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INTERNATIONAL: NATIONAL: India received over $111 billion in remittances in 2022, FIRST country to ever reach that figure: UN
According to the report’s data, India was the top country receiving remittances in 2010 (USD 53.48 billion), 2015 (USS 68.91 billion), and 2020 (USD 83.15 billion), with the remittances crossing the USD 100 billion mark to reach USD 111.22 billion in 2022.
India received over USD 111 billion in remittances in 2022, the largest in the world, becoming the first country to reach and even surpass the USD 100 billion mark, the United Nations migration agency has said.
The International Organisation for Migration (IOM), in its World Migration Report 2024 launched Tuesday, said that in 2022, India, Mexico, China, the Philippines and France were the top five remittance recipient countries.
“India was well above the rest, receiving more than USD 111 billion, the first country to reach and even surpass the USD 100 billion mark. Mexico was the second-largest remittance recipient in 2022, a position it also held in 2021 after overtaking China, which historically had been the second-biggest recipient after India,” the report said.
According to the report’s data, India was the top country receiving remittances in 2010 (USD 53.48 billion), 2015 (USS 68.91 billion), and 2020 (USD 83.15 billion), with the remittances crossing the USD 100 billion mark to reach USD 111.22 billion in 2022.
It noted that with a very large number of migrant workers from the subregion, Southern Asia receives some of the largest inflows of remittances globally.
Three countries in Southern Asia – India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, rank among the top ten recipients of international remittances in the world, underscoring the significance of labour migration from the subregion.
“With India estimated to have received more than USD 111 billion in 2022, it is by far the largest recipient of international remittances in the world and the first country to ever reach that figure,” the report said.
Pakistan and Bangladesh were the sixth and eighth largest international remittance recipients in 2022, receiving nearly USD 30 billion and USD 21.5 billion respectively.
The report however noted that while remittances remain a lifeline for many people in the subregion, migrant workers from these countries continue to face a myriad of risks, including financial exploitation, excessive financial debt due to migration costs, xenophobia and workplace abuses.
The Gulf States remain significant destinations for migrant workers from around the world, and the 2022 football World Cup further underscored the importance of migrant labour to the subregion as well as rights violations.
Migrants continue to comprise high proportions of the total populations in many Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) States.
In the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Qatar, migrants made up 88 per cent, nearly 73 and 77 per cent of the national populations, respectively.
Most migrants – many of whom come from countries such as India, Egypt, Bangladesh, Ethiopia and Kenya – work in sectors such as construction, hospitality, security, domestic work and retail.
The report added that nearly 18 million or 1.3 per cent of the total population, India is also the origin of the largest number of international migrants in the world, with large diasporas living in countries such as the United Arab Emirates, the United States and Saudi Arabia.
India came in 13th as the destination country for immigrants, with 4.48 million.
India – United Arab Emirates, India – US, India – Saudi Arabia and Bangladesh – India were among the top 10 international country-to-country migration corridors, the report said.
Mexico is now the second largest recipient of international remittances in the world after India. China had long held the second spot but it was surpassed by Mexico in 2021, with the Central American country estimated to have received more than USD 61 billion in 2022, while China received about USD 51 billion.
“The contraction of remittance flows to China has been attributed to multiple factors, including demographic shifts that have resulted in the shrinking of the working age population and the country’s zero-COVID policy, which prevented people from travelling abroad for work,” the report said.
The report further said that countries in Asia are the origins of the largest number of internationally mobile students in the world.
In 2021, more than one million internationally mobile students were from China, by far the highest number globally and more than double the number of students from India, which ranks second (around 508,000).
The US is the largest destination country for international mobile students in the world (more than 833,000), followed by the UK (nearly 601,000), Australia (around 378,000), Germany (over 376,000) and Canada (nearly 318,000).
China is also an important destination for international students, especially those from the Republic of Korea, Thailand, Pakistan and India.
