Salaries to rise by 14 per cent in 2008: Report

NDTV Reports: The explosive rate of growth in India has created a phenomenal demand for talent so much that wages are forecast to rise by 14.4 per cent during the year 2008, says a latest report.

''Wages are forecast to rise by 14.4 per cent during 2008, the fifth successive year of double-digit growth. This far outstrips wage inflation in China (8.6 per cent in 2007) and is second only to Sri Lanka, where wage growth has been driven by high inflation,'' global management consultancy firm HayGroup said.

The high level of demand for experienced employees is driving wage inflation and creating a culture of job-hopping.

Staff turnover of 20 per cent or more is not unusual in high-demand sectors such as the service industry, as talented workers jump from employer to employer, following the promise of even higher wages.

''Reward programs of companies are in crisis as wage inflation is witnessing an upward spiraling and staff turnover rates hit new highs,'' the HR consultancy firm said.

''In an environment where employees can achieve a pay rise of between 40 per cent and 50 per cent by moving to a competitor, they are unlikely to stay put,'' HayGroup added.

India, our home country is growing at a scorching pace leaving all others behind. If you're not in touch with the latest in India, you are bound to miss out on so many opportunities. One of the ways i keep in touch with the latest in India is through my favorite TV news channel NDTV 24x7. It is available here in the US on DirecTV's satellite TV service.

England to launch IPL rival in 2010

I am tracking the current IPL tournament on NDTV 24x7. It's practically impossible for me to watch a match everyday so the news channel is my best resort.

NDTV 24x7 came up with an interesting story on England's version of the IPL.
England is to launch a tournament to rival the Indian Premier League (IPL) jointly with an American billionaire who said Twenty20 cricket could replace football as the world's top sport, it was announced on Friday.

David Collier, chief executive of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), said the tournament, to be bankrolled by Antigua-based Texan billionaire Allen Stanford, will kick off in 2010 because of commitments in 2009.

"We've had some very positive and constructive discussions with Sir Allen during the last week. I think Sir Allen has certainly mentioned 2010 and I think that's the more likely (date)," Collier said on Friday.

However, the representative for England's cricketers - shut out of the IPL by their bosses - warned that an English Premier League would need the agreement of India, "because that is where the money is".

Collier said discussions with Stanford, who runs a Twenty20 championship in the Caribbean, were "well advanced" and also included plans for a one-off 10 million pound winner-take-all tournament between England and the West Indies.

"Twenty20 has the potential to be the most popular team sport in the world in maybe less than 10 years. But it's going to take a highly organized efficient management team to run it," he said.

Its a good thing these Cricket boards are catching on to the T-20 bandwagon. I wish the ECB all the best. Maybe a match between the teams of both the boards can be arranged in the future.

The news channel is available in the US only through DirecTV.

Dhoni eyes win against Mumbai Indians

NDTV Reports: Hyped as one of the favourites to clinch the title, Mahendra Singh Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings will be aiming for their second successive win when they take on Mumbai Indians, once again sans Sachin Tendulkar, in the Indian Premier League match on Wednesday.

Both teams have international stars capable of winning a match one their own but Dhoni was confident about keeping their slate clean.

With some solid batting, the Chennai team had posted a 12-run an over average in their first match against Kings XI Punjab on Saturday, which they won by 33 runs.

But their not so effective bowling in the absence of new ball specialists Makhaya Ntini and Albie Morkel, who are yet to join the team, makes them a tad vulnerable.

The Mumbai team, on the other hand, would be gunning for their first win in the tournament after losing to Rahul Dravid-led Bangalore Royal Challengers on Sunday. The team will once again be without Tendulkar, who is recovering from a groin injury and would be led by Harbhajan Singh.

It will be interesting to see Harbhajan and Matthew Hayden facing each other after their acrimonious face-off during India's tour of Australia earlier this year. IPL is turning out to be much more exciting as previously thought... I'm sure it will go a long way to make the game more popular not just in India but also around the world!

Knight Riders tame Deccan Chargers

Kolkata Knight Riders carried their winning momentum from Bangalore to their home ground as they beat Deccan Chargers by 5 wickets to record their second win of the Indian Premier League at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

Deccan Chargers, defending a total of 110, started off well with the ball as they had Knight Riders 21/3 at one stage. But David Hussey (38) had other plans as he played anchor's knock and guided his team to victory. He understood the nature of the pitch well and didn't let his aggressive instinct take charge. However, he did hit three long sixes in the death overs to take his team closer to the target.

I catch up on news related to India only on NDTV 24x7 since it is the only channel that provides comprehensive and accurate news. People in the US can access this channel only through DirecTV.

Bangalore awaits the clash of 'kings'

NDTV Reports:

Cheerleaders from the US, Hindi and Kannada film stars, foot-tapping music and a laser show will herald cricket's richest event, the Indian Premier League, with Bangalore Royal Challengers taking on Kolkata Knight Riders at the Chinnaswamy stadium in Bangalore on Friday.

