Rajesh Tandon: Educational route to Australia
Easy residency status to those with Aussie certificates may be luring students
Rajesh Tandon / October 11, 2009, 0:26 IST
Leading political figures of Australia have been travelling to India to allay fears of ‘attacks’ on Indians in their country. The Indian media has been describing these attacks on students and workers as ‘racist’. What is actually going on?
During the past six years, the number of Indian students in Australia is estimated to have grown manifold—there were nearly 20,000 new students in 2008. The annual growth of Indian students has been reported to be 46 per cent during this period.
Why has Australia become such a favourite educational destination suddenly? The country earned nearly $14 billion last year in foreign exchange from international students; it has, in fact, become a large source of employment and revenue, beside increasingly contributing to the country’s GDP. But unfortunately, this growth has not taken place in universities and other reputed Australian academic institutions; most of the enrolments are happening in private providers of vocational skills. So, hundreds of such providers have sprung up in cities like Melbourne and Sydney to cater to this so-called increased demand from Indian students. And, they are teaching them how to be a cook, barber, travel agent, etc. Thousands of Indian students are spending lots of money to secure this ‘foreign’ education from not-so-credible institutions. These institutes have small ‘lecture halls’ in poorer, cheaper and farther suburbs. In order to meet their growing costs of ‘learning’, these students also do some informal, part-time, low-paying jobs which require working during odd and late hours. Perhaps that is why most taxi drivers in Melbourne are Indian students.
Why such a ‘gold rush’ to get educated, and that too from rural areas of Punjab? It transpires that the Australian government, during the time of Hon Philip Ruddick as Immigration Minister, had made a policy that gave preference to those immigrants who had an Australian educational qualification in grant of residency status. Now, in this situation, unscrupulous ‘educational agents’ have mushroomed both in India and Australia. By using this provision and taking advantage of the largely unregulated private vocational education sector of Australia, these agents create the possibility of migration in the minds of unsuspecting Indian youth and lure them into selling land or taking huge loans to pay for Australian education.
These ‘new’ students have no knowledge of life in Australia and hence they don’t know how to conduct themselves there.
Recent media reports suggest that the provincial government in Victoria has begun to review these private vocational education providers and found that many of them don’t have the necessary standards as mandated by their own laws. Recent studies (The Australian, September 30, 2009) have shown that quality control for international students in such educational institutions is much weaker in comparison to those catering to domestic students. It has been reported that some of these vocational courses have been conducted in Punjabi, not in English. Many students admitted to these programmes didn’t even possess the specified minimum English language skills. In fact, systems of quality control in Australia need to be upgraded just as much as they do in India.
The above facts may explain why many Indian students feel frustrated, cheated and duped; or that some Indian students feel happy to have ‘beaten’ the system to secure the necessary ‘qualification’ to get residency status. But, it still does not explain why they have been attacked? It appears that the experience of many recent immigrants in Australia, specially those who are non-white and non-professionally qualified, has been similar; they have faced attacks in shops, taxis and subways. That this points to racism in Australian society cannot be disputed. That this gets accentuated in times of economic hardships, when competition for jobs is intense, is understandable. But, it also points towards the culture, practices and procedures of policing in Australia. It may well be that such ‘minor’ incidents are not seriously pursued in this system, while attacks on public or private property are more seriously investigated.
Finally, it is intriguing to ask why Chinese students, who account for an equally high percentage of foreign students and, together with Indians, make up nearly 40 per cent of all international students, are not the targets of such attacks. My enquiries revealed that the Chinese community in Australia is very cohesively organised, politically powerful and uses its economic muscle for the benefit of its community. The same perhaps cannot be said about the Indian fraternity in Australia. Early Indian immigrants were largely professionals, who are now happy ‘enjoying’ the fruits of the Australian system. There is no collective sense of Indianness, which may include the new ‘students’ from India.
While the Australian government may take various steps to ensure that the ‘golden goose’ of Indian students is not prematurely strangled, it is imperative that the Indian system of post-secondary, vocational and higher education is modernised, restructured and upgraded on an urgent basis. The government’s recently launched Skills Mission has the potential to educate students in and accredit a variety of skills and competencies needed in Indian society and the economy today, provided it is established in an inclusive manner and has systems for third-party certification of prior learning assessments as well. Otherwise, many more Indian students will be rushing to Australia and elsewhere to get certification in such skills as plumbing, masonry, massage and hospitality—skills which have been learnt and practised in India for centuries.
