Living In India

Life in India

A/ General Presentation of India

Presentation of the country

Official name: Republic of India
Nature of regime: Federal Republic
Head of State: Ram Nath Kovind, President of the Republic (since July 17, 2017)
Head of Government: Narendra Modi, Prime Minister (since May 26, 2014)

Geography

Capital: New Delhi
Main cities: New Delhi, Bombay, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Madras, Kolkata
Official languages: Two official languages: English and Hindi. Twenty-two constitutional languages: Assami, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Maithili, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Oriya, Urdu, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Santali, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu,
Currency: Rupee (1 euro = 75.6 rupees – October 2017)
National Day: January 26 (anniversary of the Indian Constitution), August 15 (Independence Day)

Climate

The immensity and relief of India provide it with a great diversity of climates, especially dominated by the monsoon regime, a phenomenon of wind reversal and weather change. The summer monsoon, from June to September, pours downpours of water carried by southwest winds, from the ocean towards the continent; The winter monsoon, with northeasterly winds, brings dry weather to most regions, except Tamil Nadu.

Temperatures in Delhi reach their maximum in May-June (47°), dropping to 5-10° in January. The annual amplitude of monthly average temperatures (7 to 41°) is greater than anywhere else in India, the annual average precipitation (715 mm), however, is lower.

Demographic data

Population: 1,353 million (2018, World Bank)
Population growth: 39/1000 (2018, World Bank) / 58 in 2010
Infant mortality rate: Two official languages: English and Hindi. Twenty-two constitutional languages: Assami, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Maithili, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Oriya, Urdu, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Santali, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu.
Life expectancy at birth: 69 years (2018, World Bank)
Literacy rate: 86.14% (15-24 years), 69.3% (15+ years), 41.6% (65+ years) (2011, UNESCO)
Religions: 86.14% (15-24 years), 69.3% (15+ years), 41.6% (65+ years) (2011, UNESCO)
Literacy rate: Hinduism (80.5%), Islam (13.4%), Christianity (2.3%), (Sikhism 1.9%), Buddhism (0.7%), Jainism (0.5% ), Zoroastrianism, Judaism
0.640, 130th in the world (2018, UNDP, for comparison): China 86th, Bangladesh 136th, Pakistan (150th)

Economic data

GDP: $2,717 billion, 5th in the world (2018, IMF)
GDP per capita: 7% (2018, IMF)
Inflation rate: 3.48% (2018, IMF)
Budget balance: -3.4% of GDP (2018/2019, IMF/DG Trésor)
Trade balance: - $98 billion (2018/19, DG Trésor)
Main partners: China, United States, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Germany, Singapore, United Kingdom (France 17th customer and 26th supplier to India in 2018)
Share of main sectors of activity in GDP: (2017, Asian Development Bank)
Services: 53.9%
Industry: 29.1%
Agriculture: 17.1%

policy

Domestic policy

India is a federal state, which includes 29 states established on essentially linguistic bases, and seven union territories created for political or historical reasons (Delhi, Pondicherry). It is a parliamentary democracy, inspired by the British model. Its constitution of January 26, 1950 proclaims the socialist and secular character of the State. Parliament has two Houses: the States House (Rajya Sabha, upper house) and the People's House (Lok Sabha, lower house). The leader of the majority party in the Lok Sabha is appointed Prime Minister. The President of the Republic has an essentially symbolic role.

Indian political life has been marked since the 1990s by the alternation of two major parties. The Congress Party, founded in 1885, is the oldest Indian political group. It dominated the Indian political scene at the time of independence and until the 1990s. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), founded in 1980, represents the conservative Hindu right. He won the legislative elections in 1998, 2014 and 2019. Recent years have been marked by the emergence of regional parties in the different states of India, leading to a system of coalition governance. However, the 2019 election seems to have reshuffled the cards, and the BJP has made historic inroads in the northeast of the country and in the state of West Bengal, in particular.

At the end of the legislative elections which took place from April 11 to May 19, 2019 in which nearly 900 million people were called to vote, the BJP candidate, Narendra Modi, was elected Prime Minister. The BJP alone has a large majority in the Lower House, with 303 seats out of 545, the threshold being 272 elected officials. This majority is further supported by the results of regional parties won by the BJP, all forming a coalition of 353 seats, the National Democratic Alliance. The ruling BJP, however, does not have a majority in the upper house of parliament, whose members are elected by the local assemblies of the federated states.

Since coming to power, the BJP has won the majority of intermediary elections held in regional parliaments. The resounding success of the BJP in March 2017 in Uttar Pradesh,

Advice

Advice for Travelers.