The report said that there are more female than male international migrants in destination countries in Europe and Northern America, such as the US, Canada, France, Spain and Italy, but also in India.
India has a slightly higher share of female immigrants than males. Countries with a significantly high proportion of male emigrants include India, Bangladesh and Pakistan.
Irregular migration to the US remains an ongoing challenge and major policy issue, with increasing numbers of arrivals from atypical origin countries. There were 2.4 million encounters at the United States–Mexico border in 2022, the highest on record. “Encounters” constitute both apprehensions and expulsions, and these statistics also include many migrants who tried to enter the US several times without authorisation.
For years, most irregular migrants were overwhelmingly from Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras but in 2022 and for the first time, there were more encounters with migrants from Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua.
“There were also a large number of arrivals from Haiti, Brazil and from countries outside the region such as India and Ukraine,” it said.
“The shift in origin country geography has also been attributed to Title 42, which suspends the right to claim asylum under United States and international law on the basis of preventing the spread of COVID-19,” it said.
The report noted that the impact of the pandemic has been severe on both internal and international Indian emigrant workers, particularly low-skilled emigrants on short-term contracts, migrants working within the informal economy and undocumented workers.
Loss of jobs along with wage theft and lack of social security during the pandemic has plunged many Indian migrants into deep debt and insecurity.
“The pandemic has had an overwhelming effect on internal labour migration patterns and has reshaped work in both rural and urban areas. There has been a decline of almost 10 per cent in blue-collar workforce mobility towards cities, which has drastically cut the labour supply for major industries. The official estimate of reverse internal migration is 51.6 per cent for men and 11 per cent for women,” the report said citing experts and official data.
Since 2000, IOM has been producing its flagship world migration reports every two years.
source/content: indianexpress.com (headline edited)
NATIONAL: FREEDOM FIGHTERS 1857: Rajasthan Govt to reach out to UK Govt to find names of 24 martyrs of 1857 Revolt
The Rajasthan Government is all set to highlight the contribution of the desert state in the 1857 Revolt and plans to reach out to the UK Government to find the names of 24 freedom fighters who were killed in Pali District’s Auwa Village and who remain unsung till date, said officials.
The state government also plans to declare the places associated with the martyrs who rebelled against the British, as heritage villages and install their statues there.
This work has been assigned to Rajasthan Heritage Conservation and Promotion Authority.
Omkar Lakhawat, Chairman of the Authority said that in the Auwa case, the British had imposed death penalty on 24 revolutionaries and conducted a court martial of rebel soldiers, but the names of the 24 freedom fighters were never made public.
“Now we will raise this demand from the UK Government to make these names public,” he added.
The state government is searching for the records of the 24 freedom fighters who were blown up by cannons in Auwa Village during the revolution.
All related documents are being scrutinised in the Archaeological Survey of India archives as well as in England, going beyond borders.
As the UK Government did not reveal the names of these martyrs hence no information is available about their descendants, said officials.
In 1857, when the revolution was spreading across the country, Auwa in Pali District, triggered panic among the British due to its war acumen.
The tale of Thakur Khushal Singh as the commander of the revolutionaries still echoes in every corner of Auwa Village.
In 1857, a military rebellion started in Erinpura in Rajasthan and the rebel soldiers marched towards Delhi via Auwa to participate in the freedom struggle.
Thakur Kushal Singh gave shelter to the rebel soldiers and angered by this, the British army along with the Jodhpur army attacked Auwa.
Thakur Kushal Singh beheaded Jodhpur Political Agent Captain Monck Mason and hung his head on the ramparts of Auwa Fort.
This enraged the British army and they destroyed the entire village with guns and cannons.
They even uprooted the statue of Sugali Mata and took it with them.
The state government will now rebuild the idol of Mata Sugali and install it, said officials.
The British also arrested many revolutionaries and rebel soldiers.
