Satyam employees in Green Card fix

Of the approximately 11,000 employees of Satyam USA, 7,000 are on H1B visas, says Mathew Daniel, a vice president of US operations at the company.

Though Satyam has faced considerable problems following the January 7 confession by its founder Ramalinga Raju of fraud, Daniel says Satyam has no plans to lay off any employees. Though insurance giant State Farm became the latest client to withdraw its contract with the scandal-tainted company, Daniel said Satyam has acquired 15 new clients in January alone.

On the ground, though, reports suggest that many Satyam employees have begun shopping around for alternate employment. Further, those applied for Green Cards through the company could face problems, according to Buffalo, New York-based attorney Danielle Rizzo. "Satyam's fraud has created a minefield of immigration problems for its foreign national employees in the United States," she said.

"It is possible that Satyam's I-140 petitions, whether pending or approved, will be denied or revoked for fraud. An essential piece of an I-140 petition is the petitioner's showing that it has the ability to pay the beneficiary's proffered wages. Satyam has admitted to accounting fraud, meaning that the I-140 petitions all necessarily relied on fraudulent documents," Rizzo said.

"I think the chances of I-140 revocation, even for approved petitions, are quite high. Even though it is not the employees' fault, the petition is filed by the employer and one of the key requirements in an I-140 is the employer's submission of evidence of its ability to pay.

"USCIS regulations require that evidence of ability to pay be submitted in the form of audited financial statements, federal income tax returns, or an annual report filed with the SEC. Clearly any of these documents would have contained fraudulent financial information. It is not only the beneficiary's fraud that would invalidate a petition but the petitioner's as well," she said.

Some of Rizzo's clients have filed petitions on behalf of former Satyam employees. "We have filed for more than two dozen people. Other law offices might also be filing for Satyam employees. We can assume that a sizeable number of workers are moving out," she said.

Those working at State Farm are among the ones leading the rush to the exit. Satyam can farm them out to other clients, but that requires approval from the USCIS, which may not be forthcoming.

The American Competitiveness in the Twenty First Century Act (AC21) permits post-6th year H-1B extensions in three-year increments if their I-140 petition has been approved, and whose priority date is not current. But if the USCIS cancels their I-140 approval later, the employees lose their legal status. They have to start the labour certification process all over again.

The AC21 also allows portability, meaning one can move to another company if his I-140 is approved and his I-485 petition has been pending for 180 days. But if the I-140 is revoked or withdrawn, it is not portable, except if it is withdrawn after the I-485 has been pending for 180 days.

"But revocation for fraud is not a withdrawal; thus the I-140 would no longer be valid for permanent portability purposes. Based on the high likelihood that Satyam's I-140 petitions will all be revoked, the safest course of action for former Satyam employees would thus be to start a new green card application from scratch as soon as possible with a new employer," Rizzo said.

Revocation of an approved I-140 for fraud also results in the beneficiary losing the priority date established by the petition, and underlying labour certification. Satyam employees who find new US employers can start the green card process afresh with a new PERM application. However, if the Satyam I-140 petition is revoked prior to their receipt of a Green Card, the earlier priority date is likely to be lost.

"It would appear that as US companies terminate their contracts with Satyam, there will be US consulting companies vying for those contracts who are more than willing to sponsor former Satyam employees for non-immigrant status and potentially also for new Green Card applications," Rizzo noted. "Because of the legal complications created by Satyam's fraud, however, each of these cases must be carefully analyzed by an immigration attorney."

Officials with Satyam say they foresee no such problems. The Securities and Exchange Commission has not taken any action against the company in the US, and unless the SEC takes action, the USCIS cannot take cognizance, they point out.

'2009 to be most painful for Indian economy'

2009 is likely to be the most painful year for the Indian economy, prophesies Madhabi Puri-Buch, managing director and chief executive officer of ICICI Securities. However, she is optimistic that the two fiscal stimulus packages announced by the Indian government will have a positive impact on the economy, the results of which will surface in 2010.

