Foreign students coming to India should also feel safe: Tharoor

With a top US official reportedly indicating that frequent instances of rapes in India could possibly be a factor in American students keeping away from the country, government today said if there was such a concern it should be addressed and stressed that ensuring security of students was a priority. Union Minister of State for HRD Shashi Tharoor said there were various reasons, including that Indian universities lacked the reputation to attract foreigners, behind foreign students not coming to India. There was a “lot of pressure” from Indian students feeling that there were not enough seats for them even as very few seats were set aside for foreigners in Indian institutions, he told reporters on the sidelines of a convocation function at Sri Ramachandra University here. Reuters“The second thing is that many of our universities don’t yet have an international reputation to attract foreign students. On the other issue of security and so on, obviously if there is concern for some people, it should be addressed. “We have every desire to keep our own people safe and any foreigner coming to our country should also be allowed to feel safe,” he said. US Ambassador to India Nancy Powell during an interaction with students at Ranchi had reportedly said the concerns over personal security to women as a result of the rape cases could perhaps be a reason for them not coming to India for studies. To a question on setting up IIT in his native state Kerala, Tharoor said, “It is not likely to happen in the lifetime of the present government.” Tharoor said a number of IITs were set up in the last Five Year Plan but Kerala did not get one. “In the current Five Year Plan, no new IIT has been authorised by the Planning Commission or the Cabinet and the policy of the government before we even came to the ministry was that to have efforts to consolidate the existing institutions rather than create any new ones. “Kerala government remains very strongly committed to having an IIT but at this stage, given the procedure involved, it is not likely to happen in the lifetime of the present government,” he said, adding that the issue could be taken up only after the next general elections. He, however, said Kerala was “certainly a knowledge-oriented state” which had the potential to get an IIT. On pending bills of his ministry before Parliament, he said this was the case with every department, with many sessions being disrupted by the opposition. With the coming winter session being a short one, he said maybe one or two might be passed if “we are lucky.” Earlier, the Minister in his convocation address stressed on innovation and cited his own example by highlighting his problems with his spectacles. With Tharoor damaging them by not handling them properly, a friend had come up with an innovative idea where his glasses could be hung around his neck and joined when required. He made a little demo of the innovation that drew loud cheers from the audience.

Read more at: http://www.firstpost.com/india/foreign-students-coming-to-india-should-also-feel-safe-tharoor-1241217.html?utm_source=ref_article

'Safety, infrastructure key issues for foreign tourists'

Women’s safety, poor infrastructure and sanitation are the top concerns of international tourists planning a trip to India. In a recent BBC World News India Travel Study, about 66 per cent respondents of the total 441 said that sanitation was a deterrent, while for half of them safety and security was the key concern. Around 33 per cent were worried about the infrastructure of the country.

“Travellers who have not visited India know very little of the country beyond the Taj Mahal and have a vague impression of a noisy, polluted and poor country. They have apprehensions regarding infrastructure, sanitation and safety especially for women,” the survey says.

The reports says the internet is a major source of information for travellers planning a trip to India. While most of the state tourism boards have upped both the frequency of advertisements and marketing budgets in the last few years, the international tourists are yet to be influenced by these ads.

About 85 per cent of the respondents said they had not seen any ad by an Indian state tourism board. A miniscule 15 per cent said they seen and been influenced by advertisements for Kerala, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Goa, Karnataka or Maharashtra.

Some state campaigns, like that of Vibrant Gujarat, do not seem to be working. The state has very little brand recall among tourists, inspite of being a hot investment destination.

“Even as Gujarat ranks high as an investment destination, it is yet to pick up as a preferred destination for international travellers, mainly on account of it being a dry state. Only 1 per cent of the respondents had instant recall. While it has good infrastructure and transport facilities, it is yet to promote destinations such as the Rann of Kutch, Gir Forest and Gandhi Ashram,” the survey said.

On the other hand, Goa has the highest recall value among international tourists. Kerala too had a good brand recall. The  North-East, sadly, has not been able to realize its potential owing to the lack of infrastructure facilities, the survey said.

In the wake of recent crimes against women in the country, female foreign travellers have been concerned about travelling to India. As a result the growth in inbound tourism has slowed.

According to the ministry of tourism data, foreign tourist arrivals (FTAs) from January to September 2013 were 47.41 lakh with a growth of 3.8 per cent, as compared to FTAs of 45.67 lakh with a growth of 5.2 per cent during January to September 2012 over the corresponding period of 2011. The FTAs in India during 2012 were 66.48 lakh registering a growth of 5.4 per cent.

Source:http://newindianexpress.com/business/news/Safety-infrastructure-key-issues-for-foreign-tourists/2013/10/27/article1857483.ece

Rape fear keeps US students out of India: Nancy Powell

 The frequent incidence of rape in India has created an adverse image of India abroad. US ambassador to India, Nancy Powell, on her maiden visit to Jharkhand, on Tuesday highlighted this saying how this was possibly a factor in American students not coming to India.

