If you were under the misapprehension that the statue the French gifted to America and the one the US reciprocally gifted to France were the only two versions of the infamous <keyword id="6384704" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="statue-of-liberty" source="Orion">Statue of Liberty</keyword>, we would be happy to give you a gentle nudge towards <keyword id="19911160" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Punjab" source="keywords">Punjab</keyword>. The mighty Statue of Liberty, a beacon of freedom welcoming countless <keyword id="19919436" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="immigrants" source="keywords">immigrants</keyword> to the shores of the United States, has found an unlikely new home — atop a house in a small village in Punjab, India. A recent video captured an under-construction house in the state receiving the rather unexpected addition, and the internet is in splits. The <keyword id="292587" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="viral-video" source="Orion">viral video</keyword>, shared on <keyword id="19959117" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="X" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="X" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="X">X</keyword> with the caption "Somewhere in Punjab the THIRD liberty statue is installed," has garnered lakhs of views and sparked a wave of comments explaining the phenomenon. For residents of the Doaba region, or other parts of Punjab, ornately designed water tanks or sculptures are a common sight. Apparently, these elaborate water tank decorations often represent a family member who has moved abroad, even if their new life isn't glamorous. <div type="twitter" handle="WeekendInvestng" handlename="WeekendInvestng" favoritecount="0" retweetcount="0" id="1794593566179856772"></div> One user chimed in, referencing their cultural research: "We found many families installing water tanks shaped as aeroplanes, Statue of Liberty, Big Ben etc. This was a way of showing others that one of the sons/family members has moved abroad." Punjab's rooftop sculptures might be unconventional, but they're a delightful reminder of the pride families take in their heritage and the lengths they'll go to showcase their stories. Gurmeet Singh Brar, the head of the family now settled in Indiana, thought of this as a way to thank the United States for all the opportunities the country had afforded him. The desire for a symbol of their American connection was clear. “The first thing that came to our mind when we thought of having a statue related to the US at our Punjab home was the Statue of Liberty. The entire world knows where it is located, so a glance at it and people would know that our family has a US connection,” explains Brar. The fibreglass replica, crafted by sculptor Manjit Singh Gill from a nearby village, took about two months to complete. It serves as a unique landmark, a conversation starter, and most of all, it's a declaration of how basic water tankers are just too passé for Punjab.

Lady Liberty lands in Punjab: 18-foot-tall replica of Statue of Liberty joins list of unique rooftop monuments!

<ul><li>Thousands of cases have been reported wherein a man severed ties with his wife a few days after their wedding and left her behind in India without any information whatsoever.</li><li>NGOs believe that in <keyword id="6354953" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="punjab">Punjab</keyword> and <keyword id="6354766" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Gujarat">Gujarat</keyword> alone, around 25000 women have been abandoned by their spouses. </li><li>The <keyword id="6374106" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="ministry-of-external-affairs">Ministry of External Affairs</keyword> received 3,328 distress calls from <keyword id="6357804" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="NRI">NRI</keyword> women between 1 January 2015 and 30 November 2017 — an average of more than three calls a day or one every eight hours.</li></ul> It is a tale as old as time, or at least the past few decades anyway, Indian parents can’t help but leap at the prospect of getting their daughters (and sometimes sons) married to Non-resident Indians (NRI) in the hopes of securing a brighter future for them abroad. However, the sheer number of such marriages going horribly wrong is a matter to reckon with. Apart from numerous cases being reported where men take their blushing brides primarily to the US only to serve them as glorified maids and subjecting them to both mental and physical abuse, thousands of cases have been reported wherein a man severed ties with his wife a few days after their wedding and left her behind in India without any information whatsoever. It is to <a href="http://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2018/may/29/abandoned-wives-summons-to-nri-men-on-mea-site-1820681.html">address</a> the concerns of these abandoned wives that the <keyword id="653872" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="ministry-of-law-and-justice">Ministry of Law and Justice</keyword> is proposing sending out summons to these men via the website of Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) as opposed to the dated method of publishing notices in newspapers. And once a summon is uploaded on the website, it would be treated as served to the husband. The reason for serving these notices via a website or newspaper is primarily because the actual addresses of spouses abroad are unknown to the aggrieved party. Once the notices are served, only then can the court proceedings commence. While there is no official data, various NGOs believe that in Punjab and Gujarat alone, around 25000 women have been abandoned by their spouses. And according to a report on the <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/nri/other-news/one-nri-wife-calls-home-for-help-every-8-hours/articleshow/62782501.cms">Times of India</a> in February 2018, the Ministry of External Affairs received 3,328 distress calls from NRI women between 1 January 2015 and 30 November 2017 — an average of more than three calls a day or one every eight hours. And the primary causes of the distress were abandonment, harassment, dowry demands, physical abuse and passport seizure. The husbands often use lenient laws in the country they live in to get ex parte divorces and slither out of paying their wives maintenance. In a bid to counter these shocking numbers, the above-mentioned proposal to issue notices via the website will be discussed at a meeting that will be attended by officials from <keyword id="4318185" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Union-Women-and-Child-Development-Ministry">Union Women and Child Development Ministry</keyword> (WCD) and MEA next week. Other measure proposed by the WCD to the law ministry included impounding or cancellation of passport and attachment of their assets in India. Another recommendation is to make it mandatory to register NRI marriages within a week of the wedding.

