misleading article in an English daily
notice in the following cases: Should of misleading posts that suggest NRIs According to many UAE residents, that caused me to believe that online
the employer breach his obligations can vote online for the 2019 polls. the posts have been making the rounds voting is a reality.
towards the worker as set forth in the While some believed the posts, oth- since January. Sheyphali Sharan, the official
contract or the law ... “ This means that ers ran simple checks on the Election Lincy Monse, a government employ- spokesperson of the Election Commis-
you can leave this employment without Commission of India website and social ee who has been working in the UAE sion of India, tweeted late February: “It
giving any notice, provided you files a media handles to find that the forwards for 15 years, said: “I’ve been receiving has come to our notice that the follow-
complaint with the Ministry of HR and ‘fake news’. this message from several WhatsApp ing fake news is circulating on some
Emiratisation, either directly or at any For example, one such message groups in the past week. I first saw WhatsApp groups. It is clarified that
Tasheel office. You will need to advise on WhatsApp read: “Hello all, those the messages in January, and now the you can only apply for voter registration
them of the action you are taking, ex- who hold Indian passport can now volume has increased. online through http://nvsp.in portal.”
plain that you have not been paid for vote online for 2019 elections. Please “My husband has already left for Another Indian expatriate, Mathew
three months, and request the cancella- register yourself on https://eci.gov.in India and will be casting his vote on Mathew, operations manager in a
tion of his employment visa. Once this There is a link Enroll as NRI voter. April 21 in Kottayam. When I saw the marine company, said: “I am part of
is in place, you will be able to take up Please spread the word in your different post, I was excited and thought he several college and school groups, and
the new employment without having to groups. Inform your friends and loved could vote here. Later, I realised the we started receiving the messages two
wait for three months. I would also point ones staying abroad they can register news is fake.” Unknowingly, Monse to three weeks ago. Obviously, someone
out that an employer cannot refuse to and vote for this Lok Sabha elections.” had forwarded the message to many refuted the claims but it continues to
accept an employee’s resignation. The Consul-General of India in of her friends. be shared.
 Tuesday, April 16, 2019
CORPORATE NEWS 7

Paytm Money app: Cost-effective and convenient

W
ith investment
in mutual funds
through direct
plans gaining popularity,
various fintech companies
have launched mobile ap-
plications that act as a
marketplace for mutual
fund investments. Here, we
look at one such mobile
app — Paytm Money.
Features
Paytm Money is a mo-
bile platform where in-
vestors can buy and sell
mutual fund schemes of
their choice, free of cost.
The app offers all schemes
of 38 fund houses (only
direct plans) on its plat-
form. Investors can invest
and manage their portfolio
through the app from their
mobile phone.
You can browse through
various mutual fund
schemes based on the
category (such as equity,
debt, balanced funds), and
returns or ratings (from
CRISIL, Value Research
and Morning Star). This
will help you get an idea
on the top-performing
schemes. In addition, the
app also provides details
of the fund managers of
the schemes; you can view
all the schemes managed
by him/her.
The platform gives you
details on the performance
of funds over various time-
lines — from one month to
five years. You can also key
in the investment amount
of your choice and com-
pare the returns with that
of savings account, fixed
deposit, regular/direct mu-
tual funds, for three, five,
seven and 10 years.
The app lets you gauge
your risk profile by evalu-
ating your answers to a risk
assessment questionnaire
(8-10 questions), and ac-
cordingly offers investment
suggestions.
While Paytm Money
allows you to choose and
invest in any of the funds
listed on the app, it also
has investment packs for
investors who may be un-
sure about where to invest.
These packs, built by the
Paytm Money advisory
team, are essentially com-
binations of 4-5 mutual
schemes across equity and
debt categories.
The schemes vary based
on the investor’s risk pro-
file, and come in two
packs — large and mini.
The minimum amount of
monthly investment is Rs
5,000 in the large pack, and
Rs 2,000 in the mini pack.
Besides, there is also a tax-
saving pack for investors
across risk profiles.
The Paytm Money app
has some other useful fea-
tures. If need be, the app
gives you the option to
pause your SIP for a spe-
cific period of time; once
the date is crossed, your
SIP will start again on the
next due date.
The app also gives the
account summary of your
portfolio holdings, transac-
tion history, returns made
till date, and tax statement.
If you have goals in mind,
for instance, saving for
vacations, retirement, etc,
you can earmark invest-
ments against such goals
while investing. You can
track your goal achieve-
ment on a regular basis on
the app.
Also, if you have mu-
tual funds’ investments
outside the Paytm Money
app, you can import such
portfolios into the app for
an overall view of your
investments.
For this, you will have
to upload your CAS (con-
solidated account state-
ment) generated via Karvy
on the app.
Paytm Money app al-
lows you to invest across
most mutual fund schemes
at a lower cost (direct
plans). But it is a platform
only for mutual funds,
while other similar apps of-
fer other financial products
such as insurance, deposits
and loans, too. Therefore,
while Paytm Money offers
an avenue for those looking
to invest only in mutual
funds, it may not be suit-
able for those seeking a
comprehensive platform
that offers more financial
products under one roof.
The app may be a good
choice for those who have
the know-how to select
their own fund schemes
and track them.
Even though the app
offers packs for new inves-
tors, such investors should
understand the products
and the associated risks
before investing.

