Citizenship by Investment (CBI)

Citizenship by Investment (CBI) provides a strategic way for individuals to gain a second citizenship and passport by contributing to the economy of the host country.

Historically, the Indian investment migration market has been heavily oriented towards US citizenship.

However, there is a growing shift towards the residence-by-investment programs in the UAE, Singapore, Greece, and European nations.

This trend is particularly noteworthy for Indians, who had accounted for 9.4% of all global applicants for golden passports in 2022.

Citizenship by Investment (CBI) programs is often referred to as golden passports, as they provide a unique opportunity for one to obtain a second citizenship through substantial investments in the host country. 

Many countries use this legal mechanism to attract investments to stimulate their economic growth. These programs are increasingly becoming popular because of their varied benefits, such as visa-free travel, personal security, expanded business opportunities, social benefits, tax advantages, etc.

Citizenship by Investment (CBI) programs offer various investment options for individuals seeking a second citizenship.. like:-

• Real estate: You can purchase property with a minimum value requirement, which must be held for usually 3 to 5 years.
  
• Government bonds: You can invest in bonds issued by the host country, and you can sell them after holding for a specific period.
  
• Business ventures: You can also invest in or start a business that create jobs or contributes to the economy of the host country.
  
• National development fund donations: Another option is to make a non-refundable contribution to the host government’s fund for supporting infrastructural development projects.

Why are affluent Indians investing in overseas citizenship? 

Wealthy Indians are increasingly seeking secondary citizenship through investment migration programs due to several key factors and challenges: 

• Regulatory restrictions: India’s Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS) limits transferring only up to USD 250,000 per financial year abroad, which complicates the accumulation of necessary funds for high-cost programs like the US EB-5 visa.
  
• Increased tax rates: From October 1, 2023, the rate of Tax Collected at Source (TCS) for LRS transactions was raised from 5% to 20% for amounts exceeding INR 7 lakhs, significantly increasing the overall cost of international investments.
  
• International mobility and business expansion: CBI programs offer easier access to international markets there by one can expand their businesses and enhance global mobility.
  
• Better opportunities abroad: Secondary citizenship grants access to superior education, healthcare, and higher living standards, appealing to families aiming for better opportunities for themselves and their children.
  
• Diversification of assets: Securing a foothold in new country opens the door to diverse business opportunities. These include real estate investments and access to financial instruments that might not be available domestically.

The CBI market has grown into a global industry worth an estimated USD 20 billion annually and is expected to grow to USD 100 billion by 2025.

This trend has transformed the concept of citizenship from a birthright into a commodity that can be bought and sold, significantly impacting the economies of participating countries and the lives of investors. 

Many CBI countries Vanuatu, Austria, Grenada etc feature favourable tax regimes, including benefits like lower or no capital gains tax and lower personal income tax, making them lucrative destinations for investors.

 

Is your phone being hacked…?

Google Play Store hosts a variety of unverified apps which could steal your data even when a phone is locked.

Hackers uses a text message/SMS to sent you a link which may install a malicious app to hack you out of your phone.

A few USSD codes could save you to check whether your call,SMS,fax is being forwarded or not .

##002# – If your voice call or data call, or SMS call has been forwarded, dialling this USSD code will erase them.

*#21# – By dialling this USSD code, you would get to know if your calls have been diverted somewhere else or not.

*#62# – With this, you can know if any of your calls – voice, data, fax, SMS etc, has been forwarded or diverted without your knowledge.

 

 

Is it time India exercise Anti-Dumping law against DELL?