Indian government is formulating a plan to help abandoned NRI wives get justice

Mohali, Dec 6 () Leading industrialists on Friday pledged full support to the Punjab government to make it a frontrunner on the country's industrial map.
They also urged Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh to put growth in textile and garments, agro and food processing, steel and other sectors on fasttrack in view of immense potential in these verticals.
A session on the concluding day of Progressive Punjab Investors Summit-2019 underlined the state's strong industrial base coupled with peaceful and skilled workforce.
The participants exhorted the chief minister to accelerate the pace of development in these key sectors with his government's support.
The session was moderated by Vardhman Special Steel MD Sachit Jain, and the panelists were Vice Chairman of International Tractor A S Mittal, Chairman Trident Group Rajinder Gupta, Nahar Group MD Kamal Oswal, Chairman Bunge India Samir Jain and Air Asia CEO Sunil Bhaskaran.
The majority of panellists extended full support and cooperation to the state government in its endeavour to make Punjab a frontrunner on the country's industrial map.
Initiating the discussion, Sachit Jain said Punjab had a strong industrial eco-system, which could play a vanguard role in promoting industry, especially in the manufacturing sector.
He noted that the state had wide scope for growth of the IT and ITeS, especially in the light of the new industrial policy.
Taking part in the deliberations, Trident's Rajinder Gupta said he had made massive investments in his textile units in Barnala district, besides investing nearly Rs 10 crore on the education of children and women welfare in the rural sector as part of his corporate social responsibility.
Mittal shared his experience with the Japanese company Yanmar, which has led to marked quality improvement in the manufacturing facility at Hoshiarpur.
He also emphasized the need to encourage Japan-based suppliers and vendors to invest in the local MSMEs dealing with auto parts, in order to enhance quality of their products in line with international standards.
Oswal said Nahar Group was setting up a logistics park over an area of 45 acres at a cost of Rs 300 crore in Ludhiana, besides another industrial park over an area of 100 acres at a cost of Rs 2,000 crore to house green industry - IT &amp; ITeS, with facilities of housing, malls and retail. 
In another session, industry called for more international flights from the state to harness its massive potential to emerge as a Medical Tourism hub.
The only thing the Punjab government needs to do is to press upon the Union fovernment to bring more direct international flights in the state from CIS nations, such as Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, and to cater to NRI populations in the US, Canada, the UK, Australia and New Zealand in order to attract patients, the delegates said.
UAE commercial Attache to India (Minister Plenipotentiary), Ahmad Sultan Al Falahi said the growing Indo-UAE economic and commercial relations contribute valuable stability and strength to bilateral relationship between the two countries. CHS BAL
BAL

Industry pledges full support to Punjab govt

Jalandhar, Apr 15 () On a visit to connect with family and friends in Punjab, NRIs settled in the US, UK, Canada and Europe are finding it difficult to cope with the unplanned stay necessitated due to coronavirus travel restrictions worldwide. Thousands of Non Resident Indians usually visit Punjab during wintersLondon-based NRI Satnam Singh Birring, who came to meet his parents in Jalandhar on January 23, was all set to return on March 25 but a spike in coronavirus cases and restrictions on travel put a brake on his plans. "My wife was also planning to come to India on March 16 as we had plans to go back together. Neither could she come, nor was I able to go back to London. I even approached the British High Commission in India and the Indian High Commission in UK for a ticket in the chartered flights arranged by the UK government but all the tickets were sold out within 15-minutes! I am eagerly waiting for some solution", he said.US-based Avtar Singh Dhillon, who came on a 28- day leave to attend a wedding in Punjab in February, is among those stuck."My family is stuck in Tracey city in California while I am staying with my parents. Thankfully, I didn't come on a return ticket as my father was unwell but I had plans to go back by April end but now I am stuck here. Even my family is living under lockdown in the US due to COVID-19 cases", he added.US-based Sukhvir Singh said that his mother had travelled to San Francisco to attend his wedding and was planning to go back to India in April but was stuck now. "My brother back home in Jalandhar is eagerly awaiting my mother's return", he said through email.NRI from Greece Ram Lubhaya, who is in Jalandhar to meet his family, said, "I came to India on January 28 and my return flight was on March 21 but by that time the Indian government imposed a ban on international flights". "The Greece government has announced some measures to assist its work force and I could not even avail that," he said. Another Jalandhar-based family, Rakesh Mahi, the father of Punjabi singer Ginni Mahi has been stuck in Rome since March 4. Mahi said that he was accompanying his daughter on a musical tour in Europe, when the situation turned bad. "We would have landed in India by April 13 but all plans were changed due to COVID-19 pandemic...We are eagerly waiting for the situation to improve", he shared through email.However, some NRIs were lucky enough to reach their destination well on time. Simran Kaur, who came from Canada to meet her parents in Hoshiarpur district in February, returned to Vancouver on March 15, the time when the Canadian government announced a ban on international travel. "I am glad, I reached well on time and was able to resume my work too", she quipped. Countries across the world including India have imposed travel restrictions to contain the spread of coronavirus. VSD DVDV

