kerry regrets to cool india's rage

by truthbetold Wed Dec 18, 2013 6:58 pm

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2013/12/19/world/asia/us-india-rage-arrested-diplomat.html?from=global.home

Kerry called shiv shanker menon to express regrets. No info on charges. They will resolve the issue after few weeks when tempers are down.
Whether cases will be withdrawn or not is not included in the item.

by Guest Wed Dec 18, 2013 8:08 pm

The thing is, why is India paying such low salary to its consular employee living in a city like NY? I mean, Devyani, an IFS officer's salary is just $ 4000? With that kind of salary, the woman can't afford a local baby sitter and had to import one from India. Had India paid her a decent salary, she wouldn't have done that.

How much did she say in the visa papers that she was going to pay the maid? $4500? So a maid in NY is supposed to be paid more than what India pays its diplomat in NY. Someone should sue India.

by truthbetold Wed Dec 18, 2013 8:53 pm

Kinnera,
I do not know all the facts but from what I read this is the story line in my mind:
Ifs officers and diplomats get salary in Indian rupees. When they are posted abroad they get additional perks. Short term posting will involve daily allowance and lodging etc. Long term posting includes rent, living allowances etc. In addition Indian govt allows staff to take domestic help. Devyani's monthly Usa payments seem to be 4k usd.
The domestic help - somewhere in this dispute devyani committed to give the d help 4.5k usd. What is not clear is whether it is for past services or some kind of pay off. It is too high an amour for a month for domestic help.
According to other diplomats domestic help arrangement is common among diplomats of all nations. Usa turns blind eye to most of these situations. For whatever reason devyani's case got attention. India feels they were singled out by some one with an agenda. (Presto bharara, us attorney or some Ngo.).

by Guest Wed Dec 18, 2013 9:30 pm

truthbetold wrote:Kinnera,
I do not know all the facts but from what I read this is the story line in my mind:
Ifs officers and diplomats get salary in Indian rupees. When they are posted abroad they get additional perks. Long term posting includes rent, living allowances etc. In addition Indian govt allows staff to take domestic help. Devyani's monthly Usa payments seem to be 4k usd.

I guess the maid was also paid in indian rupees, Rs. 30,000/month along accommodation, medical, travel etc. So what is so criminal about what Devyani did? If that's a crime, India committed a crime too. Something is wrong here. Whatever it is, India should stop being so cheap.

PS: yeah, $ 4500/month for a domestic help is high even by american standards.

Sangeeta wants to get a green card and earn more in $$. That's the main reason. Other vested interests joined in with some kind of an agenda. I don't understand why US is overreacting.

One of the reader's comments:

A key piece of context is missing from all the articles on this controversy - are our diplomatic relations with India important? I'm guessing that if they were, the State Department wouldn't have ever allowed this to happen.

And maybe that's the part that also upsets India - the realization that the US is "just not that into you."

by confuzzled dude Wed Dec 18, 2013 10:24 pm

Kinnera wrote:
truthbetold wrote:Kinnera,
I do not know all the facts but from what I read this is the story line in my mind:
Ifs officers and diplomats get salary in Indian rupees. When they are posted abroad they get additional perks. Long term posting includes rent, living allowances etc. In addition Indian govt allows staff to take domestic help. Devyani's monthly Usa payments seem to be 4k usd.

I guess the maid was also paid in indian rupees, Rs. 30,000/month along accommodation, medical, travel etc. So what is so criminal about what Devyani did? If that's a crime, India committed a crime too. Something is wrong here. Whatever it is, India should stop being so cheap.

PS: yeah, $ 4500/month for a domestic help is high even by american standards.

Sangeeta wants to get a green card and earn more in $$. That's the main reason. Other vested interests joined in with some kind of an agenda. I don't understand why US is overreacting.

One of the reader's comments:

A key piece of context is missing from all the articles on this controversy - are our diplomatic relations with India important? I'm guessing that if they were, the State Department wouldn't have ever allowed this to happen.

And maybe that's the part that also upsets India - the realization that the US is "just not that into you."

Is that number ($4500/month) explicitly mentioned on the contract/visa paper work? It appears as though they've calculated it based on minimum wage x 16 hours/days x 7days/week, not taking the lodging,boarding and airfare provided by the employer into account.

by confuzzled dude Wed Dec 18, 2013 10:41 pm

Here are a few excerpts from the complaint:

b. KHOBRAGADE told Witness--1 that KHOBRAGADE was seeking to hire a babysitter who also could handle additional household work at her home in New York. After some discussion, KHOBRAGADE agreed to pay Witness-1 30,000 rupees per month. KHOBRAGADE stated that she would need to observe Witness--1's work.

b. KHOBRAGADE told Wiitness-1 that Witness-1 would be questioned about the terms of the First Employment Contract at her interview, and that Witness-1 should say that Witness-1 would be paid $9.75 per hour and would work 40 hours per week. KHOBRAGADE also instructed Witness~1 to say that Witness~1's duty hours would be 7 a.m to 12:30pm and 6:30pm to 8:30 p.m. KHOBRAGADE instructed Witness-1 not to say anything about being paid 30,000 rupees per month.

d. The Visa.Application stated.that Witness--1 was to be paid $4,500 per month in U.S. dollars.

http://apps.washingtonpost.com/g/page/world/us-v-devyani-khobragade-complaint/671/

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