In a freewheeling interview with rediff.com soon after she took over the reins at ICICI Securities, Madhabi Puri-Buch discussed the current economic scenario, the impact of recession on India, the reasons behind foreign institutional investors not finding India attractive anymore, and the solution to the housing problem in India in the backdrop of rising real estate prices and interest rates showing some degree of volatility.

What's your assessment of the current economic scenario? Everybody's talking about recession. Are we slowly slipping into a recession?

There is actually no doubt about it. The numbers (GDP) have come in. Almost all the economies across the world are showing negative growth and it certainly is a full-fledged recession. I don't think there is any doubt about that anymore.

The expectation is that perhaps in calendar year 2010 we will feel the positive impact of fiscal stimuli doses injected by various nations on the global economy. But at the same time there is worry that while growth will come back there could also be a significant impact on inflation and interest rates. If this happens simultaneously it could be a really difficult period.

However, in India we are fortunate that a large part of our growth comes from domestic demand. Agri sector has done well -- the rabi crop sowing is over now and is expected to be much better than the previous kharif crop as well as much better than the previous rabi crop. So we expect agri sector to grow well.

Manufacturing, perhaps, may see a little bit of a problem. Overall, the general consensus is we will close this year at 7 per cent (GDP growth) and next year possibly in the region of 4 to 5 per cent.

Oprah wants to hear from YOU!

Attention, Oprah Winfrey fans: Now's your chance!

India has always occupied a special place in Ms Winfrey's heart. And now, the daytime talk-show host icon, whose programme is watched the world over, wants to hear your story, literally!

A new section on the Oprah web site, titled 'Share your Story', is asking specifically for Indian women and their tales.

The advert reads:

'Are you a woman living in India who watches The Oprah Winfrey Show? Has the show affected you, or made you think differently about your life? Did you see a specific story or subject on The Oprah Show that impacted your life?

The Oprah Winfrey Show is looking for women living in India whose lives have been changed by watching the show. Please share your story with us.'

After that, a form that asks personal details and provides a space for you to tell your story.

Don't look now, but it seems America is fast becoming a land of Indophiles!

Balaji recalled in Test Squad for New Zealand, Dhawal Kulkarni to make debut

Chennai (24/7 News Network): Medium pace bowler Lakshmipathy Balaji made a comeback to the Indian side after a long gap. The Indian selectors, while picking up the squad for upcoming test series against New Zealand, recalled Balaji to the team, while they gave a chance to fast bowler Dhawal Kulkarni, who did a great job in the Ranji season

Dhawal Kulkarni made his first class debut for Mumbai just six months ago, but he was selected on the basis of his superb performance in the Ranji Trophy. The selectors have announced separate teams for 3 test matches, five ODIs and two Twenty20 games. The New Zealand tour would begin on February 25.

Test Squad: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Captain), Virender Sehwag (Vice-captain), Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, V.V.S. Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma, Munaf Patel, Murali Vijay, Amit Mishra, L. Balaji, Dhawal Kulkarni, Dinesh Karthik.

ODI Squad: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Captain), Virender Sehwag (Vice-captain), Gautam Gambhir, Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Yusuf Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma, Munaf Patel, Irfan Pathan, Pragyan Ojha, Rohit Sharma, Dinesh Karthik, Praveen Kumar.

Twenty20: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Captain), Virender Sehwag (Vice-captain), Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Yusuf Pathan, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Munaf Patel, Pragyan Ojha, Dinesh Karthik, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma, Irfan Pathan, Praveen Kumar.

Orissa train mishap, toll goes up to 16

Sixteen passengers were killed and 161 injured when 13 bogies of the Chennai-bound Coromandel Express from Howrah derailed while changing tracks in Orissa's Jajpur district. The toll can go up, indicate news reports.

A massive operation is stilll underway to rescue passengers trapped in the mangled bogies of the train.

Director General of Police Manmohan Praharaj said 16 passengers were killed, while over 160 were injured, with the condition of many being serious. The driver and the assistant driver of the train were seriously injured.

