Happy New Year

Now

At 00

Hours

I would

like to put

up a tree in my

heart, and instead

of hanging presents,

I would like to put the

names of all my friends.

Close friends and not so close

friends. The old friends the new

friends. Those that I see every day

and the ones that I rarely see. The ones

that I always remember and the ones that

I sometimes forget. The ones that are always

there and the ones that seldom are. The friends of

difficult times and the ones of happy times. Friends

who, without meaning to, I have hurt, or, without meaning

to have hurt me. Those that I know well and those I only know

by name. Those that owe me little and those that I owe so much.

My humble friends and my important friends. The names of all those

that have passed through my life no matter how fleetingly. A tree with

very deep roots and very long

and strong branches so that

their names may never be

plucked from my heart. So

that new names from all

over may join the existing ones. A tree with a very

pleasant shade so that our friendship may take a

moment of rest from the battles of life. “May the

happy moments of TODAY brighten every day of

“YOUR LIFE”. This is my sincere wishes !

Tax rates for NRIs are no different from those for residents

Tax rates for NRIs are no different from those for residents

Sandeep Shanbhag
I have been informed that recently, there has been a change regarding the procedure and documents required to be submitted by an NRI for effecting a remittance out of India. What is the exact nature of this change? — Saurabh Gupta
Yes, the remittance procedure has been modified from July 1, 2009. Earlier, for effecting the remittance, the NRI needed to submit a certificate from a chartered accountant (CA) and an undertaking detailing the transaction and the bank account to which the remittance is to be credited. Now too, the same details are required albeit in a modified format.
The CA certificate is to be provided in prescribed Form 15CB. Also, now the undertaking needs to be submitted in Form 15CA. The information to be furnished in Form 15CA is to be filled using the information contained in Form 15CB (certificate). Form 15CA has to be then uploaded on www.tin-nsdl.com. The remitter will then take a print out of this filled up Form 15CA (which will bear an acknowledgement number generated by the system) and sign it.
The duly signed Form 15CA (undertaking) and Form 15CB (certificate), has to be submitted to the bank who will in turn forward a copy the certificate and undertaking to the assessing officer concerned. Once this is done, the funds may be remitted abroad.
Please note that though the procedure seems complicated at first glance, it basically amounts to filling out of two forms, one of which will be done by the chartered accountant concerned. The other one has to be filled online and then printed out with the system generated acknowledgement number. Submission of both these documents is all that is needed to effect the remittance.
I have a small apartment on the outskirts of Mumbai which I have let out for a rent of `11,000 per month. I have no other income in India. Would I have to pay any tax on this income in India? Would the tax be payable if I were to gift the rental income to my retired parents who live in India? Would they have to pay tax on this gifted amount? — Nalanda
The tax rates for NRIs are not different from those applicable to resident Indians.
Income up to `1.6 lakh is not taxable. Since your income from rent would amount to `1.32 lakh only, there would be no tax payable on rent in India. Any monetary or non-monetary gifts made to parents are not taxable. There is no limit on the amount that can be gifted as well as the number of times it can be gifted.
The writer is director, Wonderland Consultants a tax and financial planning firm. He may be contacted at sandeep.shanbhag@gmail.com

Source:http://epaper.dnaindia.com/dnaahmedabad/epapermain.aspx?queryed=5&username=&useremailid=&parenteditioncode=5&eddate=12%2f10%2f2010

Gujarat - The land of the Legends

Tourism promotion now on mobile eatery's menu

Hijackk, a restaurant on wheels, will soon serve diners information about various tourist attractions in Gujarat. Not only this, it will also offer booking facilities to people keen to explore such places. This initiative to promote tourism is the result of a strategic tie-up between the restaurant and state-owned Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Limited (TCGL).

Hijackk is basically an eatery on a double-decker bus. In a short period, it has become quite popular. An official of TCGL said that the restaurant had been appointed as an official partner for providing tourism-related information and booking services.

Interestingly, as part of the agreement, the mobile eatery will organise trips for sightseers. It will halt near heritage places such as Sabarmati Ashram and Adalaj ni Vav; shrines like Akshardham Temple in Gandhinagar and Modera Sun Temple in Motera and institutes like MICA and IIMA. A visit to Tata Motors’ Nano plant in Sanand is also under consideration.

