New law requires Indian schools in Saudi Arabia to teach local history and geography

New Delhi, Sept 8: The UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has arrived in New Delhi, India on Friday, September 8, 2023. He arrived in the country ahead of the G20 summit set to take place in the capital.

Leaders from all over the globe have been arriving into the country for the 18th summit with its theme being 'One Earth, One Family, One Future'.

The UAE's participation in this year's summit as a guest country comes at the invitation of India, which is the presidency of the G20. This reaffirms the UAE's commitment to making a positive contribution to the work of the G20, with a focus on the priorities set by the Indian presidency for the summit.

As the host of the United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP28) in 2023, the UAE will focus on its pivotal role in enhancing global climate action, in line with the common goals and aspirations of the G20 and COP28.

Through its pioneering agenda in the clean energy sector and Net Zero by 2050 climate neutrality initiative, the UAE has doubled its efforts through the Sherpa meetings of the G20 Finance Tracks.

The UAE's participation in the G20 pre-summit meetings this year was notable for its presentation of case studies on the most successful and latest practices in the country related to development, public policies, systems, and legislation. These practices were published by the G20 in various fields and reports, reflecting the UAE's development across a range of sectors.

The G20 countries are the UAE's largest trading partners, accounting for 43 per cent of its non-oil exports and 39 per cent of its re-exports. They also account for 67 per cent of the UAE's commodity imports.

Riyadh: The Indian Engineers Forum – Saudi Arabia (IEF KSA) has announced the results of the elections held on Thursday, August 31, 2023. Er. Mohammad Sayeeduddin, for the Position of Chairman (IEF KSA) and Er. Farhan Ahmed Hashmi – for the position of General Secretary (IEF KSA), have been elected unopposed.

The election process for these positions was conducted in strict adherence to the guidelines and procedures outlined in IEF Charter. We ensured that every member's voice was heard, and that the elections were fair, transparent, and conducted with utmost integrity. First and foremost, we would like to express deepest gratitude to all the candidates who participated in this election. 

Er. Mohammad Sayeeduddin shall be replacing Er. Amir Khan, who led the IEF successfully as Chairman for the last 15 years. During his tenure IEF expanded its chapters in five major cities of the Kingdom, namely Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Yanbu and Jubail. It is a unique and only organization in Kingdom representing Indian Engineers and Technical Manpower of India.

Er. Mohammad Sayeeduddin is an Electrical Engineer worked in Saudi Electricity Co for 23 years is an active social activist. He was also the President of Jeddah Chapter.

While Er. Farhan Ahmad Hashmi is a Computer Engineer and a Business Coach with an MBA from UK, he has been working in management positions in the Kingdom for the last 18 years. He was also the President of IEF Riyadh Chapter.

Under the leadership of above Team, IEF shall continue to fulfil its mission of Building a Better Tomorrow.

The IEF KSA also wants to emphasize that its strength lies in its democratic values and the active participation of its members. The IEF KSA’s continued success depends on the continued involvement and dedication of its members to its shared goals.

The IEF KSA thanks all of its members for their support and looks forward to working with them to achieve even greater things in the future.

About the Indian Engineers Forum – Saudi Arabia

The Indian Engineers Forum – Saudi Arabia (IEF KSA) is a non-profit organization operating under the patronage of the Embassy of India and is dedicated to promoting the interests of Indian engineers in Saudi Arabia. The IEF KSA provides a forum for engineers to network, share knowledge, and advocate for their professional interests. The IEF KSA also organizes a variety of events and activities to support the professional development of its members.

IEF Chapter Presidents

Riyadh: Er. Syed Faisal; Jeddah: Er. Mustafa Khan; Dammam: Er. MZ Nadeem; Jubail: Er. Tasneem Akhtar; Yanbu: Er. Quadeer Baig

Er. Masood Ali,
Head Election Committee, IEF

New Delhi, Sept 22: The Parliament passed the Women's Reservation Bill which mandates a 33 per cent reservation for women in both the Lok Sabha (House of the People) and state assemblies.

Speaking on the passage of the Women's Reservation Bill, BJP leader Tarun Chugh said, “It is the determination and dynamic leadership of PM Modi that the Women's Reservation Bill, stalled for over three decades, was passed in the Parliament."

The Rajya Sabha (Council of States) unanimously passed the Women's Reservation Bill, garnering support from 214 members, and none opposed it. The members expressed their approval through enthusiastic desk-thumping. Members of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and extended their greetings. A day earlier, the Lok Sabha (House of the People) also passed the Bill, with a significant majority of 454 members voting in favour of the legislation, while two members opposed it.

Congress MP Ranjeet Ranjan said, “The bill has been passed in both House. This is a historic moment the women in our country. We demanded the bill to be implemented immediately and include OBC reservations as well."

Meanwhile, BJP MP Sushil Modi hailed Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam and called it a historic moment.

“All the members have experienced the history of every moment that how society is changing. The face of the Parliament is changing. We are proud that we are a part of this historic moment and to get the opportunity to pass this bill which will change the image of the country and the Parliament."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met the women MPs after the passage of the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam. "It is gladdening to see the torchbearers of change come together to celebrate the very legislation they have championed. With the passage of the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, India stands at the cusp of a brighter, more inclusive future with our Nari Shakti being at the core of this transformation." tweeted PM Modi.

BJP MP Diya Kumari thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying, "Women are celebrating today. We are very happy with the passage of this Bill. PM Modi has finally made this dream come true. This piece of legislation was the need of the hour and he (PM Modi) realised it. He spearheaded efforts to have the Bill tabled and passed in all of two days."

Congress MP Joshimani, too, expressed her delight over the Bill's passage, saying, “We are happy that this important piece of legislation is finally close to seeing the light of day."

Meanwhile, Congress leader Rajani Patil said that the bill should be implemented immediately in 2024 Lok Sabha elections and include OBC reservations as well. We should not wait for delimitation or census."

Congress MP Deepender Singh Hooda says, “The importance of this bill would have increased if it was implemented in this (2024 Lok Sabha) elections. We have no idea when the bill will be implemented...after census or delimitation? There were demands from the OBC community which the govt did not approve. We demand the bill to be implemented immediately."

The Rajya Sabha had previously passed the Women's Reservation Bill in 2010 while the Congress-led UPA government was in power. However, the bill was not considered by the Lok Sabha (House of the People) and consequently lapsed in the lower House of Parliament.

Speaking on the Bill, Congress MP KC Venugopal said that the bill is passed but we have put the two major amendments. "The first is to include OBC reservation, which the govt denied and the second is to implement the bill immediately. Our demand was to do it for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, which was also denied by the govt. This is a little disappointing."

Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia hailed the Women, “Today the real foundation of women empowerment has been established by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Today is a historic day for the country..."

Artist Malini Awasthi said that for many decades, there was a demand that women should also get full representation. “They should get their rights. We always say that they are half the population, every political party used to talk about it, but this time Modi govt took the initiative and all the opposition parties also supported it. This is a sign of India's healthy democracy and will send a huge message to the world..."

BJP leader Bansuri Swaraj said, "You know that our population has increased so once the census is done delimitation will happen and boundaries of each constituency will be redrawn and then the 33% reservation will be implemented."