The author is the president of the Society for Participatory Research in Asia (PRIA)
Source:http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/rajesh-tandon-educational-route-to-australia/372870/
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Obama’s Nobel win splits world press
PARIS, Oct 10, (Agencies): The world’s media were divided Saturday after the shock award of the Nobel Peace Prize to President Barack Obama, with some calling it a victory for ideals and others condemning it as deeply politicised. The prize-giving committee in Oslo named Obama the winner of the prestigious prize on Friday, hailing his “extraordinary” efforts in international diplomacy and hastening nuclear disarmament. But the announcement proved as controversial as it was surprising. The Washington Post’s Dan Balz said there was amazement all around that the award had gone to “a president still in his first year in office with no major accomplishments internationally”. “The breadth of reaction, from exuberant gratification in some quarters to scorn and dismissal in others, underscored the political divisions over the direction of Obama’s policies and the sharply polarised impressions of his leadership,” wrote Balz.
The New York Times called it a “mixed blessing” for Obama that highlighted “the gap between the ambitious promise of his words and his accomplishments”. It said the award further demonstrated that Obama was still celebrated as the “anti-Bush” while in fact he had not shifted as much as he once implied he would from the previous administration’s national security policies. London’s Daily Telegraph said it was “one of the biggest shocks Nobel judges have ever sprung” and would also be seen as one of the most political, with nominations closing just 12 days after Obama took office. France’s Liberation wrote that the prize was deserved “because he’s Obama, with his life symbolically on three continents (and) because his success has become synonymous with dignity and hope.” But, the editorial said, “Could a Nobel Peace Prize laureate decide to attack Iran?” India’s Tribune declared “Obama is Nobel peacemaker”, while the Times of India hailed a “Lifetime award for debutant Obama”.
In China the unofficial Beijing News called it “an award of encouragement”. The paper said the Nobel jury’s decision was more “symbolic” than anything else, and that it was “very clear that Obama’s ‘feats’ are still purely verbal and it will be very difficult to implement them”. Japanese media said the award would increase global expectations of the Obama administration, with the mass-circulation Yomiuri Shimbun saying it was “an important task for him to achieve fruitful results from now on”. Egypt’s Al-Dustur daily called the award “political hypocrisy.” “What’s he done to get this prize?” the paper asked, recalling that US troops remained in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Middle East peace process was still deadlocked and Obama “hasn’t done anything to oblige Israel to get rid of its nuclear weapons.”
In Iran, reformist daily Etemad headlined its story: “Iran’s share in Obama receiving peace prize.”
Liberty
The Dalai Lama on Friday congratulated President Barack Obama on joining him as a Nobel Peace Prize winner and called for the US leader to champion “freedom and liberty.”
The exiled Tibetan leader, who is in Washington, sent Obama a letter of congratulations even though the president, in an apparent bid not to upset China, avoiding meeting the Buddhist monk during his weeklong visit.
The Dalai Lama, who won the prestigious award in 1989, told Obama that the Nobel committee “recognized your approach towards resolving international conflicts through the wisdom and power of dialogue.”
He praised Obama’s advocacy for ridding the world of nuclear weapons and improving the environment. “I have maintained that the founding fathers of the United States have made this country the greatest democracy and a champion of freedom and liberty,” the Dalai Lama wrote.
“It is, therefore, important for today’s American leaders to adopt principled leadership based on these high ideals. Such an approach will not only enhance the reputation of the United States, but also contribute tremendously to reducing tension in the world.”
Obama basked in new-found glory Saturday, vowing to consider his surprise Nobel Peace Prize as “a call for action” to address the challenges of the new century.
But critics argued the award may have been premature.
A visibly surprised Obama, 48, said Friday he did not feel fit to join the honor roll of revered Nobel peace laureates, but vowed to use the prize as a “call to action” to lead the world in confronting its deepest challenges. As shockwaves from the Nobel committee in Oslo raced around the world, many saw the award as a final swipe at ex-president George W. Bush. Critics complained Obama had few big achievements to justify such an illustrious prize.
Gasps greeted the announcement at the Nobel Institute in Oslo, where the jury hailed Obama’s “extraordinary” efforts in international diplomacy and hastening nuclear disarmament.
“Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world’s attention and given its people hope for a better future,” the Nobel jury said.
As criticism of the jury’s unanimous decision swelled, the head of the Norwegian Nobel Committee Thorbjoern Jagland denied the award was premature and said it recognized great deeds to come, as well as Obama’s record so far.
“We want to emphasise that he has already brought significant changes,” Geir Lundestad, the secretary of the Nobel Committee, told AFP.
“We do of course hope that there will be many concrete changes over the years but... we felt it was right to strengthen him as much as we can in his further struggle for his ideals.”
Record
Obama’s conservative foes pounced on his Nobel Prize win on Friday as an opportunity to lambast the US president’s record and his alleged celebrity status overseas.
The prize may have placed Obama alongside Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa and Martin Luther King, but it did little to stem a flood of acrimonious political debate that courses through Washington.
Republicans and conservatives derided the Nobel committee’s decision to award its venerated peace prize to the 48-year-old president as “unfortunate” and an “embarrassment.”
Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele accused Obama of having celebrity status but no “real achievements” that merited the award.