All foreigners must apply for a visa before being able to travel to India, regardless of the duration or purpose of the stay.
You can travel to India all year round as long as you are in the right place at the right time. Over such a vast territory, the climate differs from one end of the country to the other.
Keep in mind that the best time to visit the majority of the country is between October and March. The rest of the year is ideal for exploring the Himalayas.
In a country with very deep-rooted traditions and an ultra-conservative mentality, modesty is essential. We advise you to dress properly. Avoid mini-skirts and low necklines for girls as well as shorts and muscles out for boys. In temples, wear clothing that covers your shoulders and legs.
Remember to take off your shoes before entering a temple or place of worship. Do the same when you enter people's homes and sometimes stores. As in many other Eastern countries, when eating, use your right hand only. Remember that the left hand is reserved for personal hygiene.
If you are traveling as a couple, do not show signs of affection in public. Remain modest and save your enthusiasm for your private moments.

To reside

Residing in India

If you wish to work in India, you will need to obtain a work visa, which is reserved for foreign nationals planning to work in India, or undertake a business there. Only individuals corresponding to one of the following six scenarios are eligible for this work visa: hired by an Indian company or a subsidiary of a multinational operating in India, being a paid consultant, being an artist, being a pilot of plane, be a sportsman under contract or be involved with an NGO.

The visa application is made on the official Indian Visa Online website, providing the following documents:

passport (valid for one year and containing 3 blank pages).

copy of your passport identity page.

two color passport-size ID photos.

Duly completed visa application form.

additional form relating to work visa.

employment contract, written in English.

Resume in english

copies of your diplomas and certificates of your professional skills.

copy of the certificate of incorporation from the company hiring you.

Once obtained, the work visa is valid for six months to one year, but can however be renewed on site. If you have a spouse or children accompanying you to India, they will need to apply for an entry visa , which is a long-term visa reserved for the family of a person leaving on a work visa, and certain other specific cases (interns, individuals going on spiritual retreats, high-level mountaineers, etc.)

Once arrived in India, all new arrivals must register with the FRRO (Foreign Regional Register Office).

After registering with the FRRO, you will need to obtain an Indian telephone number , which will facilitate your search for employment and housing. To buy an Indian SIM card, you will need to present a passport photo, a copy of your passport and your visa, as well as the telephone number of one of your Indian acquaintances, such as your employer or the owner of your accommodation. You will then have the choice between a subscription contract or a prepaid plan.

You will also need to open a bank account , which you will need to receive a salary or rent an apartment. To open a current account, you will need to provide a certain number of documents: your visa, two identity photos, proof of residence, as well as your PAN number if applicable (this is your identification number for the Indian Revenue Service). We can also note that although the Indian banking system has greatly improved in recent years, it is still sometimes difficult to find a bank outside of large urban centers.

The sectors recruiting the most in India at the moment are advanced technologies, telecommunications, health and pharmaceutical manufacturing, energy, petrochemicals, engineering, and distribution. There are also many opportunities for qualified executives in the hospitality sector, as well as within luxury brands in the ready-to-wear and home sectors.

The unemployment rate in India reached 8.8% in 2013 . To find a job in India, it is essential to master English. Candidates with at least 2 years of professional experience will be favored, as India has a large pool of young qualified graduates.

Study

Study in India

India inherited its education system from the United Kingdom. But, as India's role and place in the world has grown and expanded with time, the education system has changed.

Indian higher education is growing rapidly. Today, there are a myriad of training institutes, more than 760 universities, nearly 40,000 university colleges (which go all the way to the bachelor's degree and are administratively attached to a public university) engaged in fierce competition. Around fifty of them are internationally recognized. All institutions are accredited and ranked by the National Institute Ranking Framework (NIRF). Some schools are increasing their efforts to recruit their students.

This is the case of Sharda University (around thirty kilometers from New Delhi). Television advertisements, radio spots, presence in student lounges through a network of agents on the continent... To attract new students, this university spends nearly 300,000 euros each year. A method that is bearing fruit: 10% of its 18,000 students come from abroad, more than half of them from Africa. The majority of Burkinabè students are there.

Public universities, sometimes more efficient, charge less prohibitive prices. But they are more discreet in their recruitment. Thus, Jawaharlal-Nehru University, one of the best in the country and whose registration fees vary from 95 to 800 euros per semester, does not advertise. Beware of fake establishments!

A lack of information which can be costly. Because renowned universities are not the only ones to “pick up” Africans. Some have taken the bait of unscrupulous centers.

The cost of studies, the equipment available at Indian universities and the fact of evolving in an English-speaking environment are definite advantages. Since 2012, the Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has awarded 10,000 scholarships each year to Africans selected through its network of embassies. The lucky ones will have their registration fees and rent covered.

Embassy of the Republic of Guinea

Living in India