IIMC Kottayam to start functioning this year

Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy today said the Indian Institute of Mass Communication's (IIMC) centre in Kottayam will start functioning from this year. 
Addressing a press conference, Mr Chandy said he met Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni and invited her to inaugurate the centre. However, she declined due to the Parliament session starting tomorrow and other work.
The proposal had been in the pipeline for quite long, the Chief Minister added.
The IIMC is an autonomous society under the I and B ministry.
The New Delhi-based media institute at present has three regional centres in Dhenkenal, Orissa, Mizoram capital Aizawl and Amravati in Maharashtra. (UNI)

IIMC Kottayam to start functioning this year

Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy today said the Indian Institute of Mass Communication's (IIMC) centre in Kottayam will start functioning from this year. 
Addressing a press conference, Mr Chandy said he met Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni and invited her to inaugurate the centre. However, she declined due to the Parliament session starting tomorrow and other work.
The proposal had been in the pipeline for quite long, the Chief Minister added.
The IIMC is an autonomous society under the I and B ministry.
The New Delhi-based media institute at present has three regional centres in Dhenkenal, Orissa, Mizoram capital Aizawl and Amravati in Maharashtra. (UNI)

Karshakothama award for Saji Mathew

Thiruvananthapuram: Saji Mathew from Kallaranodu, Kozhikode bagged the state government's Karshakothama award. Yuva Karshaka award was shared by Digol Thomas from Mananthavadi and Muhammad Rafi from Valakkulam Malappuram. The award carries Rs 1 lakh, a gold medal and a plaque. The Karshakamithra award for best agricultural officer goes to Vishwaraj, agricultural officer of Kadalundi Krishi bhavan.

Karshakothama award for Saji Mathew

Thiruvananthapuram: Saji Mathew from Kallaranodu, Kozhikode bagged the state government's Karshakothama award. Yuva Karshaka award was shared by Digol Thomas from Mananthavadi and Muhammad Rafi from Valakkulam Malappuram. The award carries Rs 1 lakh, a gold medal and a plaque. The Karshakamithra award for best agricultural officer goes to Vishwaraj, agricultural officer of Kadalundi Krishi bhavan.

13 prisoners escape from prison van in Uttar Pradesh

Lucknow: Thirteen prisoners who were being driven back to jail after a court hearing overpowered their guards and escaped at gun point in Uttar Pradesh's Banda district, police said Thursday.
Among those who escaped include two robbers from the Thokia gang who had killed several policemen some years ago.
The incident took place Wednesday night in the Atarra area of Banda district, 160 km from here, when the undertrial prisoners were being taken back to the jail from a court in Chitrakoot in a prison van.

During the journey, the prisoners overpowered the guards and attacked the armed constables and 13 of them fled at gun point, said police.
They beat up a head constable and three other constables before escaping into the thickets.

The guards managed to stop seven other prisoners from escaping.
'In an apparently pre-planned manner, the undertrials started fighting among each other when the prison van was near the Sai Baba Temple in the Rahosat Miner area,' a police official said.
Soon, the prisoners took the rifles of the guards and broke the iron mesh and glass windowpanes and hopped off one-by-one from the moving vehicle.

The 13 prisoners who escaped have been identified as Sheelu, Chunnilal, Sandeep, Shiv Moorat, Lala, Pandit, Raju, Rohit, Ram Bahoori, Moorti, Kailash, Munna and Pahadi.
Combing operations to track down the escaped prisoners have started, officials told IANS. The Madhya Pradesh police has also been alerted.

13 prisoners escape from prison van in Uttar Pradesh

Lucknow: Thirteen prisoners who were being driven back to jail after a court hearing overpowered their guards and escaped at gun point in Uttar Pradesh's Banda district, police said Thursday.
Among those who escaped include two robbers from the Thokia gang who had killed several policemen some years ago.
The incident took place Wednesday night in the Atarra area of Banda district, 160 km from here, when the undertrial prisoners were being taken back to the jail from a court in Chitrakoot in a prison van.

During the journey, the prisoners overpowered the guards and attacked the armed constables and 13 of them fled at gun point, said police.
They beat up a head constable and three other constables before escaping into the thickets.

The guards managed to stop seven other prisoners from escaping.
'In an apparently pre-planned manner, the undertrials started fighting among each other when the prison van was near the Sai Baba Temple in the Rahosat Miner area,' a police official said.
Soon, the prisoners took the rifles of the guards and broke the iron mesh and glass windowpanes and hopped off one-by-one from the moving vehicle.