“The real question Americans are asking is, ‘what has President Obama actually accomplished?’” Steele said in a statement.
“It is unfortunate that the president’s star power has outshined tireless advocates who have made real achievements working towards peace and human rights,” Steele said.
“One thing is certain — President Obama won’t be receiving any awards from Americans for job creation, fiscal responsibility, or backing up rhetoric with concrete action,” Steele said.
Republican lawmaker Gresham Barrett was also critical.
“I’m not sure what the international community loved best; his waffling on Afghanistan, pulling defense missiles out of Eastern Europe, turning his back on freedom fighters in Honduras, coddling Castro, siding with Palestinians against Israel, or almost getting tough on Iran,” he said.
“Hopefully, this surprise award will give the President cause to reevaluate his current course.”
The leader of Norway’s main opposition called Saturday for the resignation of the Nobel Committee’s chairman, one day after Obama was awarded the peace prize, a newspaper reported.
Siv Jensen, head of the far-right Progress Party, said committee head Thorbjoern Jagland should step down because his new job as secretary general of the Council of Europe compromised his independence.
“It would be politically intelligent for Jagland, after having studied the situation, to announce his resignation to avoid” trying to do two jobs at once, Jensen told daily paper Bergens Tidende.
Erna Solberg, leader of Conservative party Hoejre, also criticised Jagland’s attempt to do two jobs and questioned his decision to hand Obama the peace prize.
Jagland, who has headed a Labour government in Norway and also served as foreign minister, was elected secretary general of the Council of Europe at the end of September.
This came several months after he became chairman of the Nobel Committee.
Friday’s decision to hand Obama the Nobel Peace Prize came as a shock and has divided world opinion, with some calling the move a victory for ideals while others condemned it as deeply politicised.
While Russia’s president congratulated Obama for winning the Nobel Peace Prize, Republicans see the award as so outrageous that they’re using it to raise campaign money.
Obama won the prize “for awesomeness,” says the mocking Republican fundraising letter. Obama’s honor shows “how meaningless a once honorable and respected award has become,” says the letter, signed by Michael S. Steele, chairman of the Republican National Committee.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev had a different view. He said the award will encourage further US-Russian cooperation.
“I hope this decision would serve as an additional incentive for our common work to form a new climate in world politics and promote initiatives which are fundamentally important for global security,” Medvedev said in a letter to Obama.
Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro also weighed in. He called the Nobel award a “positive step,” although he said it was more a repudiation of former President George W. Bush than a recognition of anything concrete Obama has done.
Steele said Obama hasn’t accomplished enough to deserve the prize. Numerous Democrats and independents have expressed similar views, although generally in less bombastic terms.
Asking for contributions to the RNC of $25 to $1,000, Steele wrote that “the Democrats and their international leftist allies want America made subservient to the agenda of global redistribution and control. And truly patriotic Americans like you and our Republican Party are the only thing standing in their way.”
The New York Times called it a “mixed blessing” for Obama that highlighted “the gap between the ambitious promise of his words and his accomplishments”. It said the award further demonstrated that Obama was still celebrated as the “anti-Bush” while in fact he had not shifted as much as he once implied he would from the previous administration’s national security policies. London’s Daily Telegraph said it was “one of the biggest shocks Nobel judges have ever sprung” and would also be seen as one of the most political, with nominations closing just 12 days after Obama took office. France’s Liberation wrote that the prize was deserved “because he’s Obama, with his life symbolically on three continents (and) because his success has become synonymous with dignity and hope.” But, the editorial said, “Could a Nobel Peace Prize laureate decide to attack Iran?” India’s Tribune declared “Obama is Nobel peacemaker”, while the Times of India hailed a “Lifetime award for debutant Obama”.
In China the unofficial Beijing News called it “an award of encouragement”. The paper said the Nobel jury’s decision was more “symbolic” than anything else, and that it was “very clear that Obama’s ‘feats’ are still purely verbal and it will be very difficult to implement them”. Japanese media said the award would increase global expectations of the Obama administration, with the mass-circulation Yomiuri Shimbun saying it was “an important task for him to achieve fruitful results from now on”. Egypt’s Al-Dustur daily called the award “political hypocrisy.” “What’s he done to get this prize?” the paper asked, recalling that US troops remained in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Middle East peace process was still deadlocked and Obama “hasn’t done anything to oblige Israel to get rid of its nuclear weapons.”
In Iran, reformist daily Etemad headlined its story: “Iran’s share in Obama receiving peace prize.”
Liberty
The Dalai Lama on Friday congratulated President Barack Obama on joining him as a Nobel Peace Prize winner and called for the US leader to champion “freedom and liberty.”
The exiled Tibetan leader, who is in Washington, sent Obama a letter of congratulations even though the president, in an apparent bid not to upset China, avoiding meeting the Buddhist monk during his weeklong visit.