“It (Hijackk) is doing good business. It attracts people who don’t mind spending lavishly. This is one of the reasons why we have entered into a tie-up with the restaurant,” a senior tourist officer of TCGL, H D Pradhan, said. “We are confident that the move will help promote tourism in Gujarat.”

Pradhan said that participants of the forthcoming Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors’ Summit could board the restaurant on wheels for sightseeing. Anirvan Dam, the director of Moistclay Entertainment & Media that owns Hijackk brand, said that the company was planning to start more such eateries.

“We see 1,500 to 1,800 visitors every month. We now plan to introduce seven Hijackk buses. Of these, one will be started in Surat and one in Rajkot,” he said. “By the end of this financial year, our monthly footfall should go up to 7,000.” Hijacck is also working out packages for local, national and international clients.
We see 1,500 to 1,800 visitors every month. We now plan to introduce seven Hijackk buses

— Anirvan Dam, director of Moistclay
Entertainment & Media that owns Hijackk
Source: Ahmedabad Mirror 30th November, 2010

NRG secures plot near SG Highway for Rs 34 cr

The land, which belonged to Heart Foundation and Research Institute, was sold for Rs 92,000 per sq yard as against the current price of Rs 70,000 to Rs 75,000 per sq yard

A plot of 3600 sq yard near S G Highway gone for Rs 34 crore in an auction held on Monday. The land, which belonged to Heart Foundation and Research Institute, was sold for Rs 92,000 per sq yard as against the market rate of Rs 70,000 to Rs 75,000 per sq yard.

According to sources in charity commissioner office, Bharti Dhanak, a Dubai-based Gujarati, has bought the land. Dhanak owns jewellery business in Dubai. The auction was carried out at the charity commissioners office where some local developers also took part.
Source: Ahmedabad Mirror 30th November, 2010

asiatic lion sasan gir gujarat-APAL WEBSOLUTION-RAJKOT

A Film on BRTS Janmarg

NRIs secure voting rights in India

Finally, NRIs secure voting rights in India

New Delhi: A longstanding wish of millions of NRIs for voting right in India has come true with the Centre issuing a notification to this effect to enable them to exercise their franchise.
Parliament had in the monsoon session passed the Representation of People (Amendment) Bill, 2010 to allow NRIs to vote in Indian elections and now government has issued a gazette notification in this regard.
“Gazette notification has been issued giving voting rights to Non-Resident Indians,” overseas Indian affairs minister told Lok Sabha, replying to a question.
An estimated 11 million NRIs are living in various countries across the world.
However, the person will be able to exercise the franchise only if he or she is present in the constituency on the polling day.
Ravi said NRIs, “who have not acquired citizenship of any other country and are living abroad owing to employment, education or otherwise, are now eligible to register their names in the electoral rolls” in their places as mentioned in their passport.
He said the Election Commission is likely to soon finalise the rules and regulations prescribing modalities for entry of names of NRIs in electoral rolls.
The government had decided to allow the NRIs to participate in the democratic process to further boost the two-way engagement.
As per the existing rules, an NRI’s name gets deleted from the voters’ list if he or she stays outside the country for more than six months at a stretch.
The new law will allow an Indian citizen residing abroad to enroll in voter’s list and exercise his franchise even if he or she remained away from place of residence in India for more than six months owing to employment, education or otherwise.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, addressing the Pravasi Bhartiya Divas earlier this year, had indicated that Indian passport holders living abroad could get voting rights by the time of next Lok Sabha elections in 2014.

Source: Times of India 25th November,2010

Looking to buy a house? Wait till March next year.

Those of you who wanted to buy a house, but have found the prices too steep, can take heart. If realty experts are to be believed, the coming March will see property prices coming down. The past one year has seen investor groups from across the country and abroad pumping money into Ahmedabad’s realty market.

Developers have taken advantage of this and hiked the residential property rates, comparing the city with metropolitan cities like Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore.

This had resulted in the investors’ share in residential segment going up to 75 per cent. According to experts, this is not an ideal situation for real estate. Hence, realty experts and consultants are expecting around 25 per cent correction in the residential property by March 2011.

Mukesh Vasani of City Estate Management said, “Investors’ share in residential segment here has gone up to 75 pc. Of which, 50 pc comprise investors from Mumbai, Pune, Delhi, NRGs and NRIs.”

Moreover, Vasani added that around 50-odd under construction schemes will produce an additional 12,000 to 15,000 unit houses. So, the investors of overpriced properties are willing to exit first. Same is the case with the small-time investor, he said.