Thermax acquires TCS Q4 net surges 17.7pc to Rs 8,126cr Reliance General Insurance
JV partner in TSPX launches Tap & Buy
I
nformation Technology Despite macro uncertain- and incremental revenue
major Tata Consultancy ties ahead, our strong exit of $2.2 billion in constant

E R
ngineering firm Thermax said it has acquired Services (TCS) deliv-
the entire stake of its joint venture partners in ered a fifth straight quarter
Thermax SPX Energy Technologies. “On April of double-digit revenue
11, 2019 the company has acquired the entire stake growth on a year-on-year
held by the joint venture partners namely MUTARES basis, lifting revenues for
HOLDING-24 AG, Germany and BALCKEDUERR the fourth quarter of FY
GmbH, Germany,” a BSE filing said. Thermax had 2018-19 to Rs 38,010 crore
51pc stake in Thermax SPX Energy Technologies on constant currency ba-
with Balcke-Duerr holding 26 pc and Mutares Hold- sis, the company said in
ing-24 having the remaining 23pc. a press release. TCS’ net
profit for the quarter rose
“Subsequent to the acquisition, TSPX has now
17.7 YoY to Rs 8,126 crore;
become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Thermax,” it
the company has proposed
informed. Earlier, Thermax had informed the BSE
a final dividend of Rs 18
that it would acquire the stake held by its joint
per share. Net employee
venture partners in TSPX. Thermax is anticipating
addition during the quarter
a rise in demand for captive power plants over the
was 6,356.
next four to five years as investments in large power “This is the strongest
projects are plummeting and utilities are unable revenue growth that we
to garner reliable supplies. So industries like food have had in the last 15
processing, pharmaceuticals, textiles and automo- quarters. Our order book
biles are focusing on improving their capacities and is bigger than in the prior
planning to generate their own power, instead of three quarters, and the deal
depending on the grid supply. pipeline is also robust.
positions us very well for
the new fiscal,” said Rajesh
Gopinathan, CEO and MD
of the company.
“TCS posted in-line rev-
enue and margin perfor-
mance, marked by strong
deal wins,” said Apurva
Prasad and Amit Chandra,
IT analysts at HDFC Secu-
rities. Key positives of the
firm include strong trac-
tion in BFSI, broad-based
vertical performance and
attrition control, and the
negative being flattish large
account performance.
TCS clocked a full-year
revenue of Rs 1.46 lakh
crore, up 19 per cent on the
year, and a net profit of Rs
31,472 crore, up 13pc YoY.
In US dollar term’s revenue
crossed $20 billion marks,
currency terms. Operating
profit margin for the year
was robust at 25.6pc, up
0.79pc over the previous
year.
“Overall, this has been
a picture-perfect year…
This is a year where TCS
has fired on all cylinders,”
Gopinathan said. TCS add-
ed six new customers in
the $100 million-plus seg-
ment, he said. “Now we
have much more even
portfolio. Almost all seg-
ments are close to the
company average. There
are no large segments of
laggards,” Gopinathan said.
On Brexit and the UK busi-
ness opportunity, he said
the company is focussed
on opportunities at the
customer level.
eliance General Insur-
ance, a subsidiary of
Reliance Capital, has
introduced a new way to buy
travel insurance by tapping
NFC-enabled smartphones
at select display screens at
airports.
To begin with, this facility
for buying travel insurance in
less than 60 seconds through
‘Tap and Buy’ has been intro-
duced in Delhi international
Airport. This went opera-
tional on April 8 and more
than 46 display screens are
in place for this facility.
Based on the experience
gained, this is expected to
be rolled out at airports in
other major cities as well, it
is learnt.
All that an air passenger
has to do is simply tap his/
her NFC-enabled smartphone
on the airport display screen.
As soon as he/she does that,
the phone is prompted to
open WhatsApp and the in-
dividual can buy travel insur-
ance in less than a minute.
The whole process relies
on Near Field Communica-
tion (NFC), which is a short-
range communication signal.
Rakesh Jain, Executive
Director & CEO, Reliance
General Insurance, said, “We
always focus on leveraging
technological advancements
to improve the customer
experience. Using NFC com-
munication technology, we
have aimed to capture last-
minute travellers’ problem
at ease with our TAP & BUY
solution, making it possible
in just under 60 seconds.”

