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Apply for Know India Programme

February 10th, 2012
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This is a HIGHLY SUBSIDISED program to get to know India! Hard to believe, but yes its true :-)

 

The Know India Programme (KIP) was earlier known as the Internship Programme for Diaspora Youth (IPDY). The KIP is organized in order to associate the younger generation of the widely spread out Indian Diaspora closely with India. Nineteen such KIPs have been organised till now by the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA), Government of India (GOI), with a view to promote awareness on India, its socio-cultural diversity, its all round development, its emergence as an economic powerhouse, India being a centre of higher education and the ongoing developments in various fields including infrastructure, Information technology etc. The participants from countries having larger population of People of Indian Origin (PIO) are selected based on recommendations made by Indian Missions / Posts abroad. They are provided with full hospitality and are reimbursed 90% of the cheapest economy class airfare from their respective country to India and back. Each KIP is organized in partnership with the State Governments, and each KIP is of 3-weeks duration and has not more than 40 participants.

More Details:

The 20th, 21st, and 22nd KIPs will be held in partnership with the state governments of Goa, Uttaranchal, and Karnataka respectively.

The Know India Programme (KIP) is organized in order to associate the younger generation of the Indian Diaspora closely with India. Nineteen such KIPs have been organised till now. The KIP provides a unique forum for students and young professionals of Indian origin to share their views, expectations and experience to bond closely with contemporary India. Each KIP is of three weeks duration and not exceeding 40 participants. The programmes have been greatly appreciated by the past KIP participants.

2.             The 20th KIP is expected to commence in April 2012, in partnership with the State Government of Goa.

3.             The 21st KIP is expected to commence in August 2012, in partnership with the State Government of Uttaranchal.

4.             The 22nd KIP is expected to commence in December 2012, in partnership with the State Government of Karnataka.

5.             The KIP is open to youth of Indian origin [excluding Non-Resident Indians (NRIs)] in the age group of 18-26 years as on the first day of the month in which the programme is expected to commence.

6.             The contents of each KIP may include the following:

i.)      Presentations on the country, political process, developments in various sectors.

ii.)     Interaction with faculty and students at a prestigious University / College / Institute.

iii.)    Presentation on the industrial development and visits to some Industries / factories.

iv.)    Visit to a village to better understand the typical village life.

v.)     Exposure to Indian media.

vi.)    Interaction with NGOs and organisations dealing with women affairs.

vii.)   Visit to places of Historical Importance / Monuments.

viii.)  Taking part in Cultural Programmes.

ix.)    Call on High Dignitaries, which may include President of India, Chief Election Commissioner of India, Comptroller and Auditor General of India, Ministers-in-charge of Overseas Indian Affairs, Youth Affairs and Sports, and other dignitaries.

7.             The candidates should either be holding a Graduate Degree or studying for graduation. They should be able to converse in English (they should have studied English as a subject at the High School level or should have English as a medium of instruction for under-graduate course).

8.             The applicant should not have participated in any previous KIP or Internship Programme for Diaspora Youth (IPDY). Students and those who have not visited India before are encouraged to apply.

9.             The applicant should also enclose a medical fitness certificate from a General Physician along with their application, stating that the participant is medically fit to take part in this 3-week KIP in India.

10.          If selected for the programme, the participants would take an overseas medical insurance to cover the duration of the visit, failing which they would not be issued visa to participate in the programme.

11.          The participants are provided the following hospitality / facilities in India:

i.)      Local hospitality e.g. boarding / lodging in State Guest Houses or budget hotels.

ii.)     Internal travel as per the Programme.

iii.)    Per diem allowance of Rs.100/- for out-of-pocket expenses.

iv.)    They may be granted Gratis Visa by Indian Mission / Posts abroad.

v.)     90% of the total cost of the air ticket for the cheapest economy class travel from the participant’s respective country to India and back is reimbursable to them by Indian Missions / Posts abroad after their successful participation in the KIP.

12.          Selected applicants are required to abide by the regulations of the KIP as conveyed to them by the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA) or an agency nominated by it for the conduct of the KIP. The participants are required to offer their full cooperation in the smooth conduct of the KIP, and they are not expected to leave the KIP mid-way.

13.          Nominations have to be forwarded through Indian Missions abroad and have to be endorsed by HOMs before being considered for selection. A copy of the nomination / registration forms and details of the KIP is available online at www.indianhighcommission.com.my/kip.php

14.          The duly filled-in applications should be submitted either by hand / by post to:

High Commission of India,
Education Section,
No. 2, Jalan Taman Duta, Off Jalan Duta,
50480 Kuala Lumpur.

15.          The last date for receipt of nominations for the 20th, 21st and 22nd KIPs should be sent by 05 March 2012, 25 June 2012, and 29 October 2102 respectively.

 

Forms:

Application Form (PDF or Ms Word)

Guideline: Guideline KIP

references:

http://www.indianhighcommission.com.my/kip.php

http://indianhighcommission.com.my/pressview.php?Id=119

Note: thanks to Novinthen for info.