When I joined SCMS people said buy Dell, its affordable, customizable, and last long. Was that the saying of people who wants others to try a product that they had bought and had issues with. I don’t know…

The Dell I bought worked for 8 months, then it started showing starting troubles. I went to the beloved service center in Vyttla to get it fixed. I think i should not have done that instead I should have thrown it to Corporation waste dump at Brahmapuram than waiting for the great Dell technician to diagnose the problem after 2 months.. i still don’t understand why the great Dell require all my data in the hard disk to be formatted before diagnosing it and that too at an expense of 2 months..Great customer service …

I think India should exercise Anti-Dumping laws against Mr. Dell for coming with idiotic products that could be replaced only after 2 months … No wonder people once bought Dell in SCMS campus doesn’t buy it once again… Who has time to go behind the Dell service team..

 

A journey to the top station in Munnar

Our journey started  on a fine morning of July from Cochin via Perumbavoor-Kothamangalam route towards Munnar. Being employed in the hospitality sector we take this ride  every year during the off season to meet old friends who work in Munnar. The first sight of mountains covered in white fog along the narrow, curvy roads of Neiyamangalam , which is the gateway to Adimali gave us a cool ride through natural forest. One can feel the change in weather even before reaching Munnar from the cool wind pouring into the Innova through the open windows. We stopped at Valara waterfall to refresh our minds and get a look at the cascading waterfall that is heavy due to the recent rains in mountains. We spend some time near the water falls watching tourists taking a bath in the waterfall and taking snaps in their cameras.

 We proceeded to Munnar and proceeded to Misty Mountain resort to meet a friend who works there. Being an off season the hotel had a few guests. One must understand that  Misty Mountain resort and Tea Castle resort lies just opposite to each other separated by  a vast area of tea plantation along the mountain side. At night the two hotels are appealing to the eyes in their light decorations and some times heavy snow. The valley view rooms offer the guest with a scenery of

green tea plantations and a distant view of lake.

From Misty Mountain we started to Campnoel resort at the top of the mountain, which is the 4rth ranked resort by the TripAdvisor.in in India. The road to the resort is slightly steep hence we parked our Innova near a Tea stall from where we boarded a 4 wheel drive jeep that could take us to the resort. The driver was friendly and was cooperative in showing us various spots along the way to the resort. Along the way we passed a tree which had huge trunk, which was known as the 100 year old tree. The road is rickety which allows only passenger jeeps, and is ideal for adventurers, on the way back two of us was adventurous enough to travel back by hanging behind the jeep.

Next spot along the way is a temple.

We reached Campnoel after a 1/2hr journey from the tea stall. The Campnoel resort is something one need to experience themselves. It a pack of cottages that lie in green gardens with roads connecting each of the cottages with the main building, an auditorium and restaurant. Once we stepped into the resort it was like entering into another world. For the city dwellers Campnoel is an ideal place-the quite place in Munnar , you wont hear even a bird.

The place is so set you will believe to be in the country side of England. Each of the cottages has a fireplace to control the cool temperature and all the cottages are enormous i.e. ideal for a family.

One of the other specialty in Campnoel is you wont feel the time running away when you walk along the roads connecting cottages along gardens that have trees of all kinds-apple, and others. We spend a few hours in the garden, and returned back to Cochin with a feeling of  lose for not spending at least a night in one of the cottages.

 

 

Can Google+ be No. 1

Days after the release of Google+ trial version its already above Facebook with more users ready to sign in to try its new features.

Google+ marketing have been so successful that it had more celebrities having account in the first day than Facebook.  Now the big question is can Google+ dethrone Facebook as Facebook did to MySpace and twitter.

Here are some of the features that make Google+ unique from other social network

+Circles

On Google+ one can control what you share using circles, i.e sharing the right stuff with the right people. Circles allow the user to just drag and drop the friends to each Circles. Family,Following etc. are some of these.

+Hangouts

Google+ offers video chats up to 10 people while Facebook currently have  no such feature. Hangouts allow casual meeting within circles with live multi-person video. This will give a tough competition  to Facebook till the arrival of the new Skype powered video chat.

+Sparks

Through Sparks Google+ user can share an interesting topic with certain circles in their social network.