Pension, PFs have Rs 9,134-cr exposure to IL&FS Doordarshan turns profitable,

P
ension and provident port...and any payment which 1,916.20 crore by IL&FS Trans- posable cash of Rs 1,134 crore
funds have an expo-
sure of Rs 9,134 crore
FY19 revenue at five-year high
disregards the legal sanctity
and priority of payments of
portation Networks (ITNL)
from PF and pension funds.
during the testing period,
while their total debt is Rs

to debt-ridden Infrastructure
Leasing and Financial Services
(IL&FS), but these cannot be
repaid immediately as it will
impact the IBC-led process.
This disclosure was made
by IL&FS to the National Ap-
pellate Company Law Tribunal
in an affidavit, which will take
up the matter for hearing on
April 16.
“Whilst the objective of
payment to certain categories
of creditors (provident funds
and pension funds) is laud-
able, the Union of India and
Respondent No 1 submit that
the same is not feasible for
the following reasons: any
payment which is ad hoc in
nature will be contrary to the
Resolution Framework Re-
creditors will destabilise the
financial market and distort
or disarray borrowings by cor-
porates and lending by banks
and financial institutions,”
said IL&FS.
The NCLAT had, on April
8, sought details of invest-
ments by provident funds and
pension funds in amber firms
of IL&FS.
According to the affidavit,
provident funds had invested
Rs 6,759.73 crore and pension
funds had put in Rs 2,374.72
crore in paper of IL&FS and
its subsidiaries.
Of the money raised, Rs
4,278.12 crore was borrowed
by IL&FS, Rs 2,940.13 crore
was borrowed by IL&FS Fi-
nancial Services (IFIN), and Rs
This, in turn, was invested
by IL&FS and intermediate
holding company into the
project-level special purpose
vehicles such as Hazarib-
agh Ranchi Expressway Ltd
(HREL), Jharkhand Road Proj-
ect Implementation Company
Ltd (JRPICL), West Gujarat
Expressway Ltd (WGEL), and
Moradabad Bareilly Express-
way Ltd (MBEL).
The four are among the 13
‘amber’ companies of IL&FS,
and are unable to meet their
debt obligations and are per-
mitted to make only “going
concern” payments for goods
or services obtained after
October 1, 2018, IL&FS has
pointed out.
The four firms have dis-
2,162 crore.
IL&FS has further submit-
ted that the money being col-
lected for each of the amber
entities is being held in trust,
and will be used for discharg-
ing the liabilities of creditors
of these entities once they are
sold off.
“Any ad hoc payments
made at this stage will dis-
turb the ongoing resolution
process, and the Union of
India opposes any such ad
hoc distribution of amounts
to financial creditors, as it will
be detrimental to the ongoing
efforts,” it has said.
IL&FS has already initiated
the sale process of 12 of the
13 amber entities, including
these four firms.
N
ational broadcast-
er Doordarshan
has turned the
corner in financial year
2018-19, according to
its director-general Su-
priya Sahu, who tweeted
last week that the gov-
ernment-owned channel
has hit a 5-year high in
revenues and become
operationally profitable
after several straight loss-
making years.
“A new record created
by team DD. Highest rev-
enue earned in the last
five years. Doordarshan
turns around. No longer
a loss making organisa-
tion. Now operationally
profitable,” Sahu tweeted,
along with a graph on the
channel’s gross revenue
and net revenue details
over the last five years.
According to Sahu,
gross and net revenue
stood at Rs 1,113.7 crore
and Rs 943.8 crore re-
spectively in 2018-19
compared to Rs 1,027.7
crore and Rs 884.4 crore
respectively the previous
fiscal year. The chan-
nel, which has found it
hard to compete with its
private sector peers for a
while, has finally gotten
approval from the Prasar
Bharti board to invest in
new and quality content
for Doordarshan during
the current financial year
2019-20.
“Over the next few
weeks the plan for new
content on Doordarshan
will be finalized. This in-
fusion of new and quality
content by Doordarshan
should fill the vacuum
from the exit of several
GEC channels from the
Free-To-Air space in gen-
eral and from DD Free
Dish in particular,” Prasar
Bharti CEO Shashi Shek-
har had tweeted earlier
this month.
“The planned invest-
ment in new and quality
content in Doordarshan
will be targeted towards
capturing this opportu-
nity,” he went on to add.