Ashutosh Limaye, associate director (Strategic Consulting), Jones Lang LaSalle Meghraj, agrees with the trend. Explaining the reason for the looming crises, Vinod Thakkar, CEO of Square feet realty firm in Mumbai, said, “IT cities such as Pune, Hyderabad, Banglore and Chennai are still struggling to come out of the financial crisis. Hence, the realty market there is unstable, whereas Delhi and Mumbai have become super-speculative markets. The outskirts of Mumbai is also seeing some correction. For example, Kalyan has a poor infrastructure and is far away from the city.

Thakkar, who has opened a branch here, is hopeful. “Gujarat being a progressive state and Ahmedabad being the financial hub, it is seeing robust realty boom. This has motivated other state investors to pump in money here. If this continues, it can go the Mumbai way.”

Ahmedabad Mirror, 22nd November, 2010
Kuldip Tiwari

Canada PIOs must give up Indian passport.

Persons of Indian origin (PIOs) will now have to formally renounce their citizenship and surrender their Indian passport after acquiring foreign citizenship, according to new rules circulated by the Indian high commission here.

Canadian PIOs will have to pay a fee of $168 to get their Indian passport cancelled by the country's mission here.

"New rules require that Indian citizens acquiring foreign citizenship on or after June 1, 2010, must formally renounce Indian citizenship," the mission statement said.

But those who have acquired foreign citizenship before June 1, 2010, will be exempted from paying the so-called renunciation fee of $168.

On surrender of their Indian passport, PIOs will be issued a 'surrender certificate' which they will have to produce when seeking Indian visa or PIO card or OCI (overseas citizenship of India) card, according to the new rules.

On surrender of their Indian passport, PIOs will be issued a 'surrender certificate' which they will have to produce when seeking Indian visa or PIO card or OCI (overseas citizenship of India) card, according to the new rules.

The statement said, "It is a punishable offence under the Indian Passport Act 1976, to apply for an Indian passport re-issued or travel on an Indian passport after acquiring foreign citizenship." - IANS

Source: Times of India, 17th October 2010

Special airfare for Gujaratis visiting state during Swarnim celebration

With A view to attract Gujaratis living outside the state to the Swarnim Gujarat celebrations, the government has announced a special package with low airfare.

Gujaritis flying down to the state between April 25 and May 5 will be given the benefit of low fares. A government statement on Wednesday said state Civil Aviation minister Saurabh Patel has announced this package. “This special discount will be given to Gujaratis flying from Coimbatore, Chandigadh, Guwahati, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi and Bangalore so that they can attend the golden jubilee celebration of the statehood of Gujarat,” said Patel.

The statement added that Jet Airways has announced that it will give 30 to 50 per cent discount during the period of Swarnim Gujarat celebrations.

The statement quoted Naved Desai, the Chief of Jet Airways in Gujarat as saying: “Travellers will get 30 to 50 per cent discount between April 25 and May 5 under the Swarnim Gujarat Air Package.”


Express News Service Tags : celebrations, airlines Posted: Thu Apr 22 2010, 02:59 hrs Ahmedabad:

Statue of Unity, The World’s tallest statue will be here in Gujarat

Statue: Statue of Unity
Depicts: Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
Place: Sadhu dwip, Narmada dam, Gujarat
Height: 182 metres
Installed: Proposed
Source: ahmedabad mirror

Gujarat-origin woman among richest in Thailand: Forbes

Published: Saturday, Sep 4, 2010, 11:09 IST
By DNA Correspondent | Place: Ahmedabad | Agency: DNA


Young entrepreneur Nishita Shah Federbush is in the club of richest in Thailand. The 30-year-old woman of Gujarati origin, who has her business empire in Bangkok, has found a respectable place in the Forbes report on Thailand’s 40 richest people.

The report published on September 1 puts Shah in 24th rank with net worth of $340 million. Shah dropped three ranks down from the 21st rank in 2009, although she has gained $60 million in her net worth. In the Forbes list of 2009, her net worth stood at $280 million.

Nishita Shah is director of her family’s business in Precious Shipping Public Company Ltd, a dry bulk shipper founded by his father, Kirit Shah. She is holding the position in the company since 2002. She holds around 9.85 crore shares, which account for 9.48% of the total paid-up capital of the listed company. Precious Shipping has a fleet size of 44 ships.

She is also director in other non-listed companies, including Globex Corporation Ltd, Graintrade Ltd, Unistretch Ltd, and Geepee Air Service Ltd.