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MyCareer Fair 2012

February 10th, 2012
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Looking for a job? MyCareer Fair 2012 is being organised by SITF (supported by MIC and 1MISM) at the following locations (9am t0 5pm):

 

11th Feb : Universiti Malaya DTC

19th Feb: Dewan Serbaguna Skudai

25th Feb: Dewan Besar UPM

4th Mac:  Tamil Methodist Hall Dataran ACS Ipoh

Refer to the pamphlets below for details:

 

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Selangor State Govt Chinese New Year Dinner on Thaipusam Eve

February 2nd, 2012
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This is being compared with last year’s Parliament sitting on Deepavali eve by MIC and MIC-friendly folks.

The Parliament sitting was cancelled by Cabinet after some noise were made by various groups (and DAP reps sent a memo), as it was considered a disrespectful and insensitive move.  Read about it below:

http://poobalan.com/blog/borninmalaysia/2011/10/11/parliament-sitting-on-deepavali-eve-issue/

http://poobalan.com/blog/borninmalaysia/2011/10/21/parliament-sitting-on-deepavali-eve-cancelled/

This time, its Selangor state government which is organising its Chinese New Year Dinner on 6th February (6pm till 11.30pm) at Rawang, which is on the eve of Thaipusam.  Refer here:

http://www.selangor.gov.my/main.php?Content=vertsectiondetails&VsItemID=423&VertSectionID=373&CurLocation=481&IID=

The difference between the two events are clear:

- one is an official “serious” event, the other is a official celebratory dinner.

- One involves all elected reps, govt staff and media, while other involves elected reps in Selangor and also includes public in addition.

- One is covering whole nation (imagine MP Bagan Serai balik kampung after parliament sitting) while the other is covering Selangor state. Probably the number of Hindus involved is very small (even the Selangor state EXCO don’t have Hindus).

- Deepavali eve is important as most Hindus will travel back to hometown. Thaipusam is not necessarily celebrated at hometown as some Hindus make pilgrimage to certain temples while other take opportunity to visit different temples for the celebration. Also, not all temples have chariot procession on the eve.

- Parliament sitting is usually arranged at beginning of the year. The dinner, was probably arranged few weeks ago.

- Deepavali came midweek, thus many other people will be working. Thaipusam this time around is on the end of a long weekend holiday (4 days if Saturday is off day), thus most people would have already made plans to travel elsewhere if they intend to celebrate Thaipusam.  The dinner may not be of consequence to them.

- Note that the last day of CNY would be on 6th February, thus the state could have organised the dinner on 23rd Jan, 24th Jan, 28th Jan, 29th Jan, or 4th Feb (maybe 4 is not lucky number?). 5th is Prophet’s birthday, so that’s definitely a no-no.  Those who are fasting (like for 10 or 30 days) would not be attending, so its likely that whichever day the dinner is organised, you’ll see lesser Hindus.

Similarities:

- both fall on the eve of a religious event.

- both are organised by governments.

- both are considered insensitive due to proximity to religious festival.

For me, even though the function is a non-compulsory “fun” event, the organisers could have chosen another day to do it, as perception of public is important. It would seem like the CNY dinner did not take into consideration participation of Hindus as majority Hindus are not expected to attend. Maybe its just targeted at the Chinese community.

Again, this maybe due to the lack of sensitivities among the officers in state government. Being from the majority race, probably they lack proper exposure to cultures and religious beliefs of others.  None may have thought of asking a fellow Hindu colleague/friend about the suitability of the date.

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Bumiputera Education Fund

February 2nd, 2012
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 This a rather old news (announced on 26th November 2011), but till date I can’t find any info about this Yayasan. Don’t ask me how to apply etc.

So, RM30 million from government for this education fund, and to be supplemented by contribution from GLCs etc to the tune of RM158 million so far. Very huge some indeed.

Wonder if the same can be done for other Malaysians. We also human beings la.

In launching a new strategic roadmap to boost Bumiputera participation in the national economy, Datuk Seri Najib Razak announced today a RM30 million endowment from the government into a new private education trust fund for Malaysia’s largest ethnic community.

The Yayasan Peneraju Pendidikan Bumiputera, he said, is aimed to fund 12,000 Bumiputeras in private education all the way through to PhD level.

“Raising the capability is important to ensure the Bumiputera workforce can raise their individual potential income in line with the nation’s objective to achieve high-income status,” the prime minister said in his opening speech.

The trust fund is to start operations early next year, and is targeting to build a RM500 million fund within five years.

Najib (picture) said 21 companies and institutions have pledged a total of RM158 million for the fund to date.

Among a group 10 businesses injected funds of RM10 million each, included CIMB Bank Berhad, Felda Holdings Berhad, Sime Darby Berhad, UEM Group Berhad and Yayasan Al-Bukhary founded  by magnate Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary, Malaysia’s richest Bumiputera corporate figure reported to be worth US$1.7 billion (RM5.4 billion).