She said: "The concern for personal security and perceived increased danger to women as a result of the rape cases was perhaps a factor in US students' decision regarding study in India." Powell said this in response to a question - "Why aren't American students coming to India for studies?" - asked in the course of a chat with students' at the Xavier Institute of Social Science (XISS) in Ranchi.

The students at XISS agreed in the presence of Powell that they too face sexual harassment on the streets. "Even we Indian girls face a lot of cat-calls and are subject to teasing outside the college campus almost everyday," said a student, who was part of the interaction session but did not want to be named.

When asked to elaborate, Powell said : "What I said was one of the factors for US students decision regarding study in India." Last year, a female student from Chicago University, who was on a study trip to India, in an account posted on CNN iReport said that India was full of adventures and beauty, but also relentless sexual harassment, groping and worse.

At the interaction with students at XISS, Powell focused on education and people-to-people connection. Following through on the most recent US-India Higher Education Dialogue in New Delhi in June this year, her remarks to the students emphasized: "There is no sector that better illustrates the mutual benefit of our relationship than education, a priority sector for both the US and India. Education has become one of the main pillars in our bilateral strategic partnership."

The US diplomat also made courtesy calls on governor Syed Ahmad and CM Hemant Soren and also met with a varied group of civil society leaders who are alumni of US state department-funded leadership programmes. 

Source:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Rape-fear-keeps-US-students-out-of-India-Nancy-Powell/articleshow/26059607.cms

PERSONAL_SECURITY-VISIT-www.denetimservices.com

North civic schools to hire private security guards

The North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) is all set to hire private security agencies to guard the schools run by the civic body. The move comes in the wake of Civil Defence and the Home Guards refusing to provide security to lakhs of school children, according to a senior NDMC official.

All formalities to hire the private agency have been completed and the tender process will commence next week, said the official.  The decision follows the refusal of revenue department of Delhi government to provide 568 Civil Defence personnel despite three months of negotiations, and the reluctance of the Home Guards.

“We had planned to deploy one Civil Defence person in each of our schools. But despite three months of deliberations, the government refused to provide the force. Consequently we approached the Home Guards, but in vain. Home Guard personnel are trained in operating arms and their presence in khaki would have instilled a sense of security,” said the official. A list of all NDMC schools with names of their principals was also sent to the revenue department for the purpose.

The civic body had also asked the Delhi Police to identify sensitive and vulnerable sites near the schools to keep a tab on any suspicious activity inside and surrounding the school premises. Following the alleged rape incident in a Mangolpuri school, the civic body had also decided to strengthen the security apparatus in the schools. This included installing CCTV cameras in the schools, raising the height of boundary walls with iron grills and barbed wire fencing, and deployment of school attendants and guards. Officials said, at present the schools of NDMC are guarded by a school attendant and a chowkidar.

Source:http://www.dnaindia.com/india/1881902/report-north-civic-schools-to-hire-private-security-guards

Tourists to India hiring bodyguards for protection

Western visitors and local business people join the super-rich in acquiring greater security after a series of violent attacks

Security personnel surround pop star Madonna during her visit to Mumbai in 2008. Photograph: Arko Datta/REUTERS

A growing number of Indians and tourists visiting the country are hiring bodyguards for protection after a series of violent attacks. Security agencies say business is booming as western visitors and local business people join celebrities and the super-rich in acquiring greater security.

"We get a lot of calls for personal security officers, often at 2 or 3am, from western business executives or people from west Asia," said Anubhav Khiwani, co-owner of Denetim Services, a newly established company in Delhi. "Once or twice a month a single woman or a holidaying family will also ask for a bodyguard."

Until now these bodyguards were mainly seen accompanying international celebrities. Last year three of Oprah Winfrey's escorts made news when they were picked up by police near Delhi for attacking photographers.

"The gang-rape of a physiotherapist in Delhi last December impacted the psyche of people across the world. A friend from Brazil, for instance, had to cancel her trip to India as her mother wouldn't let her go. So now we see two kinds of tourists, especially among women − those who feel that such things happen everywhere and don't worry about it, and those who are scared and want to avoid trouble," said Khiwani.

Shaleni Nigam, a 44-year-old Canadian tax accountant, used to feel safe travelling alone in India, but plans to hire a bodyguard for her next visit.

"What's worrying is that attacks on women seem to be taking place in routine situations − in a bus, in a hotel room, near a village," she said. "I know such attacks occur in other countries too, but it's a different world in India today than it was in the 1990s. A foreign visitor wasn't targeted in the same way."

Source:  http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/23/tourists-to-india-hire-bodyguards

Foreign Tourists take Guard in India

After the recent spate of horrific, widely reported sexual crimes — from the Nirbhaya case in December last year to the rape of a Swiss tourist in March — foreign travellers are becoming rather incredulous about Incredible India.

Visitors are now coming armed not just with pointand-shoot cameras, but also bodyguards trained to do the same.

