A primer on the Fulbright-Nehru fellowship program

Ever since its inception, the Fulbright program has strengthened bilateral relations between the U.S. and citizens and governments of other nations. It is also the largest U.S. exchange program that offers opportunities for students and young professionals to undertake international graduate studies, advanced research, university teaching, and primary and secondary teaching worldwide. Its alumni include ambassadors, members of Congress, judges, heads of corporations, university presidents, journalists, artists, professors, and teachers.

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And one of Fulbright’s grants is the Fulbright-Nehru scholarship awarded by the United States-India Educational Foundation (USIEF). The USIEF was one of the first bi-national commissions established to run the Fulbright Program. Since the agreement was signed by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and U.S. Ambassador to India Loy Henderson on February 1950, the USIEF has awarded over 17,000 grants in a broad range of academic disciplines.

Grants for Indian citizens include:

• Fulbright-Nehru Master’s Fellowships that allow scholars to pursue a master’s degree program at selected U.S. colleges and universities in the areas of arts and culture management, environmental science, higher education administration, public health, urban and regional planning, and women’s and gender studies.

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• Fulbright-Nehru Doctoral Research Fellowships for scholars who are registered for a Ph.D. at an Indian institution. Among the fields of study are agricultural sciences, public health policy and management, and urban and regional planning.

Meanwhile, scholarships for U.S. citizens include:

• Fulbright-Nehru Student Research that encourages recent college graduates, master's and doctoral candidates, and young professionals and artists to visit India for nine months for personal development and international experience. All disciplines will be considered, but priority will be given to scholars in the fields of agricultural sciences, economics, and education among others.

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• Fulbright-Nehru English Teaching Assistantship program that offer opportunities to graduating seniors, recent graduates, or masters' students to teach conversational English and some composition to middle and high school students in India.  

CKGS handles all Fulbright-Nehru research visa application in the U.S. sent via post. More information about the visa application process and requirements can be accessed here.

A guide to the world’s top BPO hotspots

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Due to the technological advancements and cost efficiency inherent in its setup, Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) has easily become a go-to resource for companies to increase capacity and flexibility in their operations. And with increasing demand for outsourced work, several countries today are now particularly attractive to foreign companies big and small as they offer a diverse range of outsourced services.

Based on Tholons’s Top 100 Outsourcing Destinations report, India, the Philippines, and China are currently the most established outsourcing destinations in the world:

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India. Techinasia.com attributes the growth of India’s BPO industry to its market size, which is comparatively bigger than that of other Asian countries like the Philippines. As of 2012, the country had 2.8 million citizens employed in BPO companies, while the Philippines had just an estimate of 750,000 in the same year.

Philippines. Over the years, the Philippines has become a rival to India. According to an Oxford Business Group Report, the country’s BPO sector is expanding by an average of 20 percent annually. In 2013, the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham) reported that India had lost over 50 percent of BPO industry to foreign competitors, with majority of lost business relocating to the Philippines.

China. Like most Asian countries, China has a good majority of educated young people in its workforce. Unlike India and Philippines, however, the country lags in terms of industry size, language capability, and intellectual rights protection.

With the demand for BPO growing every year, BPO companies need to go beyond their clients’ expectations to retain competitiveness in the global market.

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An expert in BPO, Cox and Kings Global Services is an agency that is focused on serving consular sections of diplomatic missions. Follow this Facebook page for more information about the company.

Best practices for achieving high performance in a BPO

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Business process outsourcing (BPO) has become an effective and efficient management practice adhered to by most companies around the world. Because of its current success, the BPO industry has subsequently entered a new phase of development that requires continuous innovation and discernible improvement in expertise and business solutions for its clients.

To meet these goals, BPO companies must offer new value propositions with a strong business impact. Instead of focusing on cost reductions alone, BPOs must craft new strategies across all aspects of their operations to guarantee high performance at each stop.

Here are some of the widely best practices BPO companies are observing today:

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Adapt an end-to-end approach: According to Infosys BPO, a holistic approach in management can bind multiple functions. For example, both client and provider could collaborate to focus on the operation’s overall process, such as in the rationalization and standardization of its operations.

Prioritize value over cost: According to research by Accenture, majority of high-performance businesses will consider service options with greater value, even at higher cost. In today’s competitive market, entrepreneurs are now looking more on the benefits of a specific rather than fixating on reducing costs.

Explore new frontiers: A journal article by MIS Quarterly Executive emphasizes the importance of new technologies in leveraging the performance of service providers. An example of this is the adaption of automated programs and software to eliminate bottlenecks and improve productivity across all business functions.

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A BPO specialist, Cox and Kings Global Services is a company that provides administrative support and management for non-judgmental tasks related to the entire lifecycle of a visa, passport, and consular application process. Follow this Facebook page for more information about the company.

What is the Tourist Visa on Arrival (T-VoA) scheme?

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Most people are required to go through a lengthy and complicated process of applying for an Indian visa before they arrive in the country. Previously, only citizens from Finland, Luxembourg, New Zealand, South Korea, Vietnam, Singapore, Philippines, Japan, Laos, Burma, Cambodia, and Indonesia were eligible to be granted a visa upon arrival. As of November 2014, the T-VoA system has been extended to include 43 countries, including the United States.

The T-VoA scheme has its benefits and downsides. The obvious benefits are related to how streamlined the new system is. Travelers can apply online and receive an Electronic Travel Authorization within four days. This removes a lot of bureaucratic obstacles and is especially beneficial for tourists who are traveling for only 30 days or less. For long-term travelers, however, it may be worth the effort to go the lengthy route.