With two 'Kings' - the king of good times Vijay Mallya and the king of Bollywood Shah Rukh Khan - owning the Challengers and Riders respectively, nearly an hour of glitz and glamour show will precede some serious Twenty20 cricket between the teams led by two former India captains, Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly.

The stadium surroundings bear the unmistakable stamp of flamboyant Mallya with gates named after liquor brands of his United Breweries group and colourful posters and banners showcasing the entertainment and excitement in store for over four hours Friday night.

Mallya has roped in DNA Networks, a Bangalore-based event management company that has brought several leading rock bands and pop singers and groups to the city, to organise the entertainment part.

A group of 12 Washington Redskins cheerleaders will be the showpiece of entertainment. The group has been in Bangalore for over four days practising steps to Hindi film tunes. The group has also been training some Indian girls to join them in the show, and plans to leave behind a fully trained Indian cheerleaders group.

Oh boy.... its difficult to contain the excitement. But guys don't miss out all the post match analysis on NDTV 24x7...only on DirecTV....

Sachin not to run in Olympic torch relay

After footballer Baichung Bhutia, master blaster Sachin Tendulkar has decided not to take part in the Olympic torch relay in New Delhi.

The torch is expected to arrive in the capital from Islamabad later on Wednesday.

Tight security arrangements have been made in India for the relay on April 17.

The torch relay has been marred with disruptions in London, Paris and San Francisco by Tibetan protestors.

I got this latest update on NDTV 24×7. It is an excellent news channel for NRIs since it provides the most comprehensive news related to India. DirecTV makes it possible to access this channel in the US.

IPL goes high on Bollywood quotient

NDTV Reports: Say IPL and chances are you'll think just as much of Shah Rukh, Preity, Akshay and Hrithik as you will of Sourav, Yuvraj, Sehwag and Sachin.

The Indian Premier League has some glamorous cricketers associated with it, and also some even more glamorous film stars as brand ambassadors. So it would seem the contest will be as much off the field as it is on it.

Hrithik Roshan is the sixth film star to be associated with the IPL. So it would seem the IPL isn't just about cricket. A large component also has to do with India's other big love - films.

But will the IPL survive this Bollywood hype to emerge as a cricket league with the game at its heart or will teams like the Kolkata Knight Riders and Punjab Kings remain in the shadows of their more famous owners?

Shah Rukh Khan, who owns the Kolkata team, says "I can't sell the cricket, just the entertainment part of it. The cricket will have to sell itself."

So while the stars off the field do their bit to market their teams, the stars on the field will have to work just as hard.

But there are still three IPL teams that haven't yet jumped on to the Bollywood bandwagon - Hyderabad, Bangalore and Jaipur.

While Hyderabad is likely to get Sania Mirza cheering for them as an unofficial brand ambassador, team Jaipur doesn't think it will hurt their cause at all.

Shane Warne, the captain and coach of the Jaipur team, says "Shane Watson can play the guitar, he is composing a song. Some of the boys here are good-looking; they can have a career in Bollywood. But they need to play good cricket first."

"To promote it is great but I am not sure how many film stars can play cricket or how many cricketers can be film stars either," Warne says.

"So every one is good at something. It is great that many film stars are involved in IPL. I think that is fantastic for the game. If they can play cricket come and play, come down on the nets and bowl and bat with us."

IPL is one of the best things to have happened to Indian cricket in a long time. I hope the true purpose of the tournament is served and new faces can be discovered for the Indian national side. I love watching the cricket show on NDTV 24x7 which is available here in the US only on DirecTV.

Virginia Tech massacre victims to get $11 mn settlement

NDTV Reports:
Survivors and families of victims of last year's Virginia Tech massacre, in which 32 people including two Indians were killed, will share a settlement from the state of Virginia worth more than $ 11 million, their lawyers said.

''The historic settlement agreement with the Commonwealth of Virginia will result in more than $ 11 million in financial compensation, health benefits and non-monetary assistance for surviving family members and victims of the April 16, 2007 massacre at Virginia Tech,'' attorneys Peter Grenier and Douglas Fierberg said in a statement.

In exchange for ''the substantial consideration they will receive under the settlement agreement, the families agreeing to this settlement are waiving their rights to sue the Commonwealth of Virginia,'' Fierberg said.

Virginia Governor Tim Kaine called the deal ''a reasonable resolution'' to the horrific shooting rampage one year ago that killed 32 students and staff at the school, wounding dozens of others.

''For several months, the victims and victims' families, their counsel, Virginia Tech, and officials of the Commonwealth have worked with serious commitment and diligence toward a reasonable resolution and response to the legitimate needs, interests and concerns arising out of that horrific event,'' he said.

The governor added that a proposal for resolution has now been accepted by a substantial majority of the victims and victims' families. He, however declined to release details of the agreement.