The Dalai Lama, who won the prestigious award in 1989, told Obama that the Nobel committee “recognized your approach towards resolving international conflicts through the wisdom and power of dialogue.”
He praised Obama’s advocacy for ridding the world of nuclear weapons and improving the environment. “I have maintained that the founding fathers of the United States have made this country the greatest democracy and a champion of freedom and liberty,” the Dalai Lama wrote.
“It is, therefore, important for today’s American leaders to adopt principled leadership based on these high ideals. Such an approach will not only enhance the reputation of the United States, but also contribute tremendously to reducing tension in the world.”
Obama basked in new-found glory Saturday, vowing to consider his surprise Nobel Peace Prize as “a call for action” to address the challenges of the new century.
But critics argued the award may have been premature.
A visibly surprised Obama, 48, said Friday he did not feel fit to join the honor roll of revered Nobel peace laureates, but vowed to use the prize as a “call to action” to lead the world in confronting its deepest challenges. As shockwaves from the Nobel committee in Oslo raced around the world, many saw the award as a final swipe at ex-president George W. Bush. Critics complained Obama had few big achievements to justify such an illustrious prize.
Gasps greeted the announcement at the Nobel Institute in Oslo, where the jury hailed Obama’s “extraordinary” efforts in international diplomacy and hastening nuclear disarmament.
“Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world’s attention and given its people hope for a better future,” the Nobel jury said.
As criticism of the jury’s unanimous decision swelled, the head of the Norwegian Nobel Committee Thorbjoern Jagland denied the award was premature and said it recognized great deeds to come, as well as Obama’s record so far.
“We want to emphasise that he has already brought significant changes,” Geir Lundestad, the secretary of the Nobel Committee, told AFP.
“We do of course hope that there will be many concrete changes over the years but... we felt it was right to strengthen him as much as we can in his further struggle for his ideals.”
Record
Obama’s conservative foes pounced on his Nobel Prize win on Friday as an opportunity to lambast the US president’s record and his alleged celebrity status overseas.
The prize may have placed Obama alongside Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa and Martin Luther King, but it did little to stem a flood of acrimonious political debate that courses through Washington.
Republicans and conservatives derided the Nobel committee’s decision to award its venerated peace prize to the 48-year-old president as “unfortunate” and an “embarrassment.”
Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele accused Obama of having celebrity status but no “real achievements” that merited the award.
“The real question Americans are asking is, ‘what has President Obama actually accomplished?’” Steele said in a statement.
“It is unfortunate that the president’s star power has outshined tireless advocates who have made real achievements working towards peace and human rights,” Steele said.
“One thing is certain — President Obama won’t be receiving any awards from Americans for job creation, fiscal responsibility, or backing up rhetoric with concrete action,” Steele said.
Republican lawmaker Gresham Barrett was also critical.
“I’m not sure what the international community loved best; his waffling on Afghanistan, pulling defense missiles out of Eastern Europe, turning his back on freedom fighters in Honduras, coddling Castro, siding with Palestinians against Israel, or almost getting tough on Iran,” he said.
“Hopefully, this surprise award will give the President cause to reevaluate his current course.”
The leader of Norway’s main opposition called Saturday for the resignation of the Nobel Committee’s chairman, one day after Obama was awarded the peace prize, a newspaper reported.
Siv Jensen, head of the far-right Progress Party, said committee head Thorbjoern Jagland should step down because his new job as secretary general of the Council of Europe compromised his independence.
“It would be politically intelligent for Jagland, after having studied the situation, to announce his resignation to avoid” trying to do two jobs at once, Jensen told daily paper Bergens Tidende.
Erna Solberg, leader of Conservative party Hoejre, also criticised Jagland’s attempt to do two jobs and questioned his decision to hand Obama the peace prize.
Jagland, who has headed a Labour government in Norway and also served as foreign minister, was elected secretary general of the Council of Europe at the end of September.
This came several months after he became chairman of the Nobel Committee.
Friday’s decision to hand Obama the Nobel Peace Prize came as a shock and has divided world opinion, with some calling the move a victory for ideals while others condemned it as deeply politicised.
While Russia’s president congratulated Obama for winning the Nobel Peace Prize, Republicans see the award as so outrageous that they’re using it to raise campaign money.
Obama won the prize “for awesomeness,” says the mocking Republican fundraising letter. Obama’s honor shows “how meaningless a once honorable and respected award has become,” says the letter, signed by Michael S. Steele, chairman of the Republican National Committee.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev had a different view. He said the award will encourage further US-Russian cooperation.
“I hope this decision would serve as an additional incentive for our common work to form a new climate in world politics and promote initiatives which are fundamentally important for global security,” Medvedev said in a letter to Obama.
Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro also weighed in. He called the Nobel award a “positive step,” although he said it was more a repudiation of former President George W. Bush than a recognition of anything concrete Obama has done.