On January 24, 1858, a case of mutiny was registered against 120 soldiers but the 24 revolutionaries were kept in custody for one day.
The very next day, on January 25, 1858 the 24 freedom fighters were killed.
The history of the Auwa rebellion is quite inspiring as the army of Thakur Kushal Singh defeated the army of Maharaja Takht Singh of Jodhpur who fought along with the British and now the Rajasthan Government wants to honour these brave men by acknowledging their contribution and sacrifice.
source/content: daijiworld.com / IANS (headline edited)
NATIONAL: MANUFACTURING / AC: Voltas records highest-ever AC sales by any brand in a fiscal in India
HSBC is bullish on the stock. It has maintained a ‘buy’ rating on the stock expecting that the company’s unitary cooling products (UCP) division will witness a significant increase in profitability.
Voltas sold over 2 million air conditioners in FY24, which it said is the highest-ever sales of ACs by any brand in a financial year in India.
The Tata Group company recorded a 35 per cent sales growth to over two million units in FY24, on the back of consistent demand for cooling products during the year, coupled with a strong offline and online distribution network, and new innovative launches.
“The company achieved over 2 million AC units during this fiscal 2023-24, the highest ever sale of ACs by any brand in a financial year in India, with a volume growth of 35 per cent,” it added.
With these landmark sales, Voltas is “the first ever brand to achieve this extraordinary milestone in the Air Conditioning industry in India”, it said.
The Indian residential AC market is estimated to be around 10 million units in FY24 and is expected to grow to 11.5 million units this year. Even during the March quarter, when sales of compressor-based cooling products are low due to convenient temperatures: “Voltas registered a significant volume growth of 72 per cent in AC sales during Q4 FY24”.
The company claimed that with these sales numbers, “Voltas is the undisputed market leader and has maintained its number one position in the Room Air Conditioner category”. Its MD and CEO Pradeep Bakshi said: “We believe that our wide presence, focus on the emerging retail channels, excellent distribution network, strong brand equity and attractive consumer offers have helped us to achieve this significant milestone”.
HSBC is bullish on the stock. It has maintained a ‘buy’ rating on the stock expecting that the company’s unitary cooling products (UCP) division will witness a significant increase in profitability. The brokerage has increased target price to ₹1,350 per share from the previous target of ₹1,250. This a potential upside of 11% from the previous closing levels of ₹1,217 apiece on the BSE.
In its note, HSBC said the UCP segment of the Tata Group firm will experience a significant increase in profitability due to both, robust demand for the company’s products and a decrease in the costs of materials needed for production. The brokerage added that margin improvement for the UCP segment is likely to be a positive surprise for investors.
source/content: businesstoday.in (headline edited)
INTERNATIONAL: INDIA WINS: The Indian Express wins Design Award for Parliament Infographic at 6th International Newspaper Design Competiion
The new Parliament building houses a larger Lok Sabha hall with a capacity of up to 888 seats, and a larger Rajya Sabha hall with a capacity of upto 384 seats.
The Indian Express has won the 6th International Newspaper Design Competition’s Best of Show honour under the Best of Infographics category.
The winning infographic, titled ‘The Parliament of India’, was an in-depth look at the country’s old Parliament building, weaving in important dates, numbers, photographs, and detailed sketches. It was published ahead of the opening of the new Parliament building, inaugurated on May 28, 2023.
The infographic was designed by Bivash Barua, illustrated by Suvajit Dey, and included text by Chakshu Roy, Damini Nath, and Divya A.
“This is a clean and elegant execution, easy to read and follow, and the colour palette does not take the attention away from the topic,” the judges said.
Other winners of the 6th International Newspaper Design Competition included German newspaper Die Zeit under the Best of Page One, The Hindu under the Best of Sports Page category, and Hindustan Times under the Best of Double Spread.