Nishita’s father Kirit founded the group in 1989 and subsequently took it public in 1993. Her family migrated from India to Burma and then to Thailand many years ago.
The wealth was calculated using share prices and exchange rates as of August 20, 2010. Shah has been regularly in the Forbes list of richest in Thailand. In 2008, she was ranked 19th with net worth of $375 million while in 2007 she was ranked 12th with net worth of $350 million.

Nishita has done bachelor of science in business administration with concentration in finance and business law from Boston University School of Management.
She is also a licensed pilot. Besides, she owns a clothing company called Burn Baby and has launched her own fashion label ‘Nsha’.

The company’s first chapter opened more than 150 years ago. That’s when her forefathers named - Khetsee and Devjee-from Gujarat migrated to the boomtown of Bombay where they planted the roots of their business.
In 1868, one of Devjee’s sons and a business associate established an office in Rangoon of what was then Burma, and the GP Company became a bona fide business.
Named after the two men, Gangjee Premjee & Co traded only in rice sourced from Burma, Vietnam and Thailand, which was then sold mainly to the Middle East and Africa.

In 1918, Gangjee Premjee & Co sowed new seeds by moving its operational base to the Thai capital of Bangkok.Premjee’s son Chimanlal was the only non-Chinese rice trader in the capital.The Premjee family later adopted the surname ‘Shah’.
In 1976, Chimanlal’s only son, Kirit-then aged 22-was told by his father to circumnavigate the globe to meet present and future customers.

'The Gujarat'

Gujarat State's Brand Ambassador Shri Amitabh Bachchan visited 'Akshardham Temple' ,Gandhinagar

"Raksha Bandhan"

Rakhi Day is Righteous Day
by A.P.J.Abdul Kalam

This full moon day our hearts are in brim
Feeling of faith and serenity in mind.
We light the lamps and our hears glow
Radiance of happiness and peace are in flow.
Harmonious homes are like streams of joy
Flowing and flourishing the landscape en route.
Nobility in heart and character in deed
Righteous homes alone make a beautiful State.
Sisters will tie the thread on the brothers
Abiding them to do only what is right and clean.
Put the Kumkum and blessed rice on the head
Where will dwell right thoughts and noble action.

Important Visitors

From Left Government of Gujarat's NRG Foundation Director Shri Sanjay Patani, Gujarati Community leader from Texas, USA Shri Ashok patel, President of AIANA and Gujarati Community leader and organizer of 'CHALO GUJARAT' in USA Shri Sunil Nayak, NRG Committee Chairman Shri K.H.Patel, NRG Committee members Shri Amit Oza, Shri Prafful Nayak and Shri Digant Sompura.

Important Visitors visits

Form left NRG Committee member Shri Nirav Mahadeviya, NRG Foundation Director Shri Sanjay Patani, Gujarati Community leader in Atlanta, America Shri Ruchitaben Patel, NRG Committee Chairman Shri K.H.Patel, Businessman in New Jersey Shri Munjal Barot, AMC Corporated Shri Madhuben Patel, NRG Committee member Shri Digant Sompura

India

Ahmedabad Civil Hospital gives Nigerian kid voice & life.

Hope was fast fading for Ifeoluwa Adeyemi, 8, when he came to Ahmedabad from Nigeria suffering from complete kidney failure, deafness and Hepatitis C.

On Sunday, he will fly home with new-found health, his ears soaking up new sounds and his lips babbling new words. Not just corporate hospitals but even public hospitals like the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital are now proving to be a one-stop medical destination for critically ill patients with multiple problems from abroad.

Doctors say that Ifeoluwa is a rare case. "He is the first child with Hepatitis C to undergo transplant for renal failure and deafness. There are 12 cases reported in the world of children with deafness and renal failure," said Dr Rajesh Vishwakarma, head of the ENT department at Civil Hospital.

The surgeries were risky but Ifeoluwa has done well. "A kidney donated by Ifeoluwa's father was transplanted to him at the Institute of Kidney Disease and Research Centre (IKDRC) in January 2010. After this, his parents insisted on a cochlear transplant to treat his deafness. This was risky since the boy was on immunotherapy after kidney transplant and there was a high chance that his body would reject the implant. But he healed perfectly after the surgery and the machine was switched on in July," said Dr Vishwakarma.