Infosys, TCS report double Five Mobile apps you can use to file ITR online
digit growth in Q4
W
ith the new finan- iOS app. Users can simply Generator. server once the user goes law details in-depth. Data
cial year having upload images or PDFs of Clear Tax online. stored on Tax Smile is in-
H&R Block

T
he country’s larg-
est software services
firm Tata Consul-
tancy Services (TCS) has
reported a 17.7pc growth
in consolidated net prof-
it at Rs 8,126 cr for the
March 2019 quarter. This
is against a net profit of
Rs 6,904 cr in the year-
ago period, TCS said in a
regulatory filing. Revenue
of the firm grew 18.5pc in
the quarter under review to
Rs 38,010 cr from Rs 32,075
cr in the corresponding pe-
riod last fiscal, it added. For
the full year (2018-19), net
profit was higher by 21.9pc
at Rs 31,472 cr, while rev-
enue increased 19pc to Rs
1,46,463 crore.
“This is the
strongest revenue
growth that we
have had in the
last fifteen quar-
ters. Our order
book is bigger than
in the prior three
quarters, and the deal pipe-
line is also robust. Despite
macro uncertainties ahead,
our strong exit positions
us very well for the new
fiscal,” Rajesh Gopinathan,
CEO and MD at TCS, said.
just taken off, it’s
that time when we scamper
around to file our income
tax return. The government
has just released new forms
as citizens gear up to begin
the ITR filing process. How-
ever, since every individual
is not well-versed with the
process of tax-filing and
we are in the midst of the
digital era, filling in nu-
merous forms can feel like
a tedious job. We bring to
you 5 mobile apps that you
can use this year to save
your time and file your ITR
online hassle-free.
All India ITR
All India ITR, a certified
government e-intermediary,
offers a 100% paperless pro-
cess on their Android and
their Form-16 and other
documents, after which
the system auto-reads the
inputs and the forms are
filled automatically mak-
ing it easy to file your ITR
on the go. In case the sys-
tem is unable to read the
document, a tax expert is
assigned to the user who
will assist him in the entire
process through chat, voice
and email support. All
India ITR’s app uses bank-
grade security with SSL
certification and advanced
encryption to ensure that
your data is safe and offers
ITR filing in 7 minutes.
They offer additional free
tools to users such as In-
come Tax Calculator, HRA
Calculator and Rent Receipt
The Clear Tax app asks
users basic questions and
selects an appropriate form
to file the IT return on the
basis of the answers. It
allows details from users
Form 26AS and Form 16
to be imported to the app
which facilitates filing an
IT return. This app permits
users to enter tax details
while being offline. These
details are automatically
synced with the Clear Tax
The H&R Block app se-
cures users documents us-
ing high grade 128 bit SSL
bank-grade security and
gives users 24/7 year-round
access to their doc-
uments. Tax experts
are assigned after
judging the com-
plexity of an IT re-
turn. H&R Block
offers a secure tax
vault, tax savings,
a hassle-free filing
experience, accuracy, and
transparency.
Tax Smile
The Tax Smile app is
designed to provide self-
help. It frames intuitive
questions that have been
created considering tax
accessible to third parties
as the app uses 128-bit en-
cryption when transmitting
data. Tax Smile provides
tax knowledge, accuracy,
speedy filing, security, and
post-filing support. The app
calculates taxes due for free
and charges only when
income tax is filed.
Tax Spanner
Data on the Tax Spanner
app is secured with 256 bit
SSL encryption. The app
provides tutorials to users
that are unfamiliar with the
filing process on how to use
the app. It starts the process
of filing a return by asking
for users email address and
Form 16. Users without a
Form 16 can also file ITR
by using their PAN directly.
 8 Travel / Entertainment Tuesday, April 16, 2019

