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Mastering Indian Real Estate: Your Key is Dhananjai Agarwal’s Guide

Agarwal having spent years, living overseas is aware of these struggles and so he has covered practical solutions to such problems in his book NRI Guide to Manage Real Estate in India….reports Asian Lite News

Here is good news for NRIs who have always wished to carry a book in their hand that would unfurl the solutions page by page to address the long-standing challenges in managing their real estate assets in India.

Dhananjai Agarwal, a multifarious personality with multilingual abilities, a scholar par excellence who has unveiled a must-read guide for the NRIs titled ” NRI Guide to Manage Real Estate in India “.

Since time immemorial, NRIs have been facing the daunting tasks of managing the challenges pertaining to their self-owned or inherited real estate assets in India. The legal entanglements, the irreparable family scuffles over properties, the hassles pertaining to long distance travel and the inability to accrue a one-stop-solution, have been the most common challenges faced by NRIs.

Moreover, the book highlights on the seemingly never ending struggles of NRIs holding immovable assets in India as they are constantly caught up in a web of struggles addressing problems such as tax liabilities among a lot others. The long-time taken for legal redressals coupled with the rounds that need to be taken trying to find the right solution, almost drains off the resources as well as the patience of the NRIs.

Agarwal having spent years, living overseas is aware of these struggles and so he has covered practical solutions to such problems in his book NRI Guide to Manage Real Estate in India. This book has all the useful resources that would equip the NRI with the right knowledge, tools, and solutions and enable them to steer clear every hurdle coming in their way while addressing the various property matters in India.

“This book is a game-changer for NRIs dealing with real estate matters in India,” says Dhananjai Agarwal MD and CEO – ITSL Limited. “It’s time to break free from the shackles of the past and equip ourselves with the knowledge needed to navigate the complexities of property management in India. From tax liabilities to legal documentations, this book is a comprehensive guide that promises to transform the way NRIs approach and manage their real estate assets.”

“It’s time to break free from the shackles of the past and equip ourselves with the knowledge needed to navigate the complexities of property management in India.”

Let us extract precious pearls of wisdom from “NRI Guide to Manage Real Estate in India”:

1. Sure-shot solution: Agarwal uses his 30 years of expertise and experience in the real estate domain to provide practical solutions to long-standing problems faced by NRIs be it pertaining to immovable properties, legalities or by providing personalized and tailored solutions to their specific real estate related challenges.

2. Valuable knowledge dissemination: Right from addressing tax liabilities, legal documentations, and timely responses to compliance notices, Agarwal shares insights and value additions for the optimum benefit of the NRIs so that they are equipped to face any challenges coming their way and are ready to make informed decisions.

3. Practical guide on how to manage assets from afar: This book throws light on the realistic scenarios and opens up one’s minds to believe in a more practical solution than be guided by the emotional or imposed beliefs set by family traditions.

4. Save time, effort and money: Right from getting the right direction, right resources and easy access to concerned Indian authorities for redresses and solutions pertaining to various real estate challenges to saving time and effort making countless trips to India, this book is indeed a blessing for the NRIs.

Reach out to your nearest leading bookstores and online retailers to lay your hands on this incredible book. To know more about the book or to schedule an interview with Dhananjai Agarwal, please reach out to dhananjai@dhananjai.com .

Dhananjai Agarwal, MD and CEO – ITSL Limited is a multifarious personality – a stalwart, a multilingual expert, an avid traveller, a successful entrepreneur and professional with over 30 years of expertise across Real Estate and Finance domains. He is the author of the book ‘NRI Guide to Manage Real Estate in India’. This book is a ready reckoner that empowers NRIs with the knowledge and tools required to mitigate the challenges and seamlessly manage their real estate assets in India.

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Mystery Substance Sparks Evacuations at Hindi Film Showings in Canada

Investigators with the York Regional Police learned that two male suspects wearing masks and hoods entered the theatre after the movie, “an Indian Hindi-language film” began….reports Asian Lite News

Movie theatres screening Hindi films at three different locations in Canada had to be evacuated after an “unknown substance” was sprayed in the venues, causing hundreds of attendees to suffer from coughing fits.

Police said on Wednesday that the incidents occurred on Tuesday night at multiplexes in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), comprising Toronto, Vaughan and Brampton

“Investigators are aware that there were two similar incidents at other movie theatres that same evening, with one in Brampton and one in Toronto. Our investigators are liaising with our neighbouring police partners about those incidents,” the York Regional Police said.