Ifeoluwa is the only son of his parents and was born perfectly healthy. Measles struck when he was four months old which left him deaf. As Ifeoluwa's mother Foluke, who used to serve in the army before she joined her husband in computer software business, was looking for a cure for his deafness, the child was afflicted with malaria which damaged his kidneys.

"We did a lot of research and zeroed in on Ahmedabad Civil Hospital as a lot of people from Africa come to IKDRC for kidney transplant. Now, my son got a fresh lease of life and he also tries to say Mamma and Dada," Foluke said.

Times of India, Radha Sharma, Aug 8, 2010

Jityu Maru Garavi Gujarat

New Indian Coin

New Indian Coin

હું ગુજરાત છું ......

જેના મેળામાં રાજુડીનો ને’ડો લાગે છે એ ગુજરાત.
જયાં રૂપની પૂનમ પાછળ પાગલ થઇ અફીણી આંખના ગીતો ઘોળાય છે, એ ગુજરાત.
ઘોલર મરચાંના લાલ હિંગોળક રંગનું ગુજરાત.
શિવતાંડવમાં પડેલા સતીના હૃદયને ગબ્બર પર સાચવીને બેઠલું ગુજરાત.
ફળફળતાં ઢોકળાં જેવું નરમ અને માફાળા ગાડાની ધુંસરી જેવું નક્કર ગુજરાત...........

હું સિકસર મારતી વખતે યુસુફ પઠાણના કાંડાની ફૂલી ગયેલી નસમાં રક્ત બનીને ધસમસું છું,
અને પરેશ રાવલના ચહેરા પર અંકાતા રમતિયાળ સ્મિતમાં ઝગમગું છું. હું હેમુ ગઢવીના કસુંબલ કંઠનો અષાઢીલો ટહુકો છું અને કલ્યાણજીભાઇએ કલેવાયોલીન પર છેડેલી બીનની સર્પિલી તાન છું. કેડિયાની ફાટફાટ થતી કસોને તોડતો માલધારીનો ટપ્પો છું, અને દામોદર કુંડની પાળીએ ગિરનારી પરોઢના સોનેરી ઉજાસમાં કેસર ઘોળતું હું નરસિંહનું પ્રભાતિયું છું. ભારતની વાંકી રે પાઘલડીનું ફુમતું છું, મારું પોત કચ્છના રણની ધોળાશ જેવું નિષ્કલંક છે તો મારા હૃદયમા તે ? રણની વિશાળતા છે, નર્મદાનું પાણી મા ગુર્જરીનું ધાવણ છે. હું ગુજરાત!!!!!!!!!

સમગ્ર પૃથ્વીના પટ પર માત્ર એક ? એવું હું રાજય છું, જેણે બે રાષ્ટ્રોના રાષ્ટ્રપિતાઓ સજર્યા છે.
મારા કાઠિયાવાડના પોરબંદરમાંથી ભારતના મોહનદાસ કરમચંદ ગાંધી અને મોટી પાનેલીમાંથી મોહમ્મદઅલી જીન્નાહ! મારામાં જગતના ઇતિહાસને પડખું ફેરવીને પલટાવી દેવાની તાકાત છે,
અને તાનસેનના દિલ્હીમાં ઉઠેલા દાહને વડનગરમાં શમાવી દેવાની અમીરાત છે.........
મારામાં ધરતીની છાતી ચીરીને નકશો કંડારનારા ઇન્દુલાલ યાજ્ઞિકો વસે છે, અને નકશાઓનો એકઝાટકે આકાર બદલાવી દેનાર સરદાર પટેલ પણ શ્વસે છે.શ્યામજી કૃષ્ણ વર્માની ક્રાંતિ મા હું છું, ફિલ્ડ માર્શલ જનરલ સામ માણેકશાની જીભ પર મારી ભાષા હતી, અને ભારતભરમાં ક્રિકેટનો પાયો નાખનાર જામ રણજી મારી ગોદનું ફરજંદ હતો. મારા સંતાનો વિના ભારતના ફિલ્મ ટીવી યુગનું અસ્તિત્વ નથી. મહેબુબખાનથી મનમોહન દેસાઇ, આયેશા ટાકિયાથી હિમેશ રેશમિયા સુધી ગુજરાતની અહાલેક વાગે છે........