COVID travel curbs: NRIs stuck in Punjab long to return home

Chandigarh, Three more tested positive in <keyword id="6354953" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="punjab">Punjab</keyword> on Wednesday, taking the total number of cases to 44, officials said. Of these, two are residents of Mohali, while one is of <keyword id="81623" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Jagatpura">Jagatpura</keyword> village -- both located on the outskirts of the state capital Chandigarh. With these, the total number of cases in the district rose to 10, said an official. Both Mohali residents are relatives of an NRI couple of Chandigarh, who was recently tested diagnosed positive. They are the grandmother and daughter of the couple. "Three more positive cases in the district -- close contacts of Chandigarh positive cases. Quarantined and contact tracing on. Will make containment zones as per protocol," Mohali Deputy Commissioner <keyword id="6142192" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="girish-dayalan">Girish Dayalan</keyword> tweeted. So far Punjab saw four <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="coronavirus">coronavirus</keyword> deaths. The latest was of a 65-year-old man with no travel history abroad who died in the PGI hospital here on Tuesday. Dayalan said 13 close contacts of the 65-year-old man tested negative. "More samples in the pipeline and also house-to-house survey continues in the containment zone. Let's hope for the best," he said. Belonging to Nayagaon, located on the outskirts of Chandigarh, the 65-year-old man was undergoing treatment at the <keyword id="626160" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Postgraduate-Institute-of-Medical-Education">Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education</keyword> and Research (PGIMER) for six days. At the PGI, he was initially tested for H1N1, the reports of which were negative. Later he tested for <keyword id="8764262" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="covid">Covid</keyword>, after he stopped responding to the treatment, a doctor said. After his testing Covid-19 positive, at least 50 medical people, comprising doctors, were quarantined as a precaution. --IANS vg/in

Punjab tally rises to 44 after 3 more test Coronavirus positive

As part of its efforts to decentralise the growth of Information Technology (IT), the <keyword id="68884" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Telangana" source="Orion">Telangana</keyword> government is building <keyword id="446905" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="IT-hubs" source="Orion">IT hubs</keyword> in five more districts. <keyword id="15813633" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="State-Information-and-Technology-Minister" source="Orion">State Information and Technology Minister</keyword> K. T. Rama Rao said on Saturday that the IT hubs are coming up in Nizamabad, Mahbubnagar, Nalgonda, Siddipet and Adilabad. The IT hubs in Warangal, Khammam and Karimnagar have already been set up and are running successfully, he said. 'As part of the <keyword id="15813634" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="3-D-Mantra" source="Orion">3 D Mantra</keyword> - Digitise, Decarbonise and Decentralise; the state government is taking IT to District Headquarters," the minister tweeted. KTR, as the minister is popularly known, revealed that Nizamabad IT Hub is almost ready to be inaugurated. He complimented MLA Ganesh Bigala for his persistent efforts along with bringing in NRI led enterprises to invest in providing employment opportunities to locals. The minister shared that Mahbubnagar IT Hub is also almost a month away from being inaugurated. He praised the efforts of Excise Minister V. Srinivas Goud. KTR noted that Siddipet IT hub with focused efforts of Finance and Health Minister T. Harish Rao is also shaping up well. He said Siddipet hub will be unveiled in a few months. "Nalgonda IT hub is under construction and efforts are being made to complete it expeditiously in four-six months," he said. The state government has already formulated a policy to take IT to tier-II towns. On many occasions, KTR said that till a couple of years ago, IT was confined to Hyderabad. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/punjab-ranks-second-in-average-monthly-income-per-agricultural-household-centre/articleshow/96304933.cms">Punjab ranks second in average monthly income per agricultural household: Centre</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/uber-partners-with-cartken-to-use-sidewalk-robots-for-food-deliveries/articleshow/96303107.cms">Uber partners with Cartken to use sidewalk robots for food deliveries</a>

You Searched For "punjab nri" and got 7 results

Lady Liberty lands in Punjab: 18-foot-tall replica of Statue of Liberty joins list of unique rooftop monuments!

Ashmita Gupta

Indian government is formulating a plan to help abandoned NRI wives get justice

Kavita Majumdar

Industry pledges full support to Punjab govt

PTI

COVID travel curbs: NRIs stuck in Punjab long to return home

PTI

Punjab tally rises to 44 after 3 more test Coronavirus positive

IANS

Telangana building IT hubs in five more tier II towns

IANS

Coronavirus: Kerala declares health emergency, shuts schools, cinemas and calls off weddings

Navdeep Yadav