In one of these incidents, which happened in Vaughan at around 9.20 p.m. on Tuesday, emergency services were pressed in and roughly 200 people from the theatre were evacuated after they began coughing.

Investigators with the York Regional Police learned that two male suspects wearing masks and hoods entered the theatre after the movie, “an Indian Hindi-language film” began.

They then walked around and sprayed an unknown, aerosol-based, irritating substance into the air, and fled before police arrived.

Police said several patrons were treated for exposure to the unknown substance and no serious injuries were reported.

Releasing the description of the first suspect, police said he was a Black man with a light skin tone, standing around five feet, ten inches tall and with a medium build.

He was wearing a black sweater, a black jacket with a white logo, dark pants with a white stripe and a black toque with a white logo on the front, alongside a black medical mask.

Police said the second suspect is a brown man with a light skin tone, standing about five feet, eight inches tall and with a medium build.

He wore a black sweater with a red logo above white text on the front, with dark pants, brown boots and a black mask.

According to the Peel Regional Police, officers were called to a movie theatre near Great Lakes Drive and Bovaird Drive in Brampton around 7:40 p.m. on the same day for reports that a substance was sprayed inside.

While the building was evacuated and no arrests made, investigators are reviewing video surveillance to determine what exactly happened.

According to Global News, a woman, who was watching an Indian movie inside this theatre, said she left the theatre feeling unwell after something was sprayed inside.

She said she went outside and was coughing for “five to six minutes”. “I just hope everyone is safe,” she told the news outlet.

Toronto police also received a call around 10.30 p.m. about a possible “stink bomb” being released in a theatre at Scarborough Town Centre.

Police said the theatre was evacuated and no injuries were reported.

Investigators believe there were numerous witnesses present who may be able to assist with the probe as the GTA has many commercial and entertainment businesses and is well-travelled by pedestrians and vehicular traffic.

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Indian High Commission in UK Honours Ambedkar

Baba Saheb was a prolific student, earning doctorates in economics from both Columbia University and the University of London. In 1956…reports Asian Lite News

The Indian High Commission in the UK organised a memorial event to commemorate the 68th Parinirvan Divas of Babasaheb Dr BR Ambedkar on Wednesday.

The event was organised in association with the Federation of Ambedkarite and Buddist Organisation UK (FABO) at the Ambedkar Hall, India House, Aldwych in London.

“The Parinirvan Divas of Babasaheb Dr BR Ambedkar is a solemn day of remembrance of a visionary leader, social reformer and the principal architect of the Indian Constitution. Dr Ambedkar’s deep sense of justice and his unwavering commitment to the principles of liberty, equality and fraternity, guided the framing of a Constitution that not only laid the foundation for a democratic India but also aimed at dismantling age-old social hierarchies. Dr Ambedkar’s contributions…extend far beyond the drafting of the Constitution…He recognized that education could serve as a powerful equalizer, breaking down barriers of caste, and fostering a sense of self-worth among the marginalized,” Acting High Commissioner of India to the UK, Sujit Ghosh, said at the commemoration event.

Born on April 14, 1891, Baba Saheb Ambedkar was an Indian jurist, economist, politician and social reformer who campaigned against social discrimination towards Dalits and supported the rights of women and workers.

Also regarded as the architect or father of the Indian constitution, Ambedkar died on December 6, 1956.

Baba Saheb was a prolific student, earning doctorates in economics from both Columbia University and the University of London. In 1956.

He led a satyagraha in Mahad to fight for the right of the untouchable community to draw water from the main water tank of the town.

On September 25, 1932, an agreement known as the ‘Poona Pact’ was signed between Ambedkar and Madan Mohan Malaviya.

By virtue of the pact, the depressed class received 148 seats in the legislature, instead of the 71 as allocated earlier.

Ambedkar was also one of the seven members of the committee that drafted the Constitution after independence. In 1990, he was posthumously conferred with the Bharat Ratna, the country’s highest civilian honour. (ANI)

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Paytm Expands Credit Business

Paytm.

Paytm continues to focus on merchant loans that are lended to MSME as business loans. …reports Asian Lite News

Paytm, India’s leading mobile payments and financial services distribution company, on Wednesday said it will expand its credit distribution business in partnership with large banks and NBFCs by offering higher ticket personal and merchant loans to lower risk and high credit-worthy customers.

Owing to the strong portfolio performance and widespread acceptance of loan distribution, Paytm witnessed encouraging early trends when the company started working in this direction last quarter.