Here is the infographic:
You can download the poster here
source/content: indianexpress.com (headline edited)
INTERNATIONAL: ARTS & CULTUR: Shabana Azmi to be honoured with ‘Freedom of the City of London Award’ at the UK Asian Film Festival, May 2024
On Tuesday 7th May at Somerville College, Oxford will celebrate the actress’s industry milestone following a screening at Phoenix Picturehouse of her pioneering film, Fire (1996).
Veteran Indian actress Shabana Azmi, will be honoured with the Freedom of City of London Award by the City of London Corporation, in recognition of her prolific contribution to Indian cinema and as a campaigner for women’s rights. The award presentation will be a part of the celebrations to mark her 50 years in the industry at this year’s UK Asian Film Festival – the world’s longest-running South Asian film festival outside the Subcontinent. The ceremony will take place on Friday 10th May at Guildhall, City of London.
One of the City of London’s ancient traditions, Freedom is believed to have begun in 1237 and enabled recipients to carry out their trade. As well as being nominated or applied for, the Freedom is also offered by the City of London Corporation to individuals as a way of paying tribute to their outstanding contribution to London or public life or to celebrate a very significant achievement. Other recent high-profile recipients include theatre entrepreneurs, Dame Rosemary Squire, Sir Howard Panter and Sir Cameron Mackintosh; former England and Arsenal footballer, Ian Wright; double Olympic gold medallist Tom Dean, MBE; and the UK’s Chief Medical Officer, Professor Sir Chris Whitty.
Boasting an illustrious career that spans over 160 films and stretches across independent, parallel and mainstream Hindi cinema as well as international projects, Azmi is the daughter of renowned poet, Kaifi Azmi, and stage actress. Shaukat Azmi. She graduated from the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) in 1973 and made her debut with Shyam Benegal’s debut social drama Ankur in 1974, which won her the National Award for Best Actress.
Between 1983 and 1985 for three consecutive years, Azmi won the National Film Award for Best Actress for her performances in Arth, Khandhar and Paar. In subsequent years, she continued to soar to the heights of critical and commercial success, becoming one of the leading ladies of Indian parallel cinema, a new-wave movement of arthouse films recognised for their authentic and realistic storyline, treatment and sensibility.
Even when it came to mainstream films, Azmi dared to traverse beyond the glossy and stereotypical portrayals of women with impactful realistic performances in films like Masoom and Arth, pushing the boundaries further and inviting audiences to re-imagine the off-screen societal norms that dictated the on-screen representations of a housewife, mother and woman in an evolving Indian society.
Azmi is the winner of five National Film Awards and several international accolades and was honoured with the Padma Shri in 1998 and the Padma Bhushan in 2012 by the Government of India for her outstanding contribution to cinema. Unlike many of her peers who confined themselves to on-screen activism, throughout much of her life, Azmi has remained committed to fighting injustices, lending her powerful voice and on-screen persona to critical issues such as AIDS ostracism and child mortality amongst other causes. She has worked extensively with slum dwellers in Mumbai and was the President of Nivara Hakk, a housing rights NGO that provided houses for free to 50,000 people in Mumbai who were evicted from their homes. She heads the NGO, Mijwan Welfare Society (MWS), founded by her father, which works for the upliftment of rural India with a focus on the girl child and women. She has fought relentlessly against religious fundamentalism of all hues and is highly respected as a moderate, liberal Muslim voice.
Azmi’s remarkable contributions have been recognised on numerous prestigious platforms. She was awarded the Gandhi International Peace Prize at the House of Lords by Vanessa Redgrave and honoured at the Bicentennial celebrations of International Human Rights in Paris, alongside Mother Theresa, by President Mitterand of France. Additionally, Azmi received the Crystal Award at the World Economic Forum, with Mohammed Ali and Michael Douglas. She holds five Doctorates from renowned national and international universities and has been conferred with the prestigious Martin Luther King, Rosa Park, and Chavez Awards. Her recent nomination as Global Leadership Ambassador for Women in Public Service Project, initiated by Hillary Clinton, further underscores her global impact and commitment to fostering positive change. She has also been chosen by Time Magazine as one of 25 Asian heroes and is the only woman among four Indians who has made a difference.