The 13 prisoners who escaped have been identified as Sheelu, Chunnilal, Sandeep, Shiv Moorat, Lala, Pandit, Raju, Rohit, Ram Bahoori, Moorti, Kailash, Munna and Pahadi.
Combing operations to track down the escaped prisoners have started, officials told IANS. The Madhya Pradesh police has also been alerted.

Obama calls Manmohan, conveys people's solidarity

Three days after the senseless attack on a Wisconsin gurdwara, President Barack Obama called Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to convey his condolences and the solidarity of the American people.

obama spoke with Manmohan Singh on Wednesday morning 'to express condolences for victims
of the senseless attack at the gurdwara in Wisconsin, which took the lives of Indian nationals as well as Americans, and to convey the solidarity of the American people,' according to the White House readout of the call.

Obama 'reiterated that the Sikh community is an essential and vibrant part of the American family and underscored that the incident is particularly tragic because it took place in a house of worship'.

Manmohan Singh expressed his gratitude for the many messages and gestures of support from the US, and for the prompt reaction and heroism of the local police department, it said.

'The two leaders re-affirmed their nations' commitment to the shared values of pluralism, religious freedom, and freedom of worship,' the White House added.

At the State Department, spokesperson Patrick Ventrell said the department was playing a facilitative role 'to make sure that our state and local authorities and our national law enforcement authorities are in touch with their Indian counterparts, to the extent that it's necessary'.

'We, through our channels as the State Department, obviously also, communicate to Indian authorities through their Embassy here and as well as our Embassy in New Delhi,' he said.

'Obviously our communication is ongoing and intensive. We have good lines of communication with the Indians and discuss matters such as these,' Ventrell said.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton too had called external affairs minister SM Krishna to convey her heartfelt condolences to him and the greater Sikh community both in the US and India, he noted.

'The US and India both strongly share the values of freedom of religion and freedom of worship, and respecting and protecting all faiths,' he said. 'So that's definitely a message that the Secretary conveyed.'IANS.

Obama calls Manmohan, conveys people's solidarity

Three days after the senseless attack on a Wisconsin gurdwara, President Barack Obama called Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to convey his condolences and the solidarity of the American people.

obama spoke with Manmohan Singh on Wednesday morning 'to express condolences for victims
of the senseless attack at the gurdwara in Wisconsin, which took the lives of Indian nationals as well as Americans, and to convey the solidarity of the American people,' according to the White House readout of the call.

Obama 'reiterated that the Sikh community is an essential and vibrant part of the American family and underscored that the incident is particularly tragic because it took place in a house of worship'.

Manmohan Singh expressed his gratitude for the many messages and gestures of support from the US, and for the prompt reaction and heroism of the local police department, it said.

'The two leaders re-affirmed their nations' commitment to the shared values of pluralism, religious freedom, and freedom of worship,' the White House added.

At the State Department, spokesperson Patrick Ventrell said the department was playing a facilitative role 'to make sure that our state and local authorities and our national law enforcement authorities are in touch with their Indian counterparts, to the extent that it's necessary'.

'We, through our channels as the State Department, obviously also, communicate to Indian authorities through their Embassy here and as well as our Embassy in New Delhi,' he said.

'Obviously our communication is ongoing and intensive. We have good lines of communication with the Indians and discuss matters such as these,' Ventrell said.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton too had called external affairs minister SM Krishna to convey her heartfelt condolences to him and the greater Sikh community both in the US and India, he noted.

'The US and India both strongly share the values of freedom of religion and freedom of worship, and respecting and protecting all faiths,' he said. 'So that's definitely a message that the Secretary conveyed.'IANS.

  30,000 illegal Indian immigrants to benefit from US policy.
WASHINGTON: At least 30,000 Indians would be among the 1.76 million undocumented illegal immigrants who would benefit from US President Barack Obama's new policy to defer deportation of illegal immigrants for two years, a new study said.

Using Current Population Survey data from the US Census Bureau, Migration Policy Institute (MPI) estimates that as many as 1.76 million people, under the age of 31, could be at risk of being deported in the future or who are currently in removal proceedings could gain deferred action as a result of the Obama administration policy announced on June 15.