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As mentioned earlier, the first step can be done through a simple online form. This requires a scanned file of the passport photo page and a full face photo of the applicant on a white background. After paying the $60 fee, the applicant can expect to receive an ID via email. The ETA will also be sent via e-mail after four days.


The document should be printed and presented at the immigration desk in one of India’s Visa-on-Arrival airports within 30 days of approval. Once the traveler receives the stamp, he’ll be cleared for travel in India for the next 30 days.

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CKGS is a specialist BPO company that provides support to the Embassy of India and its consulates on tasks related to visa applications. For more information on the Indian visa application process, visit www.in.ckgs.us.

Must-have Indian cuisine for first-time travelers

India’s native cuisine is something every tourist should experience, especially those who are traveling to the country for the first time. A melting pot of flavors heavily influenced by cultural, religious, and traditional diversity, Indian cuisine offers something for everyone from their sweet desserts to their spicy chicken and rice.

Here are some dishes you should try when visiting India:

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• Samosas. These are fried or baked triangular snacks stuffed with potatoes, onions and peas and served with mint or tomato chutney.

• Kati Rolls. These are kebabs (grilled skewers of meat, vegetables, or cheese), eggs, and spices wrapped in a type of flat bread called paratha.

• Tandoori Chicken. The chicken is immersed in a yogurt-spice marinade and then slow-cooked in a clay oven called a tandoor.

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• Biryani. This dish is probably one of the more famous Indian foods in the world. Aromatic rice is cooked with spices and saffron and combined with either marinated chicken or mutton.

• Rogan Josh. This Persian-inspired curry dish is popular in the Kashmir region and uses either lamb or goat (usually goat) as protein, cooked in a mixture of shallots, yogurt, and spices, particularly Kashmiri chili which gives it the red color.

• Gulab Jamun. Small, deep-fried balls of dried milk boiled in sugar syrup. A scoop of Indian vanilla ice cream is a recommended add-on.

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Remember to ask a local tour guide about the places where you can get a taste of these Indian delicacies.

Are you a first-time traveler to India? Visit the Cox and Kings Global Services website for more information about tourist visa application.

Taste of India: Two tea-growing regions to visit

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Tea has a long and storied history in India. Although commercial production didn't take off until the British East India Company started cultivating tea gardens in Assam, Indians have been drinking tea and using wild tea leaves in medicinal preparations since 750 B.C. Today, India is second only to China as the largest exporter of tea, and Indians consume cups of chai on a daily basis.


 Tea lovers who wish to know more about the history of tea as well as take delicious sips of some of the most famous tea brews in the world shouldn't miss an opportunity to visit one of the following Indian tea regions.

Assam 



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Assam, located in the remote northeast of India, is the largest tea-growing region in the world. Tea plants used to grow wild in the Brahmaputra valley but have been cultivated commercially for 150 years. Visitors can enjoy beautiful views of rolling fields and more than 800 tea plantations, as well as take a sip of the strong, malty black tea the region is famous for. The area is also home to two UNESCO World Heritage parks, the Kaziranga National Park and the Manas National Park, as well as numerous monuments, temples and mosques dating back to the medieval era.


 Assam also produces a small quantity of the green and white varieties.

Darjeeling

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Darjeeling, a small town in West Bengal, is home to the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway and is a popular summer vacation destination among domestic tourists due to its high altitude and cool climate.


Although marketed as black tea, Darjeeling tea actually comes in black, white, green, and oolong varieties. It has a sharp tang which fans liken to muscatel. There are approximately 144 tea gardens in Darjeeling, and each one produces tea with distinct tastes and aromas.



Apart from tea garden tours, there are numerous other attractions in Darjeeling. The view of the sun rising over the Himalayas, as seen from Tiger Hill, is a major tourist destination, as are Darjeeling's monasteries, parks, Japanese peace pagoda, and the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute.


CKGS assists foreign travelers to India by providing visa services from one of its many application and processing centers worlwide. Discover more about India's top travel destinations by subscribing to this blog.

All about India's climate

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As the seventh largest country in the world, India has many regions with differing climate conditions. No doubt, climate plays a significant part in one’s decision to travel and the preparations that must be done for the trip.

The climate conditions in the north are distinctly different from those in the south. For example, the extreme south may be hit by a monsoon rain, while the north is blanketed in thick snow. In general, however, the climate in India can be defined in three seasons: the hot season, the monsoon season, and the cool season.

India’s summer season starts in March until May. Things start to heat up in the northern plains during February and the rest of the country follows suit. When April arrives, many areas experience daily temperatures that exceed 40 degrees Celsius. The southern areas experience daily temperature of 35 degrees Celsius although it can get a lot more humid. Summer tends to be a lean season for Indian tourism but for those who can survive the heat can expect many services offered at attractive prices.

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The monsoon season is from June to October. The southwest monsoon brings heavy rain by mid-July. This season can be a problematic time to travel around India as the weather can be unpleasant and the rain often disrupts many transport services.

Finally, the winter season starts from November until February. The temperature is pleasant during the daytime, and it gets quite chilly at night. As can be expected, tourism peaks during this time as many travelers prefer this type of weather. Those who wish to avoid the cold, however, can find respite in the beaches in Goa.

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As you plan your trip to India, be sure to check the CKGS website for information about tourist visa applications. For more articles on traveling to India, visit this Facebook page .