Shabana Azmi says, “In anticipation of the esteemed Freedom of the City of London Award, I am deeply honoured. This recognition not only celebrates my contribution to cinema but also emphasises the intrinsic link between art and activism. I am humbled by this distinction and eagerly anticipate the chance to continue advocating for social causes through storytelling.”
UK Asian Film Festival Creative Director, Samir Bhamra says, “It is an honour to acknowledge the remarkable contributions of Shabana Azmi. From her pivotal role in inaugurating our festival in London to inspiring our celebration of her 50-year journey, Shabana Azmi epitomises resilience, advocacy and artistic brilliance. We stand proudly alongside her, recognising her unwavering dedication and support. Her upcoming recognition with the Freedom of the City of London award is a testament to her extraordinary achievements. UKAFF’s instrumental role in instigating this prestigious award underscores Shabana Azmi’s profound impact on the arts and society at large.”
As part of the festival programme, Celebrating The Golden Girl: Shabana Azmi on Tuesday 7th May at Somerville College, Oxford will celebrate the actress’s industry milestone following a screening at Phoenix Picturehouse of her pioneering film, Fire (India, 1996; Dir: Deepa Mehta; Language: English). The event and dinner will help raise funds to support the scholarship programme at The Oxford India Centre for Sustainable Development. Continuing the festival celebrations, the actress will be in conversation onstage following screenings of some of her cult and contemporary classics: Ankur (India, 1974; Dir: Shyam Benegal; Language: Hindi with English subtitles) on Wednesday 8th May at Khalil Lecture Room, SOAS, London; Mandi (India, 1983; Dir: Shyam Benegal; Language: Hindi with English subtitles) on Thursday 9th May at Phoenix, Leicester; and Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani (Idia, 2023; Dir: Karan Johar; Language: Hindi with English subtitles) on Thursday 9th May at Phoenix, Leicester.
Now in its 26th year, the UK Asian Film Festival, for which Azmi is a Patron, has historically championed South Asian female-centric cinema and women in film – both behind and in front of the camera. Its programmes have annually sought to disrupt the patriarchal status quo and initiate challenging conversations in its mission to advocate and promote gender equality in cinema.
Running at venues across London, Leicester and Oxford from Thursday 2nd – Sunday 12th May, the UK Asian Film Festival is presented by Tongues on Fire and is supported by the BFI, awarding funds from the BFI Audience Projects Fund. UK Asian Film Festival is powered by broadcast partners, SONY TV and Lyca Radio. TV Partner for the UKAFF Short Film Competition is Shorts TV.
source/content: cineblitz.in (headline edited)
NATIONAL: PATENTS: Mahindra & Mahindra receives a record 674 patents in FY24
Mahindra & Mahindra has received a record 674 patents in FY24, the most of any Indian 4-wheeler automobile/farm equipment manufacturer. This is a 380% increase in the number of patents issued to M&M over FY23.
The company said, “M&M is constantly pushing the boundaries of innovation by investing in research and the use of cutting-edge technology. Our strategy of prioritizing R&D has helped us to come up with futuristic automotive brands with world-class features. We firmly believe that by staying at the forefront of technology, we can deliver the loftiest expectations of our customers.
So far, we have been conferred 1185 patents across multiple geographies, and we currently have 193 applications awaiting patent approval, as of 31st March 2024. Cumulatively, we have filed 2212 patent applications to date. The patent portfolio also includes fillings of M&M’s subsidiary, Mahindra Electric Automobile Ltd. In addition to our patents, we have also got 115 designs registered and 178 new applications filed. This record-breaking achievement is a testament to our cutting-edge research prowess.”
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source/content: business-standard.com (headline edited)