Andhra Pradesh leads states in public donations for Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra

Andhra Pradesh leads states in public donations for Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra

Byjammukashmirfirst

Amaravati, Feb 12 Andhra Pradesh stands first in the donations for Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra of former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi. Andhra Pradesh has so far donated over Rs 1.02 crore for the East-West yatra. Congress MP and party in-charge for Telangana Manickam Tagore on Monday shared the list of five states with highest public…

For the children, by the children

For the children, by the children

Byjammukashmirfirst

New Delhi, Feb 12 Entirely conceptualised with children from 10 government schools in Ambedkar Nagar, Tigri and Khanpur areas of New Delhi, the Kalakriti Arts Festival (KAF) to be held on February 12 and 13 is a two-day visual delight with art installations, artful corners, exhibitions, interactive spaces and performances by students. The festival is…

Toronto, Feb 12 (IANS) With international students struggling amidst worsening housing and affordability issues in Canada, charities and support groups say they are under strain and have urged the government to step up support. With nearly 500,000 international students living in the Greater Toronto Area, Khalsa Aid’s national director Jindi Singh says charities are taking on more than their fair share of the load, Ottawa-based CBC news channel reported. “We truly feel it’s not really our role,” Singh told the news outlet. The Canadian branch of Khalsa Aid, helping over 8000 students struggling to access food, clothes, and shelter in cities across the country, says the government and post-secondary institutions should be doing more to support international students in need. Jind said that the organisation has been presently receiving five calls a day from international students needing food, clothing, and shelter, especially from Brampton in Ontario province where he said that the situation is “acute”. Since last June, Khalsa Aid has delivered over 5,000 grocery bags full of non-perishable food to students in this city, which attracts tens of thousands of international students annually. The president of the College Student Alliance, Azi Afousi, told CBC that student unions across Ontario have reported fielding more calls about housing struggles, adding that one of her colleagues shares a house with 15 other people. International students contribute about CA$22 billion ($16.4 billion) annually to the Canadian economy and pay four times more tuition than domestic students. According to a September 2023 report by consulting firm Higher Education Strategy Associates, students from India alone contributed $2 billion to Ontario’s post-secondary institutions’ operating income last year, compared to roughly $1.8 billion the provincial government contributed. “For colleges and governments to not provide wrap-around services like housing, food, and job referrals, is a “pure money grab,” Singh told CBC. This comes even as the government has set out to cap new study permits for international students and cancelling work permits for their spouses. However, Deepa Mattoo of Sukhmani Haven says that the cap doesn’t do anything to help the students who are already in Canada and are struggling. While they welcomed the study permit cap, both Mattoo and Singh urged the government to put in place more support for international students who are already there in the country. The number of international students in Canada crossed one million mark, with Indians leading the pack, accounting for 215,190 out of the 579,075 permits issued till November 2023. In addition to the two-year study permit cap, the Canadian government also announced that it will more than double the cost-of-living financial requirement for incoming international students on January 1, 2024. Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Marc Miller said a single applicant will need to show they have 20,635 Canadian dollars ($15,181) in addition to their first year of tuition and travel costs. Earlier, Canadian opposition leader Pierre Poilievre has blamed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for making a ‘mess’ of the country’s immigration system. He said that immigrants, international students, and temporary foreign workers are not to be blamed for Trudeau’s “incompetence”.