ભારતની છાતી પર પેદા થનારાઓને મારા ખોળામાં માથું મૂકીને દેહત્યાગ કરવો ગમે છે. કાલિંદીની પાણીદાર લટો સાથે અઠખેલિયા કરતાં ભારતવર્ષના યુગપુરૂષ ગોમતીના કિનારે છબછબિયાં કરવા અહીં આવીને વસ્યા. હા, કુરૂક્ષેત્રની વચ્ચે ગીતા સંભળાવનાર યોગેશ્વર અને શરદપૂનમની રાતલડીએ ગોપીઓને નચાવનાર મુરલીધરનું હું ઘર છું. હું હસ્તિનાપુરના સિંહાસનને ઘુ્રજાવનાર સુદર્શનચક્ર છું, અને દ્વારકાધીશના સુવર્ણકળશ પર ફરફરતી બાવન ગજની ધજાનો ઠસ્સો છું. ભારતની સૌથી લાંબી પદયાત્રા કરીને હિમાલયના ઉત્તુંગ ગિરિશિખરોમાં ટટ્ટાર ઉભા રહી, રામેશ્વરમના દરિયા કિનારે ચરણ પખાળી, નીલકંઠવર્ણી સ્વામી સહજાનંદ પણ મારા હૈયે આવીને વસ્યા, મારા થઇને વિકસ્યા............ ....

હું આખા એશિયામાં સંભળાતી ગીરના સિંહની ખુમારીભરી ડણક છું અને એવા ડાલામથ્થા સાવજની કેશવાળીમાં આંગળીઓ ફેરવનાર આપા દાના જેવા સંતોના ભજનોની ચાનક છું. હું પરબવાવડીના ફડહ રોટલાની બાજરી છું અને જલારામ વીરપુરની બુંદીનું બેસન છું.

It is all set to showcase it cultural heritage and prop up beaches to attract tourists.

In a bid to develop tourism, the state government has decided to develop eight tourist hubs. They are;

Ahmedabad city, Ahmedabad rural, Vadodara, Surat, Rajkot, Junagadh, Jamnagar & Bhuj, informed tourism minister Jaynarayan Vyas while addressing the media.
Vyas said the state government would focus on heritage-tourism, religious-tourism, and adventure tourism and will use its 1600-km wide seacoast to prop up beach-tourism.

Vyas said the tourists are already attracted to the 270 beaches in different parts of Gujarat, and to encourage the tourist the state government has been contemplating to hold beach festivals at selected every year. “This would help them to know the beach and environment around it,” he added.

The tourism minister said that the state government is going to develop 36tourist destinations, suggested by CEPT, with facilities like drinking water supply, roads, sanitation, garden and sitting arrangements. He said international conference of bird watcher s is going to be held at Khijadiya sanctuary in Jamnagar district.
Vyas said the state government is keen on showcasing the architectural heritage including buildings, government offices, places and havelis. “People here, enjoy variety of fairs and festivals. The state government arranging festival like Vibrant Navratri and International Kites festival, Rann Mahotsav etc. to attract tourist from all over the globe,” he said.

He said the state government is in developing places associated with Budhhism. A seminar for the same was held in January 2010.

To provide skilled man power to the tourism sector, government has tied-up with Ahmedabad Management of Association (AMA) and Institute of Hotel Management. It has decided to organize a B2B travel mart in December to acquaint national and International travel agents and tour operators with various tourism products of Gujarat.

Ahmedabad Mirror, 22nd July, 2010.

Liquor permit procedure.

In India we have two states, which are known as dry states. One is Gujarat and second is Mizoram (It is one of the Seven Sister States of North Eastern India)

This article is about liquor permit procedure in Gujarat.

When you first arrive in Ahmedabad (Gujarat) you will be able to get a tourist liquor license for 1 month by going to a large hotel and purchasing one at their liquor shops include:
-> Cama Hotel in Khanpur
-> Hotel Inder Residency, Opp. to Gujarat College
-> Comfort Inn President Hotel at CG Road.

The shop will often be full of local people making their purchases on their health licenses so it can take a while. However, if you are staying longer you will need a non-resident permit.

Photocopy of passport including your entry stamps
Photocopy of visa
Photocopy of a local resident’s ID card (drivers license will probably be easiest)
About 1200 INR

Directions
-> Get your copies notarized as ‘true’ copies. If you don’t have easy access to someone who can do this, the Prohibition and Excise Department will direct you to a nearby office. This will cost about 10INR per copy.

-> Go to Prohibition and Excise Department which is just off the Ellis Bridge on the city side.