“As the lending distribution business is maturing, we see newer opportunities of expansion to offer high-value personal and merchant loans. We will continue to focus on originating the high portfolio quality for our lending partners, along with strict adherence to risk and compliance. We have seen great scale and acceptance for our loan distribution business, so we believe this expansion will further aid us to grow the business,” said a Paytm spokesperson.

In the light of recent macro development and regulatory guidance and in consultation with lending partners, the company remains focused on driving a healthy portfolio and has recalibrated the portfolio origination of less than Rs 50,000 – prominently the postpaid loan product will now be a smaller part of its loan distribution business moving forward.

Paytm continues to focus on merchant loans that are lended to MSME as business loans. Given that these loans are extended for business purposes to support small merchants, they remain unaffected by the recent regulatory guidance.

The company said it continues to add banks and NBFCs as its lending partners for its loan distribution business.

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Adani Climbs to 15th Richest Globally

Adani was back in the list of top 20 richest people in the world in November following the rally in Adani Group stocks…writes Sanjeev Sharma

Gautam Adani, Adani Group Chairman is now the 15th richest in the world after adding more than $ 12 billion in a massive rally in Adani Group stocks.

Adani was back in the list of top 20 richest people in the world in November following the rally in Adani Group stocks

As per the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Adani is now the 15th richest person in the world, with a net worth of $82.5 billion. Adani’s wealth jumped by more than $ 12 billion following the rally in Adani Group stocks on Tuesday.

Adani Group market cap hit an 11-month high, reaching Rs 13.8 lakh crore in mcap in Tuesday’s trade.

The Adani conglomerate clinched its best-ever single-day market performance adding Rs 1.92 lakh crore in one day gains.

Tuesday’s strong gains also come on the heels of reports indicating that the US International Development Finance Corp (DFC) did not find the allegations of corporate fraud by short-seller Hindenburg Research relevant. Before extending a significant loan to the conglomerate for a port project in Sri Lanka, the DFC reportedly conducted a thorough examination of the claims against the Adani Group.

All 10 stocks in the Adani group clocked gains ranging from 7-20 per cent with Adani Green Energy and Adani Energy Solutions hitting gains of 20 per cent. The Group’s flagship company Adani Enterprises Ltd (AEL) saw a staggering rise in its share price by 16.91 per cent, increasing its market valuation by a substantial Rs 48,809 crore. Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone (APSEZ) also performed solidly with a 15.3 per cent gain in share price, contributing Rs 29,043 crore to the market cap.

Other group stocks also gained with Adani Energy Solutions and Adani Green Energy Solutions clocking gains of 20 per cent each. Both stocks added over Rs 55,600 crore to the group’s market cap. Adani Power Ltd (APL) and Adani Total Gas Limited (ATGL) registered gains of 15.81 per cent and 19.88 per cent, respectively.

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India-Suriname Relations in Focus at 8th Joint Commission Meeting

Both ministers took stock of India-Suriname bilateral ties, focusing on economic, development, defence, capacity building and cultural cooperation….reports Asian Lite News

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar exchanged views on shared concerns and aspirations of the Global South with his Suriname counterpart Albert Ramdin at the 8th India-Suriname Joint Commission Meeting.

Both ministers took stock of India-Suriname bilateral ties, focusing on economic, development, defence, capacity building and cultural cooperation.

Taking on his social media X, EAM Jaishankar stated, “Concluded productive discussions with FM Albert Ramdin at the 8th India-Suriname Joint Commission Meeting. Took stock of our bilateral ties, focusing on economic, development, defence, capacity building and cultural cooperation. Exchanged views on shared concerns and aspirations of the Global South, our neighborhoods, cooperation via CELAC and CARICOM formats and at the UN.”

Earlier today, Jaishankar held delegation-level talks with Albert Ramdin in New Delhi.Suriname’s Foreign Minister Albert R Ramdin landed on Tuesday in New Delhi with a warm welcome.The official visit, scheduled from December 5 to 7, holds promise for advancing historical ties between the two nations.

“FM Albert Ramdin of Suriname arrives to a warm welcome in New Delhi to co-chair the 8th India-Suriname Joint Commission Meeting. An opportunity to further advance India-Suriname historical ties,” posted MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi on X. The discussions aim to strengthen diplomatic relations and explore avenues for enhanced bilateral cooperation.

The visit is strategically timed to deepen the bond between India and Suriname, reflecting the commitment of both nations to mutual growth and collaboration. Ramdin’s departure is scheduled for December 7, marking the conclusion of this significant diplomatic engagement.