Steele said Obama hasn’t accomplished enough to deserve the prize. Numerous Democrats and independents have expressed similar views, although generally in less bombastic terms.
Asking for contributions to the RNC of $25 to $1,000, Steele wrote that “the Democrats and their international leftist allies want America made subservient to the agenda of global redistribution and control. And truly patriotic Americans like you and our Republican Party are the only thing standing in their way.”
Best time for overseas degree?
While the last few years had seen a trend of Indian professionals in Western countries returning to India for jobs, now there are mid-career
professionals looking at opportunities to study overseas in the wake of the slowdown and uncertain job market.
However, instead of going to the traditional campus destinations, many mid-level executives are opting to go to Asian countries such as Singapore, whose universities have collaborations with international universities
. “Many professionals are using the slowdown to undertake either executive MBAs or advanced management programmes. The other courses, which have big takers, are the virtual MBAs and the short-term three-month courses, offered by many international universities.
For example, INSEAD, a graduate business school based in France, has a campus in Singapore as well a centre in Abu Dhabi, which seem to be attracting a lot of Indian students,” says E.Balaji, CEO, of HR service provider Ma Foi Management Consultants.
Interestingly, one reason for the trend of more Indian students looking at courses overseas could actually be the stability afforded by the Indian economy. “Immigrant students perceive India as a market of the future and therefore a sure fire job generator compared with almost any other part of the world. Indian employers also find better value in a student educated say, in the US. The number of Indians studying abroad and eventually securing a senior level position in India is about three times that of those staying put in the US,” feels Rajesh AR, vice president of staffing company TeamLease Services.
“Indian students are travelling abroad to study and returning to India to work because they perceive prospects to be much better in India than elsewhere. The biggest loss from this trend is to the US, which, hitherto, has been having a majority of Indian students immigrating to study, finding a job and living in America. The Indian immigrant student talent pool - sized at around 75,000 annually - benefits the US to a great extent,” he adds.
Various IT companies which were forced to put a large number of their junior and mid-level employees on the bench are following a policy of actively promoting the concept of sabbaticals. The IT/BPO industry, did see an increase in the number of junior and mid-level employees who chose to use the slowdown as an opportunity to pursue studies. This was seen particularly in those companies, which had an excessive number of people on the bench.
While some companies, gave their employees the option of taking sabbaticals with a small pay, some of the others gave them the option of staying on the rolls without pay,” says Prameela Kalive, vice-president and global head, talent management at Zensar Technologies.
professionals looking at opportunities to study overseas in the wake of the slowdown and uncertain job market.
However, instead of going to the traditional campus destinations, many mid-level executives are opting to go to Asian countries such as Singapore, whose universities have collaborations with international universities
. “Many professionals are using the slowdown to undertake either executive MBAs or advanced management programmes. The other courses, which have big takers, are the virtual MBAs and the short-term three-month courses, offered by many international universities.
For example, INSEAD, a graduate business school based in France, has a campus in Singapore as well a centre in Abu Dhabi, which seem to be attracting a lot of Indian students,” says E.Balaji, CEO, of HR service provider Ma Foi Management Consultants.
Interestingly, one reason for the trend of more Indian students looking at courses overseas could actually be the stability afforded by the Indian economy. “Immigrant students perceive India as a market of the future and therefore a sure fire job generator compared with almost any other part of the world. Indian employers also find better value in a student educated say, in the US. The number of Indians studying abroad and eventually securing a senior level position in India is about three times that of those staying put in the US,” feels Rajesh AR, vice president of staffing company TeamLease Services.
“Indian students are travelling abroad to study and returning to India to work because they perceive prospects to be much better in India than elsewhere. The biggest loss from this trend is to the US, which, hitherto, has been having a majority of Indian students immigrating to study, finding a job and living in America. The Indian immigrant student talent pool - sized at around 75,000 annually - benefits the US to a great extent,” he adds.
Various IT companies which were forced to put a large number of their junior and mid-level employees on the bench are following a policy of actively promoting the concept of sabbaticals. The IT/BPO industry, did see an increase in the number of junior and mid-level employees who chose to use the slowdown as an opportunity to pursue studies. This was seen particularly in those companies, which had an excessive number of people on the bench.
While some companies, gave their employees the option of taking sabbaticals with a small pay, some of the others gave them the option of staying on the rolls without pay,” says Prameela Kalive, vice-president and global head, talent management at Zensar Technologies.
High hurdles for IMF on road to new world order
WASHINGTON — The International Monetary Fund, rising from villain to saviour through the fires of the global economic crisis, faces steep hurdles in trying to transform into the champion of the new world order.
The IMF's annual meetings with the World Bank in Istanbul last week showcased the newfound punching weight of the major emerging economies like China and India.
