Los Angeles, Sep. 21, 2008
Gary Singh
An Indian parliamentary delegation headed by Vayalar Ravi, Minister
of Parliamentary Affairs & Overseas Indian Affairs, on a goodwill
tour of the United States of America, visited Los Angeles on September
19-20, 2008. The Global Organization of People of Indian Origin
(GOPIO) and Indian community of Los Angeles area hosted a gala
dinner reception at Anaheim Plaza hotel on September 20, 2008
to meet with the members of the delegation which included Pawan
Kumar Bansal, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and
Finance, Mrs. Suryakanta Jaiwantrao Patil, Minister of State for
Parliamentary Affairs & Rural Development, sixteen members
of Lok Sabha, and Ambassador Susmita Thomas, Consul General of
India, San Francisco.
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More than 120 Indian community activists and prominent Indian
Americans attended the reception to meet, greet and interact with
the visiting law makers from their motherland. Indian American
Harry Sidhu, Councilman of Anaheim City was present to greet the
delegation. Councilman Dr. Parkash Narain from the neighboring
Cypress city also came to meet the distinguished guests. The community
activists, Ajoy Dube, NFIA secretary, Ashok Madan, NFIA Regional
Vice President, Dilip Butani, President FIA, Amrit Bhandari, Chairman
FIA, Swaran Debgotra, V.P of FIA, Kewal Kanda, Former President,
FIA and Raman Chadha, President of India Association of Los Angeles
were among the many community activists. Prominent Indian Americans
attending the dinner reception were Dr. Mani Bhaumik, reputed
scientist, well known author and philanthropist, UK Solanki, businessman,
philanthropist, and Kang Brothers, Bobby and Baldev Singh.
Inder Singh, President of GOPIO International and host of the
dinner reception, in welcoming the delegation members, assured
them that the NRIs/PIOs may be living outside India but India
very much resided in them and the visit of the delegation reminded
them of their deep and inherent bond with the motherland.
Inder Singh said that Indians started coming to the US over one
hundred years ago. They faced many problems and challenges, suffered
prejudice, bigotry and humiliation, lived in shanty homes and
slept under the open sky. They did not have right of citizenship
which could entitle them to buy farm land or home. After a long
and hard struggle, the US Congress granted right of citizenship
to Indian nationals in 1946.
The Indian community in the United States is now over three million
strong and is considered an affluent community. Indian Americans
have higher levels of education, large majority of them are professionals,
and several are well-to-do businessmen. Some hold high positions
in Government, many in large corporations, and a handful of them
are heading multinationals. There are over 40 thousand doctors,
many university professors, some are deans, and a few are chancellors
and presidents of the universities. They are also involved in
the political process of their new country, Bobby Jindal is a
governor of a State, eight of them are legislators in different
states, and Kumar Barve is a majority leader in Maryland. A large
share of hospitality industry, as much as 40% is owned by Indian
Americans. In effect, Indian Americans contribute significantly
to the country of their adoption – the United States of
America. And they also have been contributing their due share
in India’s emergence as an economic power and technology
giant and they have added a special glitter to the resurgence
of India.
In introducing Minister Vayalar Ravi, Inder Singh said that with
Mr. Ravi in the Indian cabinet, NRIs/PIOs feel that there is someone
who looks after and fights for the overseas Indian community.
Minister Vayalar Ravi while addressing the gathering, said that
since he has taken over as the minister of Overseas Indian Affairs,
he has taken many decisions benefitting the overseas Indians.
The Overseas Citizenship of India scheme, establishment of Indian
Facilitation Center, PIO university, formation of Prime Minister’s
Global Advisory Council of PIOs, Internship program for Indian
youth, and Scholarship program for university education for PIO
children are just a few of the many schemes and programs which
his ministry has initiated and implemented. He also informed about
a new foundation which is in the process of being set up and that
shall facilitate charitable giving by the NRIs/PIOs for starting
schools in their villages and for similar projects.