India shares close, warm and friendly relations with Suriname with historical linkages dating back to 149 years. Soon after Suriname’s Independence on November 25, 1975, India established diplomatic relations in 1976 and opened its Embassy in Paramaribo in 1977. (ANI)

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Google Pulls 17 Deceptive Android Loan Apps Targeting India

The total annual cost (TAC) of such loans, according to victims of these applications, is significantly more than stated, and the loan period is much shorter than stated…reports Asian Lite News

Researchers on Wednesday said that they found 18 deceptive Android loan apps that disguised themselves as genuine personal loan services. Google has removed 17 of these apps, targeting users in India and other countries, from their platform.

According to the report by ESET Research, these apps had more than 12 million downloads globally from Google Play before their removal.

Such deceptive Android loan apps are named as ‘SpyLoan apps’.

“These malicious applications exploit the trust that users place in legitimate loan providers, using sophisticated techniques to deceive people and steal a very wide range of personal information,” said ESET researcher Lukas Stefanko, who uncovered many of the SpyLoan apps.

According to the report, the originators of these apps, who blackmail and harass their victims, even with death threats, operate mainly in Mexico, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, India, Pakistan, Colombia, Peru, the Philippines, Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, and Singapore.

Other than data harvesting and blackmail, these services present a form of modern-day digital usury, which refers to the charging of excessive interest rates on loans, taking advantage of vulnerable individuals.

The total annual cost (TAC) of such loans, according to victims of these applications, is significantly more than stated, and the loan period is much shorter than stated.

In some cases, borrowers were pressured to pay off their loans in five days, instead of the stated 91 days, and the TAC of a loan was anywhere between 160 per cent and 340 per cent, the report mentioned.

The researchers have traced the origins of the SpyLoan scheme back to 2020.

When a SpyLoan app is installed, the user is required to agree the terms of service and provide extensive permissions to access sensitive data saved on the device.

According to the privacy policies of these apps, if those permissions are not granted, the loan will not be provided. To complete the loan application process, users are also compelled to provide extensive personal information, the report noted.

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India, Germany Strengthen Defence Ties in Delhi

The meeting was conducted in a friendly, warm, and cordial atmosphere….reports Asian Lite News

The 16th edition of the India-Germany Military Cooperation Sub Group (MCSG) meeting was held here on December 5-6, a Defence Ministry statement said.

The Ministry said that the meeting was co-chaired from the Indian side by Brigadier Vivek Narang, Deputy Assistant Chief of Integrated Staff IDC (A), HQ IDS, and Col (GS) Christian Schmidt, Director, Department International Cooperation Armed Forces Office from the German side.

The meeting was conducted in a friendly, warm, and cordial atmosphere.

Discussions focused on new initiatives under the ambit of existing bilateral defence cooperation mechanisms and further strengthening ongoing defence engagements, an official added.

The India-Germany Military Cooperation Sub Group (MCSG) is a forum established to boost defence cooperation between both nations through regular talks at the strategic and operational levels between India’s Headquarters, Integrated Defence Staff, and Germany’s Department of International Cooperation Armed Forces.

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‘Vajra Prahar’: Indo-US Joint Special Forces Exercise Continues in Meghalaya

As part of ‘Exercise Vajraprahar 2023’, the Indian Air Force (IAF) and Individual Aunmentees (IA) conducted various joint drills on Wednesday…reports Asian Lite News

During the ongoing exercise, troops from both countries conducted exercises in a Mi-17 Heptr at Shillong’s Umiam Lake. Additionally, helocasting operations were also carried out displaying High standards of precision, synergy and professionalism.

The 14th edition of the Indo-US Joint Special Forces exercise, ‘Vajra Prahar 2023’, commenced at the Joint Training Node, Umroi on November 21, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) informed through an official release earlier. The US contingent is represented by personnel from the 1st Special Forces Group (SFG) of the US Special Forces. The Indian Army contingent is led by Special Forces personnel from the Eastern Command.

The ministry added that the joint exercise, conducted between the Indian Army and US Army Special Forcest’ aims at sharing best practices and experiences in areas such as joint mission planning and operational tactics. The first edition was conducted in 2010 in India and the 13th edition of the Indo-US Joint Special Forces exercise was conducted at the Special Forces Training School (SFTS), Bakloh (HP). The current edition is being conducted in Umroi Cantonment, Meghalaya, from November 21 to December 11.