In his speech, Najib noted the number of registered Bumiputera professionals had risen with the most recent record in 2008 showing there are now 51,306 or 45 per cent out of the entire group of professionals nationwide.

But he said it was not enough.

Najib said the transformation roadmap is a three-pronged approach to push Bumiputera stake of the national economic pie from the existing 21.9 per cent to fulfil the original New Economic Policy goal of 30 per cent.

Apart from setting up an education fund,  the government is looking to grow entrepreneurship by setting up one-stop business centres in every state or economic corridor.

Najib announced the Northern Economic Corridor Region will be the first to open its doors by the first quarter of next year.

He added that the third strategy is to groom large-scale Bumiputera businesses.

He said by setting up such an economic ecosystem where the big companies help the smaller firms, it will ultimately result in more Bumiputera businessmen.

“Among the main steps that will be taken is to encourage company participation through joint-ventures and acquisitions.

“Besides that, the divestment of GLC involvement in non-core [businesses] can create business opportunities for Bumiputera companies,” Najib said.

As an example, he highlighted the recent distribution of 43 per cent of the overall value of the MyMRT project to Bumiputera.

The PM said a separate Bumiputera unit had been set up under MRT Corp to manage the Bumiputera interest in the rail project.

source: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/putrajaya-pumps-rm30m-into-new-bumi-education-trust/

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Gerrymandering of election seats

February 2nd, 2012
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I wonder what is the reply from the respective groups on this revelation by a citizen on gerrymandering of election seats. It would be good to see EC come out with some report to rebut or  justify the presentation given below. Just maintaining silence means agreeing to what the presenter revealed.

Its horrifying to note that its possible to gain power to run the country by getting win seats in areas that total up to only 15.4% of voters! would the election reform also cover this issue?

 

A retiree arrested the attention of opposition members at the public hearing by the parliamentary select committee (PSC) on electoral reform, when he told them to forget about marching to Putrajaya under the current electoral system.

ng chak ngoon complain to psc 271111Armed with printouts of his presentation slides, Ng Chak Ngoon (right) who described himself as a retiree, presented the panel with a graph that showed 222 lines with every one being taller than the other as it progressed.

The graph, said Ng at the hearing in Kota Kinabalu yesterday, which saw several others testifying, was plotted against the population size of all the constituencies in ascending order for the 2008 general election.

“All on the left (in blue) are won by BN, on the right (in red) are all won by the opposition. The BN constituencies are very small and the opposition constituencies are very big. So what is happening here?

“It’s not by chance that all the people in big constituencies like the opposition and all those people in the small constituencies like BN. I would think there is a design here for the Election Commission (EC) to sub-divide all the BN areas into smaller areas to increase their number of MPs,” he said.

Ng added that the smallest constituency, BN-held Putrajaya only had 6,008 voters but Opposition-held Kapar had a staggering 112,224 voters, 17 times more than Putrajaya.

‘Kapar can have 17 MPs’

“If we break down Kapar to the size of Putrajaya, you would have 17 MPs from Kapar instead of just one.”

If all the seats are made into equal size, Ng added, the last general election would yield a result where BN and Pakatan Rakyat would only have a difference of seven seats in Parliament as opposed to the actual results of 140 to 82 seats.

He further estimated that if a party relied on all the small seats to win power, it would only require 15.4 percent of the total votes to form a majority in Parliament.

“If the opposition thinks they can march to Putrajaya, forget about it.”

At this point, PSC member Anthony Loke who is DAP’s Rasah MP quipped: “Very demoralising.”

Explaining further, Ng said the smallest constituency in Malaysia was 13 percent of the national average while the largest was 288 percent, in contrast to the UK’s which smallest and largest constituency are 77 percent and 153 percent of the national average respectively.

“If the EC is sincere, it should redraw all the constituencies, this is not gerrymandering, this is outright cheating.”

psc size of constitutencies general election 2008

PSC member Dr Hatta Ramli later concurred, pointing out that the Baling parliamentary constituency, supposedly a rural seat, had an unusually large number of constituents at around 70,000.

“This was because PAS has won the seat before,” said Hatta, who then asked if Ng thought this was ethical.

“Unethical is a mild word, Can I answer outside?” replied Ng in reference to parliamentary rules that require members in the hearing to abide by appropriate language.

State by state breakdown

Ng later proceeded to present similar graphs with a state by state breakdown at which PSC member Mohd Radzi Sheikh Ahmad said: “Can you rate Kangar?”, in reference to his own constituency.

“If you have Negeri Sembilan’s, I would like to see my chances of winning,” added Loke.

At this, Ng quipped: “I’ll have to charge you for consultancy.”

When asked by PSC member Fong Chan Onn (right) on how the panel can accommodate the increase of seats for Sabah and Sarawak to meet the Malaysian Federation agreement of 34 percent into his recommendations, Eng replied: “What is your objective?

“To win the election or to have an equitable dispersion of votes? If these are conflicting desires, obviously we cannot come to a compromise. BN has to answer that question, not me, I’m a retired man.”

psc general election bn votes needed to win majority

source: http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/182546

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