This will definitely remain a blot on the entire US education system. Studying in the USA is highly rewarding barring these unfortunate incidents. Control of use of guns is a step in the right direction.

A1 catching up with F1

For all the motor sports fan Formula1 is the real McCoy, including me. But Narain Karthikeyan believes A1 Grand Prix's six-year deal with Ferrari will throw a real challenge to F1.
I am an ardent fan of F1, visit the website daily, read and watch everything that I can lay my hands on. But I saw this news only on NDTV 24x7.

Karthikeyan is hopeful that sooner than later the all-Ferrari A1 race will debut on Indian soil. This would be simply fantastic. The sport has definitely gained popularity due to Vijay Mallya's Force India. A1, nowhere close to F1 but a motor sport can benefit from the new breed of F1 fans in India.
NDTV 24x7 had a crisp coverage on Fisichella's performance in the VJM01, the Force India's contender. The news channel is available in the US through DirecTV amongst other Indian channels. DirecTV is the only satellite TV provider to offer a bouquet of Indian channels.

Indian workers from Mississippi seek UN help

NDTV reports: Frustrated with the uncaring response from the US and Indian governments, about a dozen Indian guest workers on Tuesday knocked the door of the United Nations for justice.

Claiming to represent over a 100 Indian guest workers, who had last month revolted against their US employer for allegedly putting them under slave like conditions, the workers met Craig Mokhabir; Deputy Director, New York Office of High Commission for Human Rights.

Mokhabir, who patiently listened to the woes of the workers for nearly half an hour and appeared to be sympathetic with the plight of these workers, however, failed to give any concrete assurances to these pleading Indian workers, who now face an uncertain future.

We told him about all our issues. He said it is definitely a human rights violation that has occurred here. He said he would do the maximum, he can do in his capacity, said Justin Poulse, one of these workers, who were hired by a US company, Signal International in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina to work at a Mississippi dock.

Having quit the job in protest against what they claim as the slave like treatment to them, these workers have filed a class action law suit against their US employer. With their legal status in doubt, these workers told NDTV.com they would stay in the US to fight for justice and tell the world that workers are still being treated like slave in a country like this.

We hope that the UN would help us get justice, said Rajan P, one of these workers after they met Mokhabir. Speaking in Malayalam, through an interpretator, Poulse and his other colleagues said they were deeply disheartened by the poor response from the Indian Government, in particular Indian Embassy in Washington, and the US Government so far.

We have been unsuccessfully crying aloud for justice so far, said Jashy Mathai. He said that all of the about 100 workers who have been running the campaign have put in all their money they had earned here to fight out for the cause.

Not yet decided, what their next course of action would be, Mathai said: Our decision is that we would continue our satya-graha until we get justice. From now, he said the workers would split themselves to continue with their agitation in New York, Washington and New Orleans.

In all more than 500 Indian guest workers were hired by the Signal International to work in the US. The workers claim that they were promised green card and paid $20,000 for this. On arrival in the US, the workers claimed, that were cheated on this account and further they were mistreated and put under slave like conditions.

The US company has denied any mistreatment, but has decide to temporarily stop recruitment of workers in India and initiate action against the recruitment companies in both India and the US, who hired there workers on their behalf.

Its hard to believe such exploitation takes place even in the USA. These workers need to be given justice. If America can't do it, there's not much hope for countries like China where such atrocities are carried out by the state. NDTV aired insightful story about this issue last night. I'm glad I could watch it on my DirecTV.

India's Big cinema chain in US

Anil Ambani promoted Reliance Entertainment Pvt Ltd (REPL) is all set to start its cinema chain in the US under the brand name Big from next month. More than 200 theatres will screen Hindi as well as regional films from India.

Confirming the schedule, a company official said: "We are still renovating and refitting the cinemas we have acquired in some cities there. A formal announcement about their opening will be made later."

Over the last one year, Reliance Entertainment has acquired over 200 cinema halls in 28 North American cities, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, Detroit and Washington.

Taken on a long-term lease, these theatres will bear the company's entertainment brand name Big, and not Adlabs, as REPL's cinemas in India are called.

This is great news for Bollywood fans in the US. This news was brought to me by on NDTV 24x7. The channel provides up–to–the–minute, 24/7 news with unparalleled coverage of the latest in Indian & international news. It is available through DirecTV in the US.

IITs to double fees from next session

Following the IIMs, the IITs are slated to hike their fees from the next academic session.

Students who get admission to IITs will have to pay approximately Rs 50,000, which is almost double the present fee.

The IITs say that if they had got more funds from the government, they wouldn't have been forced to increase their fees.

They say that a lesser budget affects the research work and hinders the institutes from sending students and tutors to international conferences.

Four years ago, the government had agreed to give the IITs a fixed amount, known as a block grant. However, rising inflation levels had not been factored into that amount.

This news is available on NDTV 24x7. DirecTV makes it possible to access this channel in the US and also guarantees excellent picture and sound quality.