Of these 1.76 million illegal immigrants an estimated 30,000 each are from India, and Korea – the two top countries of origin outside

Latin America, MPI said adding that two in three unauthorised immigrants potentially eligible for deferred action came from Mexico (1.17 million, or 65 per cent).

The next two countries of origin were El Salvador (slightly less than 60,000, or 3 per cent) and Guatemala (50,000, or 3 per cent).

The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) initiative, which will decide applications on a case-by-case basis, will offer a two-year grant of reprieve from deportation as well as work authorisation to unauthorised immigrants who were under the age of 31 as of June 15, with certain conditions attached.

MPI estimates that 1.26 million of the 1.76 million potential beneficiaries are 15 or older and thus immediately meet the age requirement to apply for deferred action. US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has stated that only those who are 15 or older are eligible to file for deferred action when the process gets underway on August 15 this year.

Five states – California, Texas, Florida, New York and Illinois – are home to 57 per cent of the total population of potential beneficiaries. California has by far the largest population of potential beneficiaries, with 460,000, followed by Texas (210,000), Florida (140,000), New York (110,000) and Illinois (90,000). Nearly three in four (or 1.3 million) prospective beneficiaries were born in Mexico or Central America.

Another 11 per cent (more than 180,000) came from the rest of Latin America, nine percent (about 170,000) from Asia and six per cent (about 110,000) from other parts of the world.

An estimated 800,000 children and youth who are potential beneficiaries are currently enrolled in the K-12 system, it said.

"The deferred action initiative, with its education requirements, offers these youth a significant incentive to stay in school and get their high school diploma," said Margie McHugh, co-director of MPI’s National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy. MPI also estimates that 58 per cent of the prospective beneficiaries ages 15 and older are in the labor force.

"Beyond the relief from deportation, the grant of a work authorisation document to those who can demonstrate an economic necessity is likely to improve their chances for decent employment conditions and wages, especially for those who have higher levels of education," said Doris Meissner, who directs MPI's US Immigration Policy program..

  30,000 illegal Indian immigrants to benefit from US policy.
WASHINGTON: At least 30,000 Indians would be among the 1.76 million undocumented illegal immigrants who would benefit from US President Barack Obama's new policy to defer deportation of illegal immigrants for two years, a new study said.

Using Current Population Survey data from the US Census Bureau, Migration Policy Institute (MPI) estimates that as many as 1.76 million people, under the age of 31, could be at risk of being deported in the future or who are currently in removal proceedings could gain deferred action as a result of the Obama administration policy announced on June 15.

Of these 1.76 million illegal immigrants an estimated 30,000 each are from India, and Korea – the two top countries of origin outside

Latin America, MPI said adding that two in three unauthorised immigrants potentially eligible for deferred action came from Mexico (1.17 million, or 65 per cent).

The next two countries of origin were El Salvador (slightly less than 60,000, or 3 per cent) and Guatemala (50,000, or 3 per cent).

The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) initiative, which will decide applications on a case-by-case basis, will offer a two-year grant of reprieve from deportation as well as work authorisation to unauthorised immigrants who were under the age of 31 as of June 15, with certain conditions attached.

MPI estimates that 1.26 million of the 1.76 million potential beneficiaries are 15 or older and thus immediately meet the age requirement to apply for deferred action. US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has stated that only those who are 15 or older are eligible to file for deferred action when the process gets underway on August 15 this year.

Five states – California, Texas, Florida, New York and Illinois – are home to 57 per cent of the total population of potential beneficiaries. California has by far the largest population of potential beneficiaries, with 460,000, followed by Texas (210,000), Florida (140,000), New York (110,000) and Illinois (90,000). Nearly three in four (or 1.3 million) prospective beneficiaries were born in Mexico or Central America.

Another 11 per cent (more than 180,000) came from the rest of Latin America, nine percent (about 170,000) from Asia and six per cent (about 110,000) from other parts of the world.

An estimated 800,000 children and youth who are potential beneficiaries are currently enrolled in the K-12 system, it said.

"The deferred action initiative, with its education requirements, offers these youth a significant incentive to stay in school and get their high school diploma," said Margie McHugh, co-director of MPI’s National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy. MPI also estimates that 58 per cent of the prospective beneficiaries ages 15 and older are in the labor force.

"Beyond the relief from deportation, the grant of a work authorisation document to those who can demonstrate an economic necessity is likely to improve their chances for decent employment conditions and wages, especially for those who have higher levels of education," said Doris Meissner, who directs MPI's US Immigration Policy program..