UK Cabinet nod to madarsa board

OTHER DECISIONS              n Separate directorate for minority affairs to be formedn Area of spending under the MLALAD fund increasedn The Uttarakhand Urban Street Vending and Business on Pavement (Regulation and Management) Rules, 2011, approvedn Nagar panchayat status to Purola and Gairsainn Free bus travel for girls in government busesn Award of Rs 50,000 for students getting admission to prestigious medical, management and engineering institutions

Dehradun, November 22

At the third Cabinet meeting held in November, the Uttarakhand Government gave its approval to the creation of a madrasa board, a separate directorate for minority affairs, an increase in the area of spending under the MLA local area development (MLALAD) fund along with the Uttarakhand Urban Street Vending and Business on Pavements (Regulation and Management) Rules, 2011.

At a press briefing held last night, Chief Secretary Subash Kumar said the Muslim Education Mission would be merged with the new board. This would sort out the problem of 500 madarsas and their issue of affiliation. The board would comprise a total of 13 officials, including the director, chief registrar and the accountant.

The government also gave its approval to the creation of a separate minority affairs directorate that would play a role in the implementation of the minority welfare schemes. The main office of the directorate, which is to be located in Dehradun, would have the services of 11 officers, including the director.

The Uttarakhand Urban Street Vending and Business on Pavement (Regulation and Management) Rules, 2011, approved by the Cabinet call for demarcating separate space for vendors and also allowing them to do business legally. It will be implemented in three Municipal Corporations of the state.

Now, under the MLA LAD fund, the MLAs would be able to allocate Rs 10 lakh towards equipping yoga centres and fitness centres by the Yuva Mandal Dals as also towards providing office furniture for the Mahila Mangal Dals.

In another important decision, the Cabinet also gave its nod to according the nagar panchayat status to Purola and Gairsain and also gave approval for making “nazul” land free hold on the basis of the rates that prevailed in 2000.

The Cabinet approved the populist announcements made by Chief Minister BC Khanduri in early November, including free bus travel for girls in government buses, award of Rs 50,000 for those students getting admission to the prestigious medical, management and engineering institutions.

To further improve the government’s image and usher in transparency, the Cabinet also gave approval to signing an agreement between the government and the parties undertaking supplies and other works to ensure no bribes are taken.

3-day police remand for visa fraudsters

Chandigarh, November 22

The two immigration fraud accused were produced in a local court today and sent to three-day police remand. The accused, Vikram Sharma of Chandigarh and Vinay Chadha of Zirakpur, were arrested on November 18.

They used to assist their clients, especially those whose visa applications had been rejected earlier, by locating local residents with similar names and then applying for visa by using their names and addresses.

These facts came to light following the arrest of the duo, who used to operate in the name of the Sector-32 Atlantic Overseas Consultancy and charge between Rs 6 lakh and Rs 8 lakh each per tourist visa.

Immigration shifts west from Ontario

Canada's immigration patterns are changing, experts say, and western provinces are the beneficiary.

Only a decade ago, Ontario took in the lion's share of Canada's immigrants, with half going to Toronto and 60 per cent to Ontario as a whole. Last year, only 42 per cent of all immigrants went to Ontario, statistics show.

At the same time, immigration to Western Canada has surged, especially in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

One of the biggest reasons is a booming western economy, particularly in the farming and resource sectors, according to B.C.-based immigration expert Nick Noorani.

"Immigrants are going where they get jobs," Noorani told CBC News.

The change has also been fuelled by the provincial nominee program, which allows provinces to choose a certain number of immigrants each year, Noorani said. The program ensures those who come to Canada enter the workforce immediately, he said.

"What's happening is a lot of immigrants are coming in with prearranged employment," Noorani said, "and that's good because then you're reducing the unemployment or underemployment rate that immigrants seem to have."

The system is a far cry from previous decades, when the federal points system for skilled workers kept many aspiring newcomers waiting for years to immigrate and failed to meet the need for skilled tradespeople in the provinces.

The provincial system has resulted in economic payoffs for communities, Noorani said.

"From an economic perspective," he said, "let's remember every time you get people coming into a new community, business increases. So suddenly you'll have people putting up stores where they're going to have ethnic foods. Real estate has been bolstered tremendously by immigrants and their desire to own homes, more than Canadian-born."

Nevertheless, challenges remain, according to the University of Ottawa's Peter Showler.

Not all temporary foreign workers get the same level of support to become permanent residents, the former chairman of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada said, something that could leave too much power in the hands of employers.

"When you have very positive, future-looking employers, that works very well," he said. "If you have abusive employers, they can use that as a kind of threat or control to sometimes sustain improper labour practices."

As well, Showler said, the federal government needs to reduce wait times: The current immigration backlog has grown to more than a million people.