Mohammed Saifuddin Sami re-elected President of KNRI Forum-Jeddah

Media Release
July 8, 2018

Jeddah: The 11th annual general body meeting of the Karnataka Non Resident Indian (KNRI) Forum, Jeddah was held at The Village Restaurant, Jeddah on the 29th of June 2018.

Dr Firoz Mullah officially announced the start of AGBM and introduced himself to the audience as host of the event and briefed about the KNRI forum, introduced the guests and entertained the audience with his fluent Kannada language.

Program started with the welcome speech by Mohammed Kaleem Cultural Secretary of the forum, he officially welcomed all the executive committee members, life & regular members, sponsors and guests to the meeting & explained basic objectives of the forum while welcoming.

General Secretary Yashwanth Amin highlighted Annual Report of the forum through 3D animated power point presentation which was featured with Aims, Objectives, Mission, Vision and the Achievements for the year 2017-2018. 

He presented detailed information in each category, like education, medical, Swachh Bharat (toilets projects) back home. He was excited to inform about the opening of new Bank Account and getting the Forums Pan Card of forum from the government of India, he also said that KNRI has initiated and registered the KNRIs to get the NRK cards with the help of NRI Forum Karnataka who have issued the NRK cards soft copies.  During the presentation video clips of last year’s events were shown specially the memorable Kannada Rajyotsava day 2018 celebrated last year in the month of November and it was applauded by the whole members in the hall.

Mr. Aijaz Ahmed Treasurer presented the financial report through power point presentation and highlighted the receipts & payments, Income & Expenditures details for the year 2017-18 as of March 2018.  He also informed about the renewal of the Forum’s certificate as per the State Government of Karnataka Society Act.

Outgoing President Mohammed Saifuddin Sami in his speech, thanked all the executive members for tremendous support, he briefed the activities of the KNRI Forum and explained about the great achievements in his tenure, he requested members to introduce more Kannadigas to the forum and strengthen it. He thanked Life members, Sponsors and regular members for their generous support for the forum and he also thanked the KNRI team in India including Vasu Manchegowda, Syed Shakeel and Harsha for their continuous support extended in Forum’s official works back home, President extended his special thanks with standing ovation to the outgoing General Secretary Yashwanth Amin for his dedicated services to the forum all the time.

Ex-President Krish Jangal was felicitated during the event for his services towards the forum and was presented with memento as a token of appreciation, Krish Jangal said in his farewell speech as he is transferred to Riyadh and leaving Jeddah shortly, it was a pleasant journey being connected with KNRI Forum since its inception.  He wished new committee to take the forum in higher level under the new president ship.

Dignitaries and sponsors were presented with flower bouquets as a token of appreciation.

Jalal Baig officially delivered the vote of thanks, he thanked outgoing President, distinguished Guests, valued Sponsors, Life members, and he expressed deep sense of appreciation towards the outgoing executive committee for their hard work, he also thanked the presentation team headed by Mohamed Arifulla Shariff for his professional & deck perfect presentation.

New office bearers for 2018-2019

As a second part of the event Shaikh Saoud and Dr. Ashfaque Maniyar conducted the election to elect the new executive committee, explained the bye laws & election procedure. They inducted four new members to the executive committee and two as standby members  from different parts of Karnataka namely Movin Rego, Mohammed Faizal, Shadab Desai, Asif Roshan,  Lukhman Ali Khan &  Shaikh javed.

Mohammed Saifuddin Sami elected unanimously for the second term as President. The new team under him is, vice Presidents Dadapeer Hayath & Mohammed Arifullah Shariff, Peter Mascarenhas General Secretary, Jalal Baig as Joint Secretary, Aijaz Ahmed as Treasurer, Nazeer Ahmed as Joint  Treasurer, Altaf Almelker as Meeting Coordinator, Asif Momin as Sports Secretary, Asif Roshan as Joint Sport Secretary, Mohammed Kaleem as Cultural Secretary, Rajesh Suvarna as Joint Cultural Secretary, Mahboob Ali Khan as Press Secretary, Dr. Firoz Mulla, Faizee Razak and Mohammed Faisal  as  Membership drive Coordinators, Suresh Babu – IT Coordinator.