Only a week earlier the largest emerging countries joined with the seven richest at the Group of 20 Pittsburgh summit in agreeing a framework for sustainable recovery and financial system reform that considerably boosted IMF responsibilities.
The G20 recommended, and IMF policymakers approved, a shift in voting rights of "at least 5.0 percent" from the over-represented to the under-represented that mainly favours emerging countries; China would get the biggest share.
The increased prominence of the emerging nations at the power table marks a pivotal moment for the Washington-based institution, founded 65 years ago and dominated by the United States and Japan, the two largest economies, and European countries.
Before the worst crisis since the Great Depression struck a year ago, the IMF was widely seen as irrelevant and ineffective, and was hated around the world for harsh conditions on its loans.
IMF managing director Dominique Strauss-Kahn said the Istanbul meetings would usher in a "new IMF," an institution equipped to help create and shepherd a 21st century global economy.
But when the annual meetings closed Wednesday, the IMF was far from filling that tall order.
There was the issue of allocation of quota shares and voting power among the 186 members that currently gives more weight to some European countries, and less to emerging powers like China and Brazil.
Though IMF policymakers approved the G20 quota recommendations, it remains to be seen which countries give up some voting power and which get more, with negotiations set to continue to 2011.
Strauss-Kahn pointed out that "only 36 out of the needed 111 countries have passed the legislation" to bring the 2008 quota and vote reform into force.
The IMF also pledged to reform governance in an institution traditionally headed by a European.
Currently the managing director and chief economist are both French, the deputy managing director is, as always, an American, and the United States, as the biggest stakeholder, wields an effective veto.
"Signs, behind the scenes, from both Europe and the White House are not exactly encouraging in this regard; they just don't want to give up 'jobs for the boys'," said Simon Johnson, a former IMF chief economist.
"In some future crisis, you might want your guy in the managing director job, which comes with great discretion and no constraints under the usual rule of law."
Another important process under way is collecting the more than 500 billion dollars promised by member nations to triple the fund's resources to boost lending capacity to distressed economies.
Germany, a major donor, said at the Istanbul meetings the vast increase in the IMF reserves was only "temporary" to deal with the crisis.
The G20 London summit in April agreed that senior leadership at the international financial institutions should be chosen through an open, transparent, and merit-based selection process.
In light of this, Strauss-Kahn's nomination of a Japanese replacement, former finance ministry official Naoyuki Shinohara, for a departing Japanese deputy, raised eyebrows.
"To replace one Japanese national with another in this fashion is to break a critical symbolic and substantive G20 pledge -- the signal it sends is that the next managing director of the IMF will be European, the next president of the World Bank will be American, etc, as they have always been," said Johnson.
"This further undermines attempts to rebuild the legitimacy of these institutions.... The signal this sends to emerging market leaders is evident and, quite frankly, insulting," he added.
Johnson said that pro-IMF people among emerging countries had hoped for the nomination of a distinguished Chinese bureaucrat, which "would have been a brilliant gesture."
The IMF's annual meetings with the World Bank in Istanbul last week showcased the newfound punching weight of the major emerging economies like China and India.
Only a week earlier the largest emerging countries joined with the seven richest at the Group of 20 Pittsburgh summit in agreeing a framework for sustainable recovery and financial system reform that considerably boosted IMF responsibilities.
The G20 recommended, and IMF policymakers approved, a shift in voting rights of "at least 5.0 percent" from the over-represented to the under-represented that mainly favours emerging countries; China would get the biggest share.
The increased prominence of the emerging nations at the power table marks a pivotal moment for the Washington-based institution, founded 65 years ago and dominated by the United States and Japan, the two largest economies, and European countries.
Before the worst crisis since the Great Depression struck a year ago, the IMF was widely seen as irrelevant and ineffective, and was hated around the world for harsh conditions on its loans.
IMF managing director Dominique Strauss-Kahn said the Istanbul meetings would usher in a "new IMF," an institution equipped to help create and shepherd a 21st century global economy.
But when the annual meetings closed Wednesday, the IMF was far from filling that tall order.
There was the issue of allocation of quota shares and voting power among the 186 members that currently gives more weight to some European countries, and less to emerging powers like China and Brazil.
Though IMF policymakers approved the G20 quota recommendations, it remains to be seen which countries give up some voting power and which get more, with negotiations set to continue to 2011.
Strauss-Kahn pointed out that "only 36 out of the needed 111 countries have passed the legislation" to bring the 2008 quota and vote reform into force.
The IMF also pledged to reform governance in an institution traditionally headed by a European.
Currently the managing director and chief economist are both French, the deputy managing director is, as always, an American, and the United States, as the biggest stakeholder, wields an effective veto.
"Signs, behind the scenes, from both Europe and the White House are not exactly encouraging in this regard; they just don't want to give up 'jobs for the boys'," said Simon Johnson, a former IMF chief economist.