The last time 44-year-old Canadian-Indian Shaleni Nigam visited India was in 2008. She was confident then of travelling alone to visit her family in Kanpur and taking the train everywhere.

“But the gang rape in Delhi was terrifying and a couple of months ago, I read about the British tourist who had to jump out of her hotel window because the hotel manager was harassing her. That got me thinking about hiring a bodyguard for my trip this year,” says Nigam, who is looking for a female bodyguard.

Anuraag Singh, COO of security operations at Delhi’s Secura Security Solutions, says tourists are nervous enough to cough up around Rs 9,000 a day plus expenses for the services of an Englishspeaking licensed-to-shoot bodyguard.

Terror, isolated locales top fear factors Their fears range from terrorist attacks and cultural and religious minefields to hostile weather conditions and isolated locales. His company’s close protection officers are trained in special driving techniques, emergency first aid and etiquette.

Most of his clients are from the US and UK. “Many are high net-worth individuals who demand tight security services for their families, whether they are here for a destination wedding, a hiking trip to Ladakh, a visit to a fort in Jaipur or a beach vacation to Goa,” says Singh. “Though Goa is their favourite destination, it makes them especially jittery,” he adds.

Nimisha Ramesh, 27, who works with a Nevada-based IT firm, makes frequent trips to India, for both business and leisure.

“I don’t want to take any chances when I travel with a client, so I always take a bodyguard along. They are nervous because of the reports they have read about tourists being harassed,” says Ramesh.

Anubhav Khiwani, managing partner, Denetim Services in Gurgaon, says his clientele is mostly European. “If their itinerary has a lot of highway time, tourists prefer to have a bodyguard in the car, especially one who can converse in the local language and English,” says Khiwani.

While some clients only require the bodyguard to stay with them during the day, there are others who are so nervous that they book an extra room in their hotel for round-the-clock protection.

Khiwani who started his company earlier this year says tourists travelling to destinations in the north like the Himalayas, Agra and Jaipur are most anxious about security.

Some companies like Secura have gone the extra mile by tying up with tour companies. “Our bodyguard team includes local tourist experts,” says Singh.

Source: http://www.nagalandpost.com/ChannelNews/National/NationalNews.aspx?news=TkVXUzEwMDA0MzU1Mw%3D%3D-W9dDe%2BwZ%2FXs%3D

Safety concerns make foreign tourists take guard in India

After the recent spate of horrific, widely reported sexual crimes — from the Nirbhaya case in December last year to the rape of a Swiss tourist in March — foreign travellers are becoming rather incredulous about Incredible India. Visitors are now coming armed not just with point-and-shoot cameras, but also bodyguards trained to do the same.

The last time 44-year-old Canadian-Indian Shaleni Nigam visited India was in 2008. She was confident then of travelling alone to visit her family in Kanpur and travelling on trains across the country.

"But the gang rape in Delhi was terrifying and a couple of months ago, I read about the British tourist who had to jump out of her hotel window because the hotel manager was harassing her. That got me thinking of hiring a bodyguard for my trip this year," says Nigam, who is looking for a female bodyguard.

Anuraag Singh, COO of security operations at New Delhi-based Secura Security Solutions, says that tourists are nervous enough to cough up up to Rs 9,000 a day plus expenses for the services of an English-speaking licensed-to-shoot bodyguard.

Fear of terror, isolated locales

Their fears range from terrorist attacks and cultural and religious minefields to hostile weather conditions and isolated locales. His company's close protection officers are trained in special driving techniques, emergency first aid and etiquette.

Most of his clients are from the US and UK. "Many are high net-worth individuals (HNIs) who demand tight security services for their families, whether they are here for a destination wedding, a hiking trip to Ladakh, a visit to a fort in Jaipur, or a beach vacation to Goa," says Singh. "Though Goa is their favourite destination, it makes them especially jittery," he adds.

Nimisha Ramesh, 27, who works with a Nevada-based IT firm, makes frequent trips to India, for both business and leisure. "I don't want to take any chances when I travel with a client, so I always take a bodyguard along. They are nervous because of the reports they have read about tourists being harassed," says Ramesh.

Anubhav Khiwani, managing partner, Denetim Services in Gurgaon, says his bodyguard requests come mostly from Europeans. "If their itinerary has a lot of highway time, tourists prefer to have a bodyguard in the car, especially one who can converse in the local language and English," says Khiwani.

While some clients only require the bodyguard to stay with them during the day, there are others who are so nervous that they book an extra room in their hotel for round-the-clock protection. Khiwani who started his company earlier this year says that tourists travelling to destinations in the north like the Himalayas, Agra and Jaipur are most anxious about security. 
Some companies like Secura have gone the extra mile by tying up with tour companies. "Our bodyguard team includes local tourist experts," says Singh.  

    Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Safety-concerns-make-foreign-tourists-take-guard-in-India/articleshow/21889675.cms