Huddle

Huddle allow different conversations in a circle to a simple group chat, so everyone gets same page all at once.

Instant Uploads

Instant uploads allow photos and videos to  be uploaded automatically into a private album on Google+.

 

Kumarakom backwaters-Capital of Gods own country

By early June the southwest monsoon breaks and there are three months of wind and water with short spells of sharp, glittering sunshine that thrilled children snatch to play with. The countryside turns an immodest green. Boundaries blur as tapioca fences take root and bloom. Brick walls turn mossgreen. Pepper vines snake up electric poles. Wild creepers burst through latente banks and spill across the flooded roads. Boats ply in the bazaars…thus Arundhati Roy begins her Booker Prize winner – The God of Small Things. Although the novel – which is set in Ayemenem village adjoining backwaters in Kumarakom – does not render the unspeakable beauty of Kumarakom, aren’t the aforementioned words enough to lure you to the most beautiful place in Kerala (arguably)? And If I say Kumarakom is the capital of the God’s own country, will you disagree?

Well, honestly, this is my fourth trip to Kumarakom, with an intention of doing a photoblog on Yahoo! Strangely, it had been raining all these four times, maybe, to make me realize that the beauty and majesty of Kumarakom are at its best during monsoon.

And this time, I’m in a houseboat, the perfect place for chilling out -and much more . Houseboats are big barges with five-star amenities –air conditioned bedrooms with contemporary bathrooms, modular kitchens that prepare the choicest Kerala-style food, home theatre and whatever else you want. Some of them have as many as five bedrooms, some have conference halls and some are even double-storied.

Every here and there you see a fisherman, hounding for Karimeen (pearl spot). The boat captain excitedly explained to us four different methods to catch a pearl spot fish and how clinically they do it. Interesting.

At the prow of the houseboat sits Sreehari, 15, after whose name the boat is named. He doesn’t just share his name with the boat, but he owns it! The young guy too has his share of knowledge to impart – about Tiger Prawns, another taste of the Kumarakom. He flashes his torch into the water, toward the stone wall of the canal’s side and I see two small bulbs flashing between two stones. And he says those are the eyes of a Tiger Prawn. Wow!

Before I clicked this photo, it never occurred to me that lightning is the best source of light for night photography. Yes, this photo was clicked at 11:40 pm, there was lightening and the photo came out like this.

It may be the company of boatmen, the palatable Karimeen (pearl spot) fry, mouth-watering tiger prawns curry, a bottle of chilled beer from the boatmen’s icebox, a romantic night with your other half, or the cruise across the Vembanad Lake, Kumarakom guarantees you something to cherish for a lifetime.

This is an article from Yahoo Written by Clint Thomas

 

The kid who cleared the CAT Exam

Read this article of the kid who cleared the CAT Exam.

http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/open-page/article1472478.ece

 

Really funny writing..

 

Iris Holidays launches Cinemascape Kerala Packages

Iris Holidays, the leading tour operator in Kerala has launched a new kerala package “Cinemascape Kerala” recently. The package will cover the filming locations in Kerala.

This tour package will take you through a beautiful locations in Kerala seen in Hindi films like Dil-Se, Raavan, Guru, Bombay, Nishabd, Karthik calling Karthik and Tamil films like Vinnay Thandi Viruvaya, Muthu, Autograph and English films like Cotton Mary, Before the Rains and Terrorist .

This tour package offers a chance to view the cool climes of Munnar seen inNishabd,beautiful stretch of forest with steep waterfalls in Raavan and the backwaters showcased in Dil Se . In this package you’ll get a warm welcome, a relaxing stay and a authentic experience of the picturesque locations in Kerala.

This package is valid for Indians, NRIs and Foreigners Ideal package for  couples looking for aresponsible tourism package. This package offers authentic Kerala experience across a selection of carefully selected film locations across Kerala.