The bodies of the killed passengers have been recovered, he said. The casualty figure was likely to mount as some bodies were feared trapped in the bogies, some of which had climbed on adjoining ones, railway sources said.

The injured were shifted to the local hospital and the SCB Medical College Hospital at Cuttack, about 60 km from the accident site, railway sources said. Medical teams and ambulances were mobilised from Jajpur, Cuttack and adjoining districts to ferry the injured to hospitals.

Though rescue operations were initially affected due to the darkness, flood lights were rigged up. Orissa Disaster Rapid Action Force teams joined the rescue operation with high-tech equipment.

East Coast Railway General Manager A K Goyal, along with senior railway officials rushed to the site, while Railway Board chairman S S Khurana was likely to visit the spot.

As directed by Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Finance minister Prafulla Ghadai and Women and Child Development minister Pramila Mallick, both of whom belong to Jajpur district, have rushed to the site.

Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav said that a probe will be ordered into the accident.

He also announced Rs five lakh and a job for the next of the kin of the dead, Rs 50,000 for the seriously injured and Rs 10,000 for those with minor injuries.

Free treatment to all injured in the accident has been assured by the Railway Minister. "Minister of State of Railways R Velu, Chairman of the Railway Board S S Khurana and Board member (Engineering) S K Vij will reach the accident spot on Saturday and make an assessment of the incident," Prasad told reporters.

The bogies had rammed in to each other so badly that the passengers were stuck inside and steel cutters, cranes and other equipment were being used to get them out of the mangled bogies, officials said.

A musical legend

Pandit Bhimsen Joshi is only the second classical vocalist to be conferred the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour, the first being the legendary M S Subbulakshmi.

And his choice for the award comes after a gap of seven years -- the previous Bharat Ratna being shehnai maestro Ustad Bismillah Khan.

Mohan Nadkarni, Pandit Bhimsen Joshi's biographer, recalls his long association with the legend in this tribute. Exclusive to rediff.com
It is rare that a biography of an artiste is published during his lifetime; every word in the narration of this biography is truthful.'

This is what the maestro, Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, said, releasing the first edition of my book, titled, Bhimsen Joshi: The Man and His Music, way back in 1983.

And it was the maestro who had visited me at home and asked me to write his life-story! This tiny biography, incidentally, caught the attention of HarperCollins publishers, in collaboration with Indian publisher Rupa & Co. They commissioned me to revise and update the edition and publish it under their joint auspices in 1994.

News of the conferment of the Bharat Ratna, the country's highest civilian award on the maestro, now 87, is indeed like a miracle that has simply happened. Doubly so, in a land where one has to be either thoroughly dead, or get woefully old and ailing to deserve State recognition!

Especially for this writer, only seven months junior to him in age, this great event is truly overwhelming. Indeed, I am at a loss to know what to say, how to say, and how much to say, as I write these lines. I turn nostalgic and my thoughts take me down memory lane. Way back to February 1943 -- February 16, to be precise.

That was the day of his first broadcast from All India Radio, Bombay (as the city was then called). I still remember his programme schedule of three sittings of 20 minutes each: Miyan Ki Todi in the morning (Daiya Bat Dubar); then raga Marwa (Ab Mil Aaye) at dusk; and finally, raga Puriya (Piya Gunawanta), later in the evening.

Like me, whoever might have heard these radio sessions would have been left in no doubt that a brilliant star had risen on the musical horizon.

India, Russia sign $700 million Nuclear Fuel Deal

Moscow (24/7 News Network): India and Russia signed deals worth $700 million, which will supply fuels to India's nuclear reactors. Foreign counties consider India as a potential hub to sell their nuclear fuels. The United States, Russia, France and other European countries are looking forward to build a solid nuclear cooperation with India.

Even as India refused to sign the Nuclear Proliferation Treaty (NPT), the United States ensured the end of India's nuclear isolation in the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).

Russia is currently involved in building nuclear reactors at the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant. It is also planning to build several other plants in India.