NRI Herbance Dhaliwal Flags Bureaucratic Barriers to NRI Support in Punjab’s Growth
Los Angeles/ July 22, 2025
NRIpress.club/Ramesh/A.Gary Singh
During a recent discussion, Harbance Singh (Herb) Dhaliwal, Canada’s first Cabinet Minister of Indian origin, said : Long-standing efforts by Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) to contribute to Punjab’s development have suffered due to bureaucratic delays and official neglect.
Dhaliwal referred to initiatives led by the Indo-Canadian Friendship Society of British Columbia, which began working in Punjab’s rural areas over two decades ago. Since 1999, the group has taken up development work in 20 villages across several districts, including Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Amritsar, Ludhiana, and Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar. Projects included laying sewage systems, installing street lights, improving sanitation, providing clean drinking water, encouraging women’s participation, planting trees, and promoting computer literacy.
He highlighted the role of Dr Gurdev Singh Gill, the first Indo-Canadian doctor, who returned to Punjab to personally oversee the work. The first model project began in Kharaudi village in Hoshiarpur district, which even caught the attention of former President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, who visited the site.
In the early phase, there was strong political support. Former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh publicly announced plans to replicate the model in hundreds of villages across the state.
However, according to Dhaliwal, the positive atmosphere didn’t last. Gradually, officials became less responsive, and progress slowed due to endless paperwork and lack of cooperation. “The attitude of the officers became dismissive, and no real help was provided,” he said. “We had to stop the projects eventually. After Dr Gill’s death in 2023, communication with the government completely broke down.”
Dhaliwal noted that support wasn’t limited to one political party. Former Chief Ministers Parkash Singh Badal and Capt Amarinder Singh both backed the idea. He also shared that he had discussed the effort with national leaders like former Prime Ministers Manmohan Singh, I.K. Gujral, and Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Contributions also came from NRIs based in the United States.
Despite sincere efforts from the NRI community and early encouragement from leadership, Dhaliwal said the lack of consistent support from the administrative system caused the project to stall midway, leaving the vision incomplete.
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