More>>>

 

 

Parivarthan 10- Student Social Responsibility Program

 

SCMS-COCHIN the prestigious business school in Kochi, Kerala is organizing a series of social awareness programmes- PARIVARTHAN’10 in connection with Kerala Day and AIDS Day during the period from November 1st to December 1st, 2010. The programme was initiated by the  students and was inaugurated on November 1st, 2010 (Kerala Day).

The objectives of PARIVARTHAN’10 are:

• To impart knowledge on AIDS to the general society.
• To ascertain the level of awareness of preventive practices relating to AIDS.
• Identify and motivate 20 – 25 families in their Residential area.
• Guideline to prevention, treatment and meaning of AIDS.
• Provide awareness regarding the harmful effects of various drugs, misuse of technology and environmental problems.

The students of SCMS will bring in awareness among school students about AIDS, the harmful effects of various drugs, misuse of technology and environmental problems during the 2nd & 3rd week of November. The awareness program will be done on about 80 schools and colleges in and around Kochi.

The programme will end on November 28.

 

Monsoon Nostalgia

The Monsoons in Kerala do not take the pattern of incessant rains continuing for weeks. Virtually it rains for a few hours with sunny interludes. Occasionally the rains might stretch on for a few days but the respite of sunshine is never far away.

Kerala has mainly two rainy seasons. The Southwest Monsoon that arrives in the month of June is called Edavappathy, as it comes in the middle of the month of Edavam on the Malayalam Calendar. Followed by this, mid October witnesses the arrival of the Northeast Monsoon.

“The best thing one can do in monsoon is to let it rain.”

God’s own country is the land where monsoon always had a strong influence on it’s culture, economy, and climate.

Significance of Ayurvedic treatment during monsoon.

South west monsoon begins here in June and it lasts till September. During this season, tourism is promoted in a medicinal way. The experts emphasize that this is the apt time for undergoing age old and most famous ayurvedic treatments. Testimonials also suggest that the rejuvenation of mind & body is an instant outcome of ayurvedic treatment during this period. The bottom-line fact is that, during the Monsoon season, the atmosphere remains dust-free and cool, opening the pores of the body to the maximum, making it most receptive to herbal oils and therapy.

Synchronized massages namely the Pizhichil, the Shirodara, the Njavrakizy and the Nasayam are some of the rejuvenating Ayurvedic treatments that are offered during the Monsoons. Tourists prefer to travel to Kerala during monsoon to experience the rain and undertake the treatment, even though there exists ayurvedic centers in Delhi, Bombay etc.

The Ayurveda Resorts in Kerala are renowned not just in India but also across the globe. The treatments provided by these resorts have become so popular that the Kerala Tourism Development Corporation has started a ‘Monsoon Rejuvenation’ Package that combines sightseeing tours with Ayurvedic massages and treatment. The Ayurvedic treatments are considered most effective after the karkadam or monsoon months because during this period the body has less heat and hence is most responsive to treatments.

Kerala Ayurveda Resorts provide treatments for ailments such as arthritis, paralysis, obesity, sinusitis, migraine, premature ageing, skin ailments etc. Ayurveda Resorts in Kerala cure detoxify and rejuvenate the whole body system for curing the ailment and enable general fitness. The health and fitness programs in the Ayurveda Resorts in Kerala are based on Ayurvedic oil massages. These massages help in various ways such as improving blood circulation, streamlining the body, building up immunity, ridding the body of toxins and decreasing excess fat in the body etc.

Many of the renowned Ayurveda Resorts in India are in Kerala. Tourists can choose from a range of Ayurveda Resorts in Kerala – from 5 star luxury Ayurveda Resorts, beach Ayurveda Resorts to backwater Ayurveda Resorts in Kerala. You may decide upon your tour in Kerala to choose the Ayurveda resorts as per the location, treatments offered at the Ayurveda resorts. Take a break at the Ayurveda Resorts in Kerala for a refreshing and rejuvenating holiday in India.