"In some future crisis, you might want your guy in the managing director job, which comes with great discretion and no constraints under the usual rule of law."
Another important process under way is collecting the more than 500 billion dollars promised by member nations to triple the fund's resources to boost lending capacity to distressed economies.
Germany, a major donor, said at the Istanbul meetings the vast increase in the IMF reserves was only "temporary" to deal with the crisis.
The G20 London summit in April agreed that senior leadership at the international financial institutions should be chosen through an open, transparent, and merit-based selection process.
In light of this, Strauss-Kahn's nomination of a Japanese replacement, former finance ministry official Naoyuki Shinohara, for a departing Japanese deputy, raised eyebrows.
"To replace one Japanese national with another in this fashion is to break a critical symbolic and substantive G20 pledge -- the signal it sends is that the next managing director of the IMF will be European, the next president of the World Bank will be American, etc, as they have always been," said Johnson.
"This further undermines attempts to rebuild the legitimacy of these institutions.... The signal this sends to emerging market leaders is evident and, quite frankly, insulting," he added.
Johnson said that pro-IMF people among emerging countries had hoped for the nomination of a distinguished Chinese bureaucrat, which "would have been a brilliant gesture."
Thursday, October 1, 2009
New Delhi - Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) Additional General Manager Jobs 2009
Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) Additional General Manager Jobs 2009
BHEL invites the following post
Name of the Post – Additional General Manager(E7)
Vacancies – 10
Educational Qualification – CA/ICWA
Pay-Scale – Rs.20000 – 25700
Name of the Post – Deputy General Manager(E6)
Vacancies – 05
Educational Qualification – CA/ICWA
Pay-Scale – Rs.19000 – 25300
How to Apply
There is a prescribed format of application available on BHEL website www.bhel.com, which may be download and filled –in application strictly on that format may be sent to
Addl. General Manager(HR),
Recruitment Grop
BHEL, Corporate Office
Siri Fort
New Delhi – 110 049
Alogwith a crossed Demand Draft for Rs.250 for Gen and OBC candidates(SC/ST/Phy.ch. candidates exempted), in favour of “Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited, New Delhi” payable at Delhi.(Write your name and post applied for on the reverse of Demand Draft).
In addition, a soft copy of the application in the prescribed format is also to be emailed to us either on perkkc@bhel.in or shaikhom@bhel.in
Last date
Kindly ensure that your application reach us by post and soft copy emailed on or before 26.10.2009.
For the candidates applying for J & K and north East, Last Date 03.11.2009
For more information
http://www.bhel.com/pdf/advertisement_300909.pdf
SOurce: http://itonlinejobs.blogspot.com/2009/09/bharat-heavy-electricals-limited-bhel.html
BHEL invites the following post
Name of the Post – Additional General Manager(E7)
Vacancies – 10
Educational Qualification – CA/ICWA
Pay-Scale – Rs.20000 – 25700
Name of the Post – Deputy General Manager(E6)
Vacancies – 05
Educational Qualification – CA/ICWA
Pay-Scale – Rs.19000 – 25300
How to Apply
There is a prescribed format of application available on BHEL website www.bhel.com, which may be download and filled –in application strictly on that format may be sent to
Addl. General Manager(HR),
Recruitment Grop
BHEL, Corporate Office
Siri Fort
New Delhi – 110 049
Alogwith a crossed Demand Draft for Rs.250 for Gen and OBC candidates(SC/ST/Phy.ch. candidates exempted), in favour of “Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited, New Delhi” payable at Delhi.(Write your name and post applied for on the reverse of Demand Draft).
In addition, a soft copy of the application in the prescribed format is also to be emailed to us either on perkkc@bhel.in or shaikhom@bhel.in
Last date
Kindly ensure that your application reach us by post and soft copy emailed on or before 26.10.2009.
For the candidates applying for J & K and north East, Last Date 03.11.2009
For more information
http://www.bhel.com/pdf/advertisement_300909.pdf
SOurce: http://itonlinejobs.blogspot.com/2009/09/bharat-heavy-electricals-limited-bhel.html
Executive Pilots Jobs in SAIL
Executive Pilots Jobs in SAIL
STEEL AUTHORITY OF INDIA LIMITED (SAIL)(A Government of India Enterprise)Corporate Office New Delhi
Last Date: 07/10/२००९
SAIL requires Two Executive Pilots to fly Hawker 750 aircraft based at Kolkata and One Executive Pilot to fly B-200 aircraft based at Bokaro. The incumbents will be required to fly the respective aircrafts as Pilot-in-Command and be responsible for ensuring compliance of requisite safety norms prescribed by DGCA and manufacturer from time to time.
Senior Executive Pilot (1)
Essential :
Type rated PIC on Hawker series aircraft.
Current Indian ATPL OR equivalent DGCA recognized ATPL (foreign nationals can also apply) with minimum 3000 hrs. total flying experience which should include 2000 hours as PIC.