Shobana’s dance
recital in Dubai
World’s largest plane makes first test flight
T
he world’s largest air- for about two and a half

R
enowned South
Indian actress and
internationally ac-
claimed classical dancer
Shobana is returning to
Dubai with a brand new
dance and music show
after being away from the
limelight for some time.
Titled Bhav, the show
will feature classical vocal-
ists Abhishek Raghuram
along with percussionist
Anantha R Krishnan, Satya
on the keyboard and the
hugely talented dancers
from Kalarpana, Shobana’s
dance school in Chennai.
After playing to packed
houses and garnering rave
reviews in India, Bhav is
set to awe audiences on
April 27 at Sheikh Rashid
Auditorium, Indian High
School. Presented by Tam-
bourine Live, Bhav is a
confluence of live music,
dance and theatre.
plane, a Stratolaunch
behemoth with two
fuselages and six Boeing 747
engines, made its first test
flight in California.
The mega jet carried out
its maiden voyage over the
Mojave desert. It is designed
to carry into space, and drop,
a rocket that would, in turn,
ignite to deploy satellites.
It is supposed to provide
a more flexible way to de-
ploy satellites than vertical
takeoff rockets because this
way all you need is a long
runway for takeoff.
It was built by an en-
gineering company called
Scaled Composites. The air-
craft is so big its wingspan is
longer than a football field,
SpiceJet to induct 16 Indian singer Armaan Malik
or about 1.5 times that of an
Airbus A380. Specifically,
the wingspan is 117 meters;
that of an Airbus A380 is
hours, Stratolaunch said.
Until now, it had just carried
out tests on the ground. It
hit a top speed of 304 kilo-
meters per hour (189 mph)
and reached an altitude of
17,000 feet or 5,182 meters.
“What a fantastic first
flight,” said Jean Floyd, CEO
of Stratolaunch.”Today’s
flight furthers our mission
to provide a flexible alter-
native to ground launched
systems,” he added.
Stratolaunch was fi-
nanced by Paul Allen, a
co-founder of Microsoft as
a way to get into the market
for launching small satel-
lites. But Allen died in Octo-
just under 80. ber of last year so the future
The plane flew Saturday of the company is uncertain.

Boeing NG aircraft to perform live in Doha

Mumbai airport has more pvt
Y
oung rising Bolly- The ticket price ranges

S
piceJet will induct 16 without any crew member, term plan by Wednesday on wood singer Armaan from QR 75 to QR 500 and

jet departures than Dubai Boeing 737-800 NG while under wet lease, the enhancing availability of do- Malik will perform
live in Doha on the second
QR 1,000 for the red carpet
and the show will kick off

