Saudi based Islamic bank enters India, first branch in Gujarat

[email protected] (CD Network)
June 1, 2016

Ahmedabad, Jun 1: The Saudi Arabia-based Islamic Development Bank (IDB) is set to start its India operations from Gujarat. The international financial institution which has its headquarters in Jeddah has chosen the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to set up its first branch in India. The state will also get 30 medical vans as part of IDB's social sector initiatives.

jeddah

Islamic Development Bank headquarters located in Saudi Arabia's Jeddah.

IDB's main objective is to foster the economic development and social progress of member countries as well as the Muslim community in accordance with principles of Shariah (Islamic law). The bank has 56 Islamic countries as its members.

The developments follow an agreement between India's state-owned Exim Bank and the Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD), a private-sector arm of the IDB group, as part of deals signed during Modi's trip to Saudi Arabia in April.

The IDB, a multilateral lender with an authorised capital of $100 billion, counts 56 Muslim nations as its members. Most of these countries belong to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.

ISLAMIC BANKING: SOME FACTS 

  • It is a finance system based on the principle of not charging interest, which is prohibited under Islam. Now, it goes by a more formal moniker – participatory banking.
  • Instead of charging interest, the lender shares a part of the profit – or loss – with the borrower
  • It is open to non-Muslims as well
  • By 2020, the global Islamic banking industry profit pool is expected to reach $30.3 billion.

Its India operations will be led by Zafar Sareshwala, a prominent Muslim businessman from Gujarat whom the Modi government appointed chancellor of the Maulana Azad National Urdu University soon after assuming office.

The agreement in Jeddah was signed by Exim Bank regional head Tarun Sharma and ICD CEO Khaled Al Aboodi in the presence of Ahmad Javed, India's ambassador to Saudi Arabia.

To be based in Ahmedabad, the bank will offer interest-free capital to business startups, including small and medium enterprises within India, marking the entry of the Islamic banking – also known as participatory banking – into the country.

According to an Exim Bank statement, the IDB's bigger role will be in the $100 million (about Rs 670 crore) credit line it has pledged “with the aim of facilitating the export of goods and services from India to ICD's member countries”.

“The ICD will be open for business to all Indians, regardless of religious background. In Malaysia, the KFC chain runs on ICD finance although it is owned by a Chinese firm. Some people have this unnecessary issue with Islamic banking, which is actually known as participatory banking across the globe now,” said Sareshwala, who has been named as a director for the bank's India operations.

The IDB has also promised $55m (about Rs 380 crore) for a state-of-the-art rural mobile medical network – the first leg of which will be launched in Gujarat.

The IDB, which complies with global Islamic finance norms, does not charge interest on loans because the religion prohibits it. Instead, it charges a part of the profit and also shares any losses with the borrower.

According to the EY's World Islamic Banking Competitiveness Report 2016, Global Islamic banking assets would have reached US$1 trillion by 2015-end.

Comments

Ahmed
 - 
Thursday, 2 Jun 2016

Poorna Prakash, Mangalore
We have since long following banks
Catholic Syrian Bank
Nakodar Hindu Bank
The Hindu Co-Operative Bank Ltd.

But, you have a problem as soon as we get a Islamic bank.
This is nothing else but, intolerance.

Don't forget another bank: The Hindu Vote Bank.

Rikaz
 - 
Wednesday, 1 Jun 2016

Why feku's state is getting all of those facilities? why don't they bring it to Karnataka....

suresh
 - 
Wednesday, 1 Jun 2016

All the investment only to gujarat? Why? This investment will be mis used by Gujju's as it says if the business in loss it will be shared by both. gujju's are well known how to make them fool. This will create more mallya;s in Gujarat.

moshu
 - 
Wednesday, 1 Jun 2016

Hope one day rss will understand islam well and will follow the rule of Allah

moshu
 - 
Wednesday, 1 Jun 2016

Siddarth mumbai openly backing his hawala racket crooks operating by his modi govt

Naren kotian
 - 
Wednesday, 1 Jun 2016

It is done to curb India's black money outflow and inflow by hawala means ..since 90% of hawala transactions are mostly encouraged by just particular section ...anyways since they have given 100 million credit line ..so we have ample opportunity to export pig related products to 56 Islamic countries ..hahaha ...nia monitoring is must as terrorists are most likely to use this bank ...

muhammed rafique
 - 
Wednesday, 1 Jun 2016

Appreciate Modi's wisdom in realising the importance of Islamic banking

Rizwan
 - 
Wednesday, 1 Jun 2016

Good initiative by P.M , i appreciate his move. Both india and KSA will be benifited by this.

