Dr Zakir Naik’s passport revoked after NIA’s request

Dubai, Mar 3: Abu Dhabi-based Indian retail tycoon MA Yusuff Ali has become the first Indian to receive Saudi Arabia's premium residency, his office said in a statement on Monday.

Yusuff Ali, 64, is the chairman of the LuLu Group, who was ranked the richest expat in the UAE by the Forbes magazine last year.

The permit, informally known as Saudi Green Card, grants expatriates the right to live, work and own business and property in the Kingdom without need for a sponsor, the LULU group said in a statement.

The introduction of the Premium Residency comes as a part of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 reform plan, which was announced by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to boost the Saudi economy, the statement said.

Yusuff Ali said "obviously a very proud and humbling moment in my life. This is a great honour not only for me but for the entire Indian expat community and I sincerely thank the HM the King Salman, HRH Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman and the government of Saudi Arabia."

"@Yusuffali_MA , an investor from India, after obtaining Premium Residency in Saudi Arabia: ''The Kingdom became an attractive investment destination due to the remarkable growth in economy," Premium Residency tweeted on Monday.

Yusuff Ali said he was sure that this new permanent residency initiative will further boost Saudi Arabia's image as one of the key investments and business hubs of the region as well as attract and retain new investors.

This initiative is targeting key investors and prominent personalities from various fields, including sports, arts & culture, who have played a defining role in the nation building process.

The Lulu Group owns and operates more than 35 hypermarkets and supermarkets in Saudi Arabia, which includes ARAMCO Commissaries and National Guards super stores.

Bengaluru, Feb 13: Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Thursday said the government had initiated measures to implement the Sarojini Mahishi report as the 12-hour Karnataka bandh call by several pro-Kannada organisations under the banner of Karnataka Sanghatanegala Okkoota began on Thursday.

“Government always stood for Kannada and Kannadigas and initiated measures to implement the Sarojini Mahishi report,” Yediyurappa said. Meanwhile, in Bengaluru, Ola, Uber and auto services were affected even though buses were plying as usual. Security has also been beefed up in Bengaluru after stones were pelted at a Tirupati-Mangaluru bus in Farangipet, though no one was injured.

Bangalore University has postponed all postgraduate (PG) exams scheduled for today. A pro-Kannada activist, Praveen Shetty, was kept under house arrest and police have detained a few people, including those involved in Cauvery protests and other bandh cases.

The organisations are demanding the implementation of a report by former union minister Sarojini Mahishi that recommends a certain percentage of jobs to Kannadigas in public sector undertakings, private companies, and multinational companies. The report was submitted in 1984 but is yet to be implemented.

Bengaluru, Jun 30: In an attempt to tackle unemployment amidst covid-19 crisis, the Karnataka state government has launched a job portal connecting employers and job seekers.

The portal, 'Skill connect' ( https://skillconnect.kaushalkar.com/ ) provides region-wise and sector-wise job listings. An interested candidate can register on the portal and either apply for jobs or can also seek skill training. 

As on Monday, the portal has 25 registered companies with over 2000 jobs available in various sectors. 

The portal works more or less on similar lines as that of any private job portal, except that those posting jobs and candidates searching for employment will have to register with the Skill Development Department. 

Launching the portal on Monday, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa hoped that the portal would provide an impetus to job creation, as well as the economic revival of the state. 

Deputy Chief Minister Dr. C.N. Ashwath Narayan who is also the skill development Minister added, "All these years, there was no information and communication between job seekers and recruiters. This portal will solve that problem."

Also, until now, there hasn't been comprehensive information either on those seeking jobs or those looking for employees. The skill development efforts have not been in sync with the market. All these issues would be addressed by the portal, he said. 

According to Karnataka Skill Development Authority Managing Director Ashwin Gowda, the portal has already seen a response with about 68 applicants in just a day. 

Officials said even the organisations will have to register with the government while providing all documents concerned. The government aims to avoid any fake job advertisements through this. "We will also enable virtual interviews between the candidate and the employer," sources in the department told DH. 

Recently, the government had also launched a portal exclusively for migrants who had returned to Karnataka from other places. This was meant to work as a skill registry.

However, the portal that was launched on Monday, went a step ahead by connecting both the prospective employers and employees, according to officials in the department.