T
aircraft on dry lease lessor provides the aircraft mestic flights, a move aimed
he Mumbai city airport leads Dubai and Tokyo by and has applied to the Di- along with complete crew. at curbing rising airfares. day of Eid. The show will at 7:30 pm.
a wide margin in private jet departures at around rectorate General of Civil SpiceJet chairman Ajay In its fleet, SpiceJet had take place at Ali Bin Ha-
1,516 outbound aircraft movements in 2018, which Aviation (DGCA) for a NOC Singh said this is the first lot 12 number of “737 Max” mad Al Attiyah Arena.
is 8.28pc higher than the Gulf city at 1,400, and 20pc over to import the aircraft, the of Boeing 737s that the air- aircraft. On March 12, the Veratile young In-
those in the Japanese capital at 1,202, finds a report. airline said. “Subject to regu- line is inducting in its fleet. DGCA announced its de- dian singer Malik is the
Mumbai has been the world’s busiest single-runway latory approvals, the aircraft “The sudden reduction cision to “immediately” brother of music com-
airport handling close to 1,000 flights a day for the third would begin joining SpiceJet of aviation capacity has cre- ground the Boeing 737 Max poser Amaal Malik and
year in a row in 2018, after Gatwick near London, while fleet in the next 10 days,” it ated a challenging environ- aircraft that were being used has given many hit songs
the Dubai airport is the world’s largest aviation hub. added. ment in the sector. SpiceJet by airlines in India. A 737 like Bol Do Na Zaara,
The top rank is held by New York, thanks to the city be- The airline said the new is committed to working Max aircraft operated by Main Rahoon Ya Na Ra-
ing home to the world’s largest number of rich people, with inductions will not just closely with the government the Ethiopian Airlines had hoon and Main Hoon
66,968 private jet departures in 2018, while Mumbai is ranked bring down flight cancel- authorities to augment ca- crashed near Addis Ababa Hero Tera. He has sung
146, according to a study on the travel trends of ultra-high lations to nil but also help pacity and minimise passen- on March 10, killing 157 many songs in Tamil and
networth individuals by Knight Frank. The nation’s financial in SpiceJet’s aggressive in- ger inconvenience,” he said. people, including four In- Telugu as well.
capital is home to the maximum number of the rich in the ternational and domestic Earlier this week, Indian avi- dians. This was the second He is coming to Qa-
country. Country-wise, North America has the highest num- expansion plans. Under dry ation watchdog DGCA had such crash involving the 737 tar with his 18-member Doha Waves will be cel-
ber of active business jets at 13,685, followed by Europe, Rus- lease, the lessor provides the asked all airlines to come out Max aircraft in less than five team, Doha Waves, organis- ebrating their 100th show
sia, and the CIS (ex-Soviet republics) countries at 2,879 each. airline with the aircraft but with individual medium- months. ers of the show, said. with this event.

India to be guest country Sharjah Airport Duty Free

at Abu Dhabi book fair launches shop and win campaign
A
fter Dubai and passengers with exciting partners and are delighted

B
ook lovers in the UAE held at Manarat Al Saadiyat, of determination, and female pening. We want to share the Abu Dhabi, Shar- experiences. Felix Brunner, to announce the launch of
will be in for a big while announcing the range authors,” said Smita Pant, richness of Indian culture jah airport has also Dufry’s General Manager the Shop and Win campaign
treat next week when of events taking place at the deputy chief of mission at and diversity with all visi- announced its own raffle for the Middle East, India and the first lucky winner.
the 29th annual edition of ADIBF. the Indian embassy. tors,” she added. draw - a shop and win We wish all customers
the Abu Dhabi International “This year’s ADIBF will Smita Pant, deputy chief Pant said that India’s campaign. who participate in this
Book Fair (ADIBF) opens its have a positive impact on of mission at the Indian selection as guest of hon- Sharjah Airport Duty raffle good luck.”
our was another sign of the Free launched a Shop and The management of
long-standing cultural ties Win campaign, which Sharjah Airport Duty Free
between the UAE and her includes a raffle for four is keen to strengthen its
county. Audi and BMW cars, as partnerships with the
“It’s extremely gratify- part of a strategy to en- largest duty free retailers
ing to get this recognition, courage passengers to around the world to allow
which reflects the deep ties take advantage of the di- them to benefit from the
between our two nations verse options at Duty Free. opportunities created by
which permeate in all as- Shoppers, who spend and the Subcontinent, said, the increasing number of
pects. Dh200 at Sharjah Airport “We worked with our airport passengers and customers.
“India has a huge pub- Duty Free shops, will get
lishing industry, we are the the chance to enter the car
third-largest book market in raffle draw.
the world, and the second Zaki Naseem from Egypt
largest when it comes to won the first raffle. Naseem
English, and so we have a thanked the UAE, its wise Subscription Form
lot to offer when it comes to leadership and Sharjah Air-
the publishing industry and port for its continued efforts Name .................................................
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year’s fair set to feature more roundings, enhancing the participation at the book fair. ..........................................................
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The book fair will run of the world as an open plat- section dedicated to the
Pin Code ............. Mob.: ...................
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least 1,000 exhibitors from and expertise,” he added. layalam and Punjabi poetry Email ................................................
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to help Gulf job-seekers
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Draft No. .............. Amount ...............
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This year’s ADIBF will several different interactive is a 39-year-old professional body devoted to resolving the Bank .................... Branch ................
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