Beyond Layoff

A few days ago, the Indian media was buzzing with news of Japan opening its immigration program to attract hundreds of thousands of Indians. An article in the Economic Times said  Japan will open up its doors to about two lakh IT professionals from India, and issue green cards to settle down in Japan and support the country's rapidly expanding IT infrastructure, said Shigeki Maeda, Executive Vice President at Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO), a government body, here on Thursday.   “Currently there are around 9,20,000 IT professionals in the country and there is an immediate demand for more than 2,00,000 IT professionals from India which is likely to further swell to 8,00,000 professionals by 2030," he said in his keynote address at the India-Japan Business Partnership Seminar, which was jointly organised by Bangalore Chamber of Industry and Commerce and Jetro.  The Japanese Immigration Bureau, Ministry of Justice has published a guide that expl...

In a historic decision, China on Sunday removed the two-term limit on presidency, clearing the decks for the all-powerful President Xi Jinping to rule the world's most populous country for life. Scrapping the 35-year old rule brought by "paramount" leader Deng Xiaoping to prevent the country from returning to one-man rule like that of Mao Zedong, China's largely ceremonial parliament amended the Constitution by lifting the two-term limit. With term limits gone, Xi can rule China until he retires, dies or is ousted. President Xi Jinping (image: online media) He is already dubbed as the country's next Mao, founder of modern China who ruled from 1949 until his death in 1976. Of the 2,963 deputies (lawmakers) of the Chinese parliament, three abstained and two voted against the proposal to amend the Constitution. China watchers say the country, which has a one-party rule, could well be headed for a single-man rule. Xi, who succeeded Hu Jintao in 2012 a...

Googled image - Gentleman Cadet Om Paithane Om Paithane used to drive an Ola cab in Pune till a retired colonel boarded his cab and inspired him to think big. The chance meeting with the retired colonel led to an introduction to Lt Col Ganesh Babu, Director, Armed Forces Officers' Selection Orientation Programe (AFOSOP), who guides the youth for joining armed forces. The son of a security guard-cum-watchman, Om, is expected to pass out from the Chennai-based Indian Army's Officers' Training Academy (OTA) on March 10 2018. After his graduation, Paithane appeared for CDS exam and was invited for an SSB interview The retired officer was his constant source of inspiration, he says. Gentleman Cadet Om Paithane was quoted saying “My father was a driver who had lost both his legs in a road accident and was working as a watchman. I had to support the family while studying for final year BSc computer science but I got arrears. So I started to drive for Ola. One day, a ret...