-> Pick up the bank payment form, and get copies notarized if you haven’t already done this.

-> Fill in the name and local address for the permit holder.

-> Get a rickshaw and go to the State Bank of India which is very nearby. If a rickshaw is not available, the bank is in walking distance.

-> Pay 1050 (or the asked fee) at the State Bank of India.
-> Get an ink stamp on form from bank

-> Take your copies, your payment slip and your forms back to the Prohibition and Excise Department.

-> The Department office will provide you with form F.L. /A-1. Fill out form and ask for more than the maximum allowed (ask for about 6 units) to ensure you get the maximum.

-> Pay 2 rupees at the Department office. Receive two stamps which are to be stuck onto get form F.L. / A-1 form to show you have paid.

You will either be able to pick up the license immediately, or in a few days. Once you have your license you take it to a large hotel where they have a liquor shop, and make your purchases.

More PIOs seek OCI cards...

Dual citizenship for 5L PIOs in 4 Years
Scramble for the OCIs even in Finland, Venezuela

Mumbai:
In less than four years since the government first gave Person of Indian Origin (PIOs) a second chance to reconnect with the country of their forefathers, more than half a million foreign nationals have acquired the coveted Overseas Citizenship of India(OCI).
Popularly known as ‘dual citizenship’, OCI was first mooted in December 2005 to woo the rich and influential Indian Diaspora peppered across the world. Recently, the scheme was in news when Noble laureate V S Naipaul, whose ancestors belonged to UP’s Gorakhpur, was given a hard time by overzealous babus in London when he applied for the card. The celebrated author was asked to provide documentation to prove that ancestors indeed lived in India. However, the Naipaul case apart, figures sourced by TOI suggest that the scheme has been a roaring the success- especially among PIOs living in the First World. By the end of this March, the Government issued 5, 73,324 dual citizenship in 91 countries in March this year. Nearly half of these were American citizens followed by the Britishers, Canadians and Australians. The one common bond among them was that at least one of their ancestors had been an Indian.
The primary benefit of having an OCIO status is that the holder gets a life-long visa to visit India and stay as long as he wants. Second, unlike other foreign visitors, he doesn’t need to register with local police on arrival.
But, it’s also minsnomer to assume that OCI grants any real form of “citizenship”. It does not give the PIO a right to vote or contest election in India. He also cannot hold constitutional posts or buy agricultural land in the country.
Though the PIOs have often demanded more from their “dual citizenship”, the idea has caught up among the Indian Diaspora across the world.
There is a stronger presence of registered PIOs in European countries like France, Germany and Switzerland and Kenya in Africa, where Indians had historically migrated. But, in a surprise, OCIs in hundreds have also been registered in countries like China, Venezuela, Finland, Israel and Mexico.
Last, if Naipaul wanted to draw any solace he could do well to know that Indian officials were keeping another 9,285 PIOs waiting. The reasons included people filling up their forms online but forgetting to submit a hard copy at an Indian embassy in their country.
“Or, in some cases, the documents were in complete”, said an official from the ministry of overseas Indian Affairs.


Times of India. 19th July 2010

Difference between NRI, PIO and OCI

Difference between NRI, PIO and OCI

	NRI	PIO	PIO Card Holder	OCI
Definition	A citizen of India, holding an Indian passport, but residing abroad	A foreign national who has Indian origins or Indian ancestors.	A PIO holding a PIO Card, as per the Scheme of The Ministry of Home Affairs, 2002	Overseas Indians who migrated from India after 26th January, 1950, except those from Pakistan and Bangladesh
Apply to			1) Any Indian Mission abroad or, 2) Any of the Foreigners Regional Registration Offices in India or 3) The Joint Secretary (Foreigners), Ministry of Home Affairs
Charges			Rs.15,000 or equivalent for adults Rs.7,500 for minors	USD 275 or equivalent in applicant’s local currency. PIO card holders pay only USD 25 or equivalent
Privileges	At par with resident Indians	a) No extra-ordinary benefits b) Require visa for any trip to India c) Required to register at local FRRO in India upon arrival	Exempt from a)Visa to India for 15 years b) Registration at FRRO if stay in India is within 180 days c) If stay exceeds 180 days, registration at FRRO within 30 days d) At par with NRIs in all spheres of activity except purchase of agricultural property	a) Lifelong multiple entry visa to India b) No registration at FRRO for any length of stay c) At par with NRIs in all spheres of activity, except purchase of agricultural property.