Asif
 - 
Wednesday, 1 Jun 2016

Al Hamdlillah... itrs great news... waiting from a long time... hope it soon opens its branches all over India.

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News Network
March 5,2020

Bengaluru, Mar 5: The Karnataka government has constituted a competent authority for I Monetary Advisory (IMA) cases under the KPIDFE (Karnataka Protection of Interest of Depositors in Financial Establishments) Act, 2004, which is required to call claims from erstwhile depositors of the IMA group of entities under the provisions of the Act, said Harsh Gupta, Special Officer and Competent Authority for IMA cases.

In order to ensure transparency and to avoid harassment to the claimants, an online application software has been developed for accepting claims from the depositors, Gupta stated.

"The claim application can be filed from any of Banglore-1, Karnataka-1 and Seva-Sindhu Kendras of the state government in person or through online. The required documents can be submitted using e-attestation along with claims or at a later date, but prior to the claim settlement. The details of authorities for e-attestation will be informed later," the official stated.

The claimants will have to provide Aadhaar authentication based identification or identification by the designated officer based on alternate documents; current mobile number and address among others.

The details of the draft claim filing process has been put for public feedback on website 'imaclaims.karnataka.gov.in'. The depositors can give their feedback on the website, WhatsApp number or email, Gupta stated.

Based on feedback received from the depositors, the claim process and the claim application software will be finalised, the official said and further informed that the start date for acceptance of claims will be informed through wide publicity at a later date.

"There will be a total time period of 30 days for submission of the claims from the start date of acceptance of claims," Gupta said.

An SIT was investigating the multi-crore IMA Jewels case, where the firm had allegedly cheated a large number of investors after promising them impressive returns on their deposits. The SIT has already arrested several government officials and questioned others including politicians in the matter.

The prime accused and Managing Director of IMA Mohammed Mansoor Khan, who had fled the country after several complaints were registered against him in connection with the scam, has also been arrested.

The state government had constituted an SIT to probe the scam when it first came to light in June earlier this year when more than 4,000 investors trooped outside the showroom after an audio clip purportedly recorded by Khan went viral.

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News Network
May 6,2020

Mangaluru, May 6: The Karnataka NRI Forum - UAE has collected the details of those seeking to return to Karnataka amidst coronavirus lockdown.

Of these, 121 of these expats are pregnant women, 27 are senior citizens, 157 are in urgent medical need, 522 are unemployed, 377 are in the UAE on visit visa, 109 are in the UAE on expired residency visa, 30 are students and 566 others.

On Tuesday, May 5, the Government of India released a list of flight schedules for the repatriation of Indians who are stranded abroad. "...sadly we do not see any flights going from UAE to Karnataka," the KNRI said in a letter to Union Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers D V Sadananda Gowda, who is also a Kannadiga.

"We, Dubai Anivasi Kannadigaru and KNRI have collected the information of those who are in dire condition and would like to travel immediately. We would like to bring to your attention that in this list there are pregnant women and senior citizens who are in critical conditions and are waiting to travel," the KNRI wrote, urging the Union Minister to start at least one flight to Mangaluru as the majority are from this coastal city and not from Bengaluru.

Additionally, in order to help these struggling Kannadigas, the KNRI has notified the Government of India and Government of Karnataka several times through letters and conference calls, along with the Kannadiga's helpline, UAE.

With the help of likeminded businessmen and professionals, the KNRI Forum and Dubai Anivasi Kannadigaru have opened a helpline called "Kannadigas Helpline" through which they have received around 2,500 requests for food, medical, legal and other assistance.

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News Network
May 30,2020

Bengaluru, May 30: A city corporator in Bengaluru was sent into quarantine on Saturday after he tested positive for the coronavirus infection, officials said.

"Yes, I have tested positive," Padarayanapura municipal ward corporator Imran Pasha told some news channels.

The JDS corporator said he would quarantine himself as per the regulations.

The entire area where Pasha lives was cordoned off.

Health workers reached there in an ambulance and gave him a personal protection gear to wear and he was taken to a designated hospital.

Reacting to the development, Karnataka Revenue Minister R Ashoka claimed Pasha hardly paid heed to the COVID-19 regulations.

"He rushes to all those places wherever there are positive cases...," Ashoka told reporters.

Padarayanapura was declared as a containment zone earlier with a few cases coming to the fore.

It was in this area where some policemen and health workers were attacked when they went to quarantine a few primary and secondary contacts of a COVID-19 patient about a month ago.

Following the incident, about 125 people were arrested, and later quarantined after a few of them tested positive.

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