Executive Committee Members elected were, Yashwanth Amin, Mohammed Mansour, Syed Kowsain Pasha, Syed Nasir Khursheed, Mohammed Saleem Khalifa, Mohammed Ilyas Momin, Ashfaque Maniyar, Shaikh Saoud, Mukarram Khan, Mohammed Saheb, Habeeb Rahaman,  Manzour Ahmed, Movin Rego,  Shadab Desai, Mohammed Faizal & Asif Roshan.

Mr. Mohammed Saifuddin Sami expressed his happiness and gratitude in his speech after elected as President, he thanked all the members for showing confidence in him once again and he will continue to put all his efforts with the dedicated support from the new team to take the KNRI Forum, Jeddah to further higher levels.

The newly elected General Secretary Peter Mascarenhas while speaking thanked all the executive committee for giving chance to work as Gen Secretary, he said he will do his best to support the team as a Gen secretary.

Syed Nasir Khursheed the outgoing Vice President congratulated the President & the new team.

Dadapeer Hayat & Mohammed Arifulla Shariff thanked all members for electing them as Vice Presidents, while speaking Dada Peer said our team has enough talent and they are passionate towards social works.

Newly inducted Executive members expressed their happiness to be part of KNRI family, they said for the past 1-2 years they were watching the community activities of the Forum which inspired them to join the forum to extend their support for the benefit of the community through KNRI and they said we feel overwhelmed due to warm welcome from the senior members of the Forum.

As a part of entertainment segment Mohammed Kaleem, Altaf Almelkar and Mohammed Saifuddin Sami sung all-time favorite Kannada patriotic songs, melodious Kannada and Hindi Songs. Program concluded with delicious dinner served by The Village Restaurant followed by photos session.

Mukkaram Khan delivered the vote of thanks in which he expressed deep sense of appreciation towards all the members for attending this event and making it successful and thanked everyone separately, also thanked those who helped the forum directly or indirectly.

Comments

Well Wisher, Riyadh
 - 
Monday, 9 Jul 2018

Dear Sir,

A serious attention is needed to fix the website. People are not able register online.

http://www.nriforumkarnataka.org/registration2/register_new_2.0.php

 

It shows name of states/regions while selecting the country. I had earlier sent an email to key contacts mentioned in the website, but unfortunately mail was returned.

Very funny part is Saudi Arabia's name is not listed & many spelling mistakes, very unprofessional website. I think it was created by those who does not know anything about the world.
 

A serious attention is required NRI officials from Saudi Arabia

shaikhsaoud
 - 
Sunday, 8 Jul 2018

Congratulations KNRI FORUM JEDDAH..

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coastaldigest.com news network
January 19,2026

badriya.jpg

Mangaluru: The Phase I project of Badria Vision 2028 was formally launched at a ceremony held at the Badria Campus on January 17, marking an important step in the institution’s long-term development roadmap.

The programme was attended by P.B. Abdul Hameed, Secretary of the MEA, and P.C. Hasir, Correspondent of the MEA, who presided over the event and underscored the institution’s commitment to growth and academic excellence.

Office-bearers of the Badria Alumni Association were present in large numbers, including A.K. Sajid (President), Shamsuddin and S.M. Farooq (Vice-Presidents), Shaheed (General Secretary), and Khaleel (Treasurer), reflecting strong alumni engagement in the initiative.

The gathering was blessed by Sayyid Shamsuddeen Basith Thangal Kukkaje, Qateeb of Zeenat Yatheem Bakshi, who led a special dua seeking divine guidance and success for the project.

The ceremony also witnessed the participation of prominent alumnus and local corporate professional Abdul Latheef, along with alumni members Naushad, Kalandar, Safwan, members of the core committee, and several other former students.

A key moment of the event was the formal handover of a cheque to Ameen Woodland Architect, signalling the immediate commencement of construction work under Phase I of the project.