Executive Pilot (1)
Essential :
Current Indian ATPL OR equivalent DGCA recognized ATPL (foreign nationals can also apply) with minimum 3000 hrs. total flying experience which should include 1500 hrs. as PIC.
At least 500 hrs. experience as PIC on multi-engine turbo-prop/jet engine aircraft.
Senior Executive Pilot (1)
Essential :
Type rated on King-Air B200 with at least 100 hrs. as PIC.
Current Indian ATPL with 3000 hrs total flying and at least 2000hrs as PIC and 1000 hrs on multi-engine Turbo-Prop Aircraft.
Age Limit : 60 years for the Posts of Senior Executive Pilot and 55 years for Executive Pilot (Upper age limit relaxable depending on experience and qualification).
For More Details visit:
http://www.sail.co.in/pdf/pilotadvt.pdf
Source:http://freemanbuildscareer.blogspot.com/2009/09/executive-pilots-jobs-in-sail-sep2009.html
STEEL AUTHORITY OF INDIA LIMITED (SAIL)(A Government of India Enterprise)Corporate Office New Delhi
Last Date: 07/10/२००९
SAIL requires Two Executive Pilots to fly Hawker 750 aircraft based at Kolkata and One Executive Pilot to fly B-200 aircraft based at Bokaro. The incumbents will be required to fly the respective aircrafts as Pilot-in-Command and be responsible for ensuring compliance of requisite safety norms prescribed by DGCA and manufacturer from time to time.
Senior Executive Pilot (1)
Essential :
Type rated PIC on Hawker series aircraft.
Current Indian ATPL OR equivalent DGCA recognized ATPL (foreign nationals can also apply) with minimum 3000 hrs. total flying experience which should include 2000 hours as PIC.
Executive Pilot (1)
Essential :
Current Indian ATPL OR equivalent DGCA recognized ATPL (foreign nationals can also apply) with minimum 3000 hrs. total flying experience which should include 1500 hrs. as PIC.
At least 500 hrs. experience as PIC on multi-engine turbo-prop/jet engine aircraft.
Senior Executive Pilot (1)
Essential :
Type rated on King-Air B200 with at least 100 hrs. as PIC.
Current Indian ATPL with 3000 hrs total flying and at least 2000hrs as PIC and 1000 hrs on multi-engine Turbo-Prop Aircraft.
Age Limit : 60 years for the Posts of Senior Executive Pilot and 55 years for Executive Pilot (Upper age limit relaxable depending on experience and qualification).
For More Details visit:
http://www.sail.co.in/pdf/pilotadvt.pdf
Source:http://freemanbuildscareer.blogspot.com/2009/09/executive-pilots-jobs-in-sail-sep2009.html
Just shut it
Air India’s self-indulgent pilots have called off their strike, but the takeaway from their drama remains unchanged. This country must seriously take stock and ask, do we really need a national carrier? Or put simply, would it not be in the interest of consumers and of the government that sustains it to simply shut down the airline? The balance sheet is uninspiring even in a sector where being in the red is for long stretches of time a way of life. This is a company unable to pay for fuel or airport usage, that begs the government for a bailout, and all the while refuses to tighten operating costs in a hyper-competitive marketplace. The most compelling reason put forth for bailing out the airline is to protect jobs. Yet, Air India’s over-paid pilots were, until Wednesday, striking work in protest against the few sensible cost-cutting schemes that the management chose to take up to keep it going.
The pilots’ unreasonableness must be seen in the context of larger structural flaws and poor decision-making. A flurry of aircraft acquisitions has meant added expenditure with few lucrative routes to generate revenue. Air India’s state-insured troubles have been compounded by a merger with Indian Airlines that hasn’t quite worked. And its employee to aircraft ratio is one of the highest in the world. That Air India’s cost cutting was legitimate seems obvious and reasonable enough. After all, the 50 per cent cut in productivity-linked-incentives (PLI) is only for those earning more than Rs 2 lakh PLI per month. For those earning Rs 10,000 or less PLI per month, there is only a 25 per cent reduction
Source:http://www.indianexpress.com/news/just-shut-it/523575/
The pilots’ unreasonableness must be seen in the context of larger structural flaws and poor decision-making. A flurry of aircraft acquisitions has meant added expenditure with few lucrative routes to generate revenue. Air India’s state-insured troubles have been compounded by a merger with Indian Airlines that hasn’t quite worked. And its employee to aircraft ratio is one of the highest in the world. That Air India’s cost cutting was legitimate seems obvious and reasonable enough. After all, the 50 per cent cut in productivity-linked-incentives (PLI) is only for those earning more than Rs 2 lakh PLI per month. For those earning Rs 10,000 or less PLI per month, there is only a 25 per cent reduction
Source:http://www.indianexpress.com/news/just-shut-it/523575/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