During the course of the exercise, both sides will jointly plan and rehearse a series of special operations, counter-terrorism operations, and airborne operations in simulated conventional and unconventional scenarios in mountainous terrain. Key highlights include ‘Combat free fall insertion of troops from stand-off distances’, ‘Waterborne insertion of troops’, ‘Precision engagement of targets at long ranges’, ‘Combat air control of fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft’ besides ‘Airborne insertion and sustenance of troops’, the MoD release added.

‘Exercise Vajra Prahar’ has evolved as a mechanism to exchange ideas and share best practices between the Special Forces of both nations, the release stated, adding that it is also a platform to enhance interoperability and strengthen defence cooperation between the armies of India and the United States of America. (ANI)

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Apple Seeks to Source iPhone 16 Batteries From India

Foxconn plans to invest $1.54 billion in India. In a stock exchange filing, Foxconn said that the investment will help it fulfil “operational needs.”…reports Asian Lite News

In an effort to diversify its global supply chain and move manufacturing out of China, Apple has informed its component suppliers of its preference to source batteries for the upcoming iPhone 16 from Indian factories, media report said on Wednesday.

According to the Financial Times, battery manufacturers, such as Desay of China, have been encouraged to establish new factories in India, while Simplo Technology, a Taiwanese battery supplier for Apple, has been asked to increase manufacturing in India for future orders.

Earlier this week, Union Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar said Japanese electronic parts maker TDK Corp will manufacture lithium-ion (li-ion) battery cells for Apple iPhones in India.

“Another big win for PM @narendramodi ji’s visionary PLI scheme in shifting the mobile manufacturing ecosystem to India. TDK, a leading supplier of cells to Apple, is setting up a 180-acre facility in Manesar, Haryana to build cells for batteries which will be used in the #MadeInIndia iPhones,” he wrote on X.

Companies like Desay and Simplo package the electric cells produced by TDK and their counterparts into modules and send them to assemblers such as Taiwanese contract manufacturer Foxconn, the report mentioned.

Foxconn plans to invest $1.54 billion in India. In a stock exchange filing, Foxconn said that the investment will help it fulfil “operational needs.”

Meanwhile, Apple has asked the Indian government to exempt its existing iPhones from the requirement of a common charging port (USB-C) for electronics devices, as the Centre evaluates the possibility of mandating a common charger for most devices.

In a meeting with the IT Ministry officials late last month, Apple told the officials that if such a rule — similar to what has been proposed by the European Union (EU) to require devices to have universal charging ports — is brought, it may hamper its domestic manufacturing plans, reliable sources told.

Apple joins AI race

As artificial intelligence (AI) takes centre-stage across companies, Apple’s machine learning research team has released frameworks and model libraries designed to run on its silicon chips.

The company released MLX, a machine learning framework designed for efficient and flexible machine learning on Apple silicon.

“The design of MLX is inspired by frameworks like PyTorch, Jax, and ArrayFire. A noteable difference from these frameworks and MLX is the unified memory model,” according to Apple on GitHub.

“Arrays in MLX live in shared memory. Operations on MLX arrays can be performed on any of the supported device types without performing data copies. Currently supported device types are the CPU and GPU,” the Apple ML research team added.

Awni Hannun of Apple’s ML team posted on X that just in time for the holidays, “we are releasing some new software from Apple machine learning research”.

“MLX is an efficient machine learning framework specifically designed for Apple silicon (i.e. your laptop!),” Hannun said.

MLX is a NumPy-like array framework designed for efficient and flexible machine learning on Apple silicon.

“The Python API closely follows NumPy with a few exceptions. MLX also has a fully featured C++ API which closely follows the Python API,” according to the Apple ML team.

Last month, Apple CEO Tim Cook revealed that the company is investing quite a bit in AI and will do it responsibly for product enhancements over time.

Cook said that the company views AI and machine learning as fundamental technologies and they’re integral to virtually every product that they ship.

“When we shipped iOS 17, it had features like Personal Voice and Live Voicemail. AI is at the heart of these features. And then, you can go all the way to the life-saving features on the launch end of the phone like fall detection, crash detection, ECG on the watch. These would not be possible without AI,” he told analysts during the company’s earnings call.

Cook said that Apple has work going on related to AI for quite some time.

“I’m not going to get into details about what it is, because we really don’t do that. But you can bet that we’re investing, we’re investing quite a bit, we’re going to do it responsibly and you will see product advancements over time,” the Apple CEO said.

In August, Cook said the tech giant has been working on generative AI and other models for years.

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