Toronto, Feb 12 (IANS) With international students struggling amidst worsening housing and affordability issues in Canada, charities and support groups say they are under strain and have urged the government to step up support. With nearly 500,000 international students living in the Greater Toronto Area, Khalsa Aid’s national director Jindi Singh says charities are taking on more than their fair share of the load, Ottawa-based CBC news channel reported. “We truly feel it’s not really our role,” Singh told the news outlet. The Canadian branch of Khalsa Aid, helping over 8000 students struggling to access food, clothes, and shelter in cities across the country, says the government and post-secondary institutions should be doing more to support international students in need. Jind said that the organisation has been presently receiving five calls a day from international students needing food, clothing, and shelter, especially from Brampton in Ontario province where he said that the situation is “acute”. Since last June, Khalsa Aid has delivered over 5,000 grocery bags full of non-perishable food to students in this city, which attracts tens of thousands of international students annually. The president of the College Student Alliance, Azi Afousi, told CBC that student unions across Ontario have reported fielding more calls about housing struggles, adding that one of her colleagues shares a house with 15 other people. International students contribute about CA$22 billion ($16.4 billion) annually to the Canadian economy and pay four times more tuition than domestic students. According to a September 2023 report by consulting firm Higher Education Strategy Associates, students from India alone contributed $2 billion to Ontario’s post-secondary institutions’ operating income last year, compared to roughly $1.8 billion the provincial government contributed. “For colleges and governments to not provide wrap-around services like housing, food, and job referrals, is a “pure money grab,” Singh told CBC. This comes even as the government has set out to cap new study permits for international students and cancelling work permits for their spouses. However, Deepa Mattoo of Sukhmani Haven says that the cap doesn’t do anything to help the students who are already in Canada and are struggling. While they welcomed the study permit cap, both Mattoo and Singh urged the government to put in place more support for international students who are already there in the country. The number of international students in Canada crossed one million mark, with Indians leading the pack, accounting for 215,190 out of the 579,075 permits issued till November 2023. In addition to the two-year study permit cap, the Canadian government also announced that it will more than double the cost-of-living financial requirement for incoming international students on January 1, 2024. Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Marc Miller said a single applicant will need to show they have 20,635 Canadian dollars ($15,181) in addition to their first year of tuition and travel costs. Earlier, Canadian opposition leader Pierre Poilievre has blamed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for making a ‘mess’ of the country’s immigration system. He said that immigrants, international students, and temporary foreign workers are not to be blamed for Trudeau’s “incompetence”.

Byjammukashmirfirst

Toronto, Feb 12 With international students struggling amidst worsening housing and affordability issues in Canada, charities and support groups say they are under strain and have urged the government to step up support. With nearly 500,000 international students living in the Greater Toronto Area, Khalsa Aid’s national director Jindi Singh says charities are taking on…

US: ‘Dysfunctional Week’ uncovers fissures, fractures, faultlines in GOP

US: ‘Dysfunctional Week’ uncovers fissures, fractures, faultlines in GOP

Byjammukashmirfirst

Washington, Feb 12   The GOP has “exposed” itself in a “Dysfunctional Week” in its actions in the Congress laying bare the fissures, fractures and faultlines across the party, sabotaging its own legislators carefully crafted bipartisan legislations in showing allegiance to former president Donald Trump. Self-inflicted failures in both chambers of Congress, a decisive legal…

Three sisters charred to death in fire J&K’s Ramban

Three sisters charred to death in fire J&K’s Ramban

Byjammukashmirfirst

Jammu, Feb 12 Three teenage sisters were charred to death on Monday when a fire broke out at their home in J&K’s Ramban district. Police said that fire engulfed the third floor of the house in Tajnihal village. “Three sisters were sleeping on the third floor of the house that caught fire. All of them…

Ahead of protest, three Union ministers to meet farm leaders again in Chandigarh

Ahead of protest, three Union ministers to meet farm leaders again in Chandigarh

Byjammukashmirfirst

Chandigarh, Feb 12 Hours ahead of a massive protest march by farmers of Punjab and Haryana in the national capital, three Union ministers, including Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, will be meeting the leaders of farmer organisations in Chandigarh on Monday evening to resolve the issue amicably. The first round of meeting was held on February…

Two gangsters arrested in Rajasthan

Two gangsters arrested in Rajasthan

Byjammukashmirfirst

Jaipur, Feb 12 Rajasthan Police on Monday said that its Anti-Gangster Task Force team carried out an operation in Sikar district and arrested two active operatives of Lawrence Bishnoi, Rohit Godara and Vikram Gurjar alias Vikram Bamarda gang, who were planning to murder a history-sheeter. Police said that huge quantity of illegal weapons was also…

SC dismisses plea seeking cancellation of ‘DyCM’ portfolio

SC dismisses plea seeking cancellation of ‘DyCM’ portfolio

Byjammukashmirfirst

New Delhi, Feb 12 Dismissing a PIL challenging the appointment of Deputy Chief Ministers (DyCM) in various state governments, the Supreme Court on Monday said that a deputy Deputy Chief Minister is “first and foremost a minister in the government” in the state and the portfolio has no real bearing in the constitutional sense. “It…

Use Swadeshi products, says V-P Dhankhar

Use Swadeshi products, says V-P Dhankhar

Byjammukashmirfirst

Jaipur, Feb 12 Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar has appealed to people to use Swadeshi (local) products to ensure local trade gets a boost. He said, “Lamps, candles, furniture were coming into our country from outside. This has two side-effects. Our foreign exchange is going out in large quantities and we are simultaneously chopping hands of…