Organisers said the launch of Phase I reflects a shared vision, institutional unity, and collective resolve to realise the objectives of Badria Vision 2028.

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News Network
January 23,2026

Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot read only three lines from the 122-paragraph address prepared by the Congress-led state government while addressing the joint session of the Legislature on Thursday, effectively bypassing large sections critical of the BJP-led Union government.

The omitted portions of the customary Governor’s address outlined what the state government described as a “suppressive situation in economic and policy matters” under India’s federal framework. The speech also sharply criticised the Centre’s move to replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) with the Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, commonly referred to as the VB-GRAM (G) Act.

Governor Gehlot had earlier conveyed his objection to several paragraphs that were explicitly critical of the Union government. On Thursday, he confined himself to the opening lines — “I extend a warm welcome to all of you to the joint session of the State legislature. I am extremely pleased to address this august House” — before jumping directly to the concluding sentence of the final paragraph.

He ended the address by reading the last line of paragraph 122: “Overall, my government is firmly committed to doubling the pace of the State’s economic, social and physical development. Jai Hind — Jai Karnataka.”

According to the prepared speech, the Karnataka government demanded the scrapping of the VB-GRAM (G) Act, describing it as “contractor-centric” and detrimental to rural livelihoods, and called for the full restoration of MGNREGA. The state government argued that the new law undermines decentralisation, weakens labour protections, and centralises decision-making in violation of constitutional norms.

Key points from the unread sections of the speech:

•    Karnataka facing a “suppressive” economic and policy environment within the federal system

•    Repeal of MGNREGA described as a blow to rural livelihoods

•    VB-GRAM (G) Act accused of protecting corporate and contractor interests

•    New law alleged to weaken decentralised governance

•    Decision-making said to be imposed by the Centre without consulting states

•    Rights of Adivasis, women, backward classes and agrarian communities curtailed

•    Labourers allegedly placed under contractor control

•    States facing mounting fiscal stress due to central policies

•    VB-GRAM (G) Act accused of enabling large-scale corruption

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News Network
January 20,2026

Mangaluru: In a major step towards strengthening rural innovation, the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) to the Government of India is supporting the establishment of RuTAGe Smart Village Centres (RSVCs) across the country through collaborations with academic institutions, civil society organisations and philanthropic partners.

As part of this national initiative, Nitte (Deemed to be University) will set up the first RSVCs in the region at Nitte GP in Udupi district and at the Nitte Health Centre, Sevanjali Trust, Farangipete, in Dakshina Kannada district. The centres will be inaugurated on January 21. In South India, the programme is being implemented by the Section Infin-8 Foundation (SI-8).

Speaking to reporters on Monday, SI-8 founder-director Vishwas US said experts from Nitte University and SI-8 would work closely with farmers, students, youth and local entrepreneurs to adapt and deploy technologies tailored to local needs.

Project head Prof Iddya Karunasagar, representing Nitte DU, said the RSVCs at Nitte and Farangipete would serve as demonstration hubs for a wide range of agriculture, energy, skill-development and assistive technologies. These include solar dryers for fruits, vegetables and crops; soil-testing solutions; power weeders and women-friendly farm tools; wind-powered devices for rural artisans; grain storage systems; grass-cutting and tree-climbing equipment; and liquid fertiliser production using cowshed waste.

SI-8 CEO Aravind C Kumar said the centres would also provide access to digital and knowledge-based platforms such as ISRO applications, government scheme portals, market linkage tools and gamified learning resources, along with assistive technologies for persons with visual impairments.

Highlighting the broader impact of the initiative, Principal Scientific Adviser Prof Ajay Kumar Sood said it demonstrated how applied research could bridge the rural–urban divide and help create self-reliant, technology-enabled villages.

The initiative has been made possible through philanthropic support from Dr NC Murthy of ACM Business Solutions, LLC, USA. Dr Sapna Poti, Director (Strategic Alliances) at the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser, said the long-term objective is to build self-sufficient, technology-driven communities capable of generating sustainable livelihoods on their own.

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