Nod to NRI Commission in Punjab

Chandigarh - The Punjab Government has approved the setting up of a four-member state commission for the NRIs with a view to protecting and safeguarding the interests of the NRIs in the state.
Disclosing this here today, an official spokesperson said a retired judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court would head the commission. The other members would be an IAS officer (not below the rank of Principal Secretary/Financial Commissioner) and an IPS Officer (not below the rank of ADGP).
The spokesperson said two members would be nominated from amongst the persons having knowledge of matters and issues relating to the NRIs. The secretary, ex-cadre from the PCS, would be the executive officer of the state commission.
The state government would appoint the chairperson and the members for a period of three years. A chairperson or a member would be eligible for reappointment for another term of three years. June 24, 2011

North American Punjabi Association welcomes NRI Commission announced by Punjab govt

Saturday, 25 June 2011

MILPITAS(California): )The President of North American Punjabi Association (NAPA)  Satnam Singh Chahal expressed his appreciation and satisfaction in response to the decision by Punjab government to constitute a Commission headed by a Retired High Court Judge to redress the grievances of Non Resident Indians.

In a press statement issued on behalf North American Punjabi Association which, is voice of Punjabi community in North America, Chahal thanked the Punjab government for this land mark decision to establish a special Commission with Judicial powers to deal with problems faced by the N.R.I. Punjabi community. The Commission will eliminate inordinate delays in providing prompt justice in long pending civil and judicial cases.. 

Punjab has a substantial population of NRI”s  (around 5 million) which is likely to be benefited with the formation of this Commission headed by a Retired High Court Judge.. This has been long standing demand of the Punjabi community and NAPA has been voicing it in various political forums and bringing it to the attention of lawmakers and administrative officials. In the early part of the year in February 2011, a 12 member NAPA delegation under the leadership of  Dalwinder Singh Dhoot called on the Chief Minister of Punjab, S. Parkash Singh Badal and other leaders and brought to their attention, the problems faced by the NRI Punjabi community. It is a matter of great satisfaction and we take this opportunity to thank government of Punjab for its timely consideration.Explaining briefly the salient features of the Commission, its constitution, operational guidelines and its impact in bringing change in the existing system, the Napa spooksperson explained that this Commission  has been necessitated on account of disputes regarding property, inheritance, matrimony, child custody and loans and investments. These take a very long time to be settled in regular courts and as such there is need for independent statutory body for quick disposal of cases with in a stipulated time frame.

##ad_2##The Independent statuary Commission will cut procedural delays and will be outside the domain of courts, except the high court. It will be headquarted at Chandigarh and headed by a chairperson who has been a judge of the high court. The Commission   will have  four members who are experts in matters of law, social welfare and public administration. The North American Punjabi Association President further stated that the constitution of this Commission by the Punjab Government is a welcome news for redressal of grievances of Punjabi NRI”s. It may not be a panacea of all ills and perfect solution but is definitely a step forward in right direction. Answering questions Mr. Chahal was quick to acknowledge that since now NRI’S are granted the right to vote, the Punjab government has taken their demands more seriously. Concluding the press statement the Napa Spooksperson thanked the Punjab Press and the National Media for high lighting their legitimate grievances and bringing it to public attention.

Punjab to set up 4-member NRI Commission

CHANDIGARH: Punjab Government has approved setting up of a four-member State Commission for NRIs with powers of a civil court with a view to safeguard the interests of the community in the state.
The Commission would be headed by a retired judge of High Court, an official spokesman said.
The other members include an IAS officer not below the rank of Principal Secretary or Financial Commissioner to the state government and an IPS officer not below the rank of ADGP.
Two members would be nominated from among persons having knowledge of matters and issues relating to NRIs. The Secretary, ex-cadre from PCS, would be Executive Officer of the State Commission.

The chairperson and the members would be appointed by the state government for a period of three years.
A chairperson or a member would be eligible for reappointment for another term of three years.
The Commission would have all powers of the civil court trying a suit, particularly in the matters like summoning and enforcing the attendance of any person, examining him on oath and requiring the discovery and production of documents.
It will also have powers related to receiving evidence on affidavits, requisitioning any public record or copy thereof from any court or office, issuing commissions for the examination of witnesses and documents and any other matter which may be prescribed.
The commission would be based in Chandigarh but can hold its sittings and meetings at any place within the state, the spokesman said.
The members of the commission would function in accordance with rules framed by the government. The state government will consult the commission on all major policy matters affecting the NRIs, said the spokesman.
 Jun 24, 2011, 04.57pm IST

S. Koreans file class action suit against Apple

On Wednesday August 17, 2011, 6:44 am EDT

More than 20,000 South Korean iPhone users filed a class action lawsuit Wednesday against US technology giant Apple for alleged privacy violations over the collection of location data, a law firm said.
The suit came after lawyer Kim Hyung-Suk was awarded one million won ($933) in compensation in June, the first such payout by Apple's Korean unit, following an interim order by a court in the southeastern city of Changwon.
Kim has since led online preparations for a class action suit against Apple and its South Korean unit.
The suit filed Wednesday involved 26,691 people demanding one million won each, a spokesman for Kim's firm Miraelaw said.
"We... electronically filed a suit seeking compensation from Apple and its South Korean unit for emotional damage caused by illegal location tracking by Apple's iPhone," the law firm said in a statement.
A separate suit involving another 921 people will be filed soon after they submit necessary paperwork, it said.
Apple Korea spokesman Steve Park declined to comment.
Apple in May released updated software for iPhones to fix "bugs" that resulted in location data being unencrypted and stored for up to a year. South Korea has about three million iPhone users.
South Korea's telecoms regulator said in early August it would fine Apple Korea up to three million won over the disputed feature.
The move followed a probe launched by the regulator in April to check if the collection of location data from iPhone users violated privacy rules.