Xit-Koddi - Mar 2016

Easter Wishes

Around Easter time, any supermarket you walk into, has great displays of Easter eggs, Easter baskets and rows of candy and chocolates. The commercial world is stealing away the meaning of true Easter from us. Easter is a season of peace, hope and joy, a time to look within and around us. In today’s world we are faced with frightening challenges. Terrorism, political conflicts, wars, broken families are the headlines we see in the media these days. At this Easter it is our prayer that each one of us may work towards bringing peace in our homes. May a new light of peace shine in the minds and hearts of world leaders. May they be directed towards a new way of thinking of solving problems to bring healing, hope and life to our wounded world.

And to all our readers, may this Easter inspire you to new hope, happiness and prosperity.

Yours Truly

= GR Crasto  

Brexit To Affect Goans: The United Kingdom European Union membership referendum (Brexit) is scheduled to take place in the United Kingdom on 23 June 2016. Thousands of Goans settled in Britain after acquiring Portuguese passports are likely to be affected by this referendum. Using Portugal’s nationality law, Goans have migrated and settled in Britain, mainly in Swindon and London. As Portuguese nationals, they become EU citizens, which entitles them to live and work in any of the 28 members of the bloc under the “freedom of movement” principle. A vote for Brexit is likely to mean EU nationals (including Goan-Portuguese) will will need a work permit to work in U.K. It will also mean no access to benefits and public funds until they get permanent residency after five years of stay. Brexit will have a major impact on new and recently migrated Goans.

YLP Concludes At YGC:  The Youth Leadership Program designed by Toastmasters International for children in the age group of 12 to 17 years concluded at the Young Goans Club (YGC) on February 27. The program to develop communication and leadership skills through practical experience, under the patronage of YGC, was conducted by Distinguished Toastmaster Amparo Fernandes, from the Indian Club Toastmasters, assisted by Toastmaster Bhaskar Bharadwaj. The participants are seen in the above picture with YGC president Noel Fernandes, after the concluding ceremony at the club premises in Manama.

Clarification on PIO & OCI Cards: It has been reported in a section of the media that if you do not convert your PIO (Person of Indian Origin) cards to OCI (Overseas Citizen of India) by March 31, 2016, then you may have to apply for the VISA to travel back to India. According to reliable sources, a senior officer in the Indian Home Ministry has told the people not to worry in case they have not yet made OCI cards. According to him, the existing PIO cards will be valid for some more time after the set deadline to travel back to India without the need for a visa. “The deadline was to encourage people to change to the OCI which is a better card actually,” the official said on the assurance of anonymity. The latest uncertainty has been created by the March 31 deadline, which appears to be something of a misnomer, claimed the sources. The official at the Ministry of Home Affairs told the media that the timeframe would likely be extended. Even if it wasn’t, the card would still be valid and will be considered to be OCI cards by immigration officials. (Late news: The latest Xit-Koddi has learnt is that the time to convert PIO cards is now extended upto June 30, 2016)

Budget 2016 and NRI: In the Indian Budget 2016, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has announced an increase in free baggage allowance for international passengers, from 45 to 50 thousand rupees, and said that filing of baggage will be mandatory only for those carrying dutiable goods. In addition, NRIs without a PAN (permanent account number) issued by the country’s income tax department will not be subjected to a higher rate of Tax Deducted at Source (TDS) subject to prescribed conditions. Presently NRI’s without a PAN pay a higher rate of TDS.

NRI Information: We recently came upon the website of Virendar Chand who maintains his website NRI FAQ & Tips to answer questions from NRIs worldwide, on various subjects: OCI, PIO, Pan, Visas, NRI Info, Banking, Property, Business, Medical etc. Goan NRIs may wish to refer to it and check the answers he has given to various questions sent to him. We provide the link here below for the benefit of our readers.     Http://nriinformation.com/

YGC Easter Dinner Dance: The Young Goans Club will be holding an Easter Dinner Dance on March 31, at the Baan Saeng Thai Auditorium in Adliya commencing from 8 p.m. The evening of entertainment with a sumptuous buffet dinner will feature a live band ‘Past Masters’. A special membership draw with prizes in gold will also be held in the evening, and Easter Egg distribution for members’ children up to 12 years of age will also take place during the event. For invitation cards and further enquiries YGC committee members can be contacted at 33778199, 33204141 or 39881984.

YGC AGM: The Young Goans club has issued a circular to all its members convening its 62nd Annual General Body Meeting on March 28, at the club premises in Manama at 8 p.m. Among the regular items listed on the agenda is the election of the executive committee for the year 2016. The circular further states that if the required quorum is not attained on March 28, a second meeting will be reconvened on April 8 at 6 p.m.

Name Withheld on Request: It was indeed a heart touching write up on Friends Helping Hands of Bahrain in your Xit-Koddi e-newsletter of February 2016. In spite of coming from lower income group, these persons go out of their way to bring a smile to others. They need to be appreciated and supported by our community in their works of charity.

Kaun Banega Udyogpati: The Centre for Incubation and Business Acceleration under the StartUp policy has introduced "Kaun Banega Udyogpati" an innovative business idea contest for people based in Goa and the Goan Diaspora across the globe. The winners will be supported by way of mentorship, funding and incubation. Innovative ideas will be supported for commercialization through the incubation support provided by the Centre. For more information on this you may write to prashant@ciba.org.in or neville@ciba.org.in or visit the website at: http://www.ciba.org.in/