GOPIO NEWS BULLETIN
June/July, 2003
CONTENTS
v NFIA and GOPIO Pay Tribute to Pioneers,
Patriots and Gadar Heroes
v GOPIO-Belgium Presents Problems of Indian IT
Professionals in European Union
v GOPIO-Belgium Calls Upon Govt. of India to
Forge Closer Relations with GOPIO International
v Malaysian
Court Upholds Rights of Indian Workers
v PIO Human Rights Perspectives and
Experiences
v GOPIO CHAPTER NEWS
-
GOPIO
Participates in Trinidad Conference
-
GOPIO-Chicagoland
Inaugurated
-
Former
President K.R. Narayanan Inaugurates GOPIO- Washington DC Chapter
-
GOPIO-New York
Hosts Reception/Dinner to Honor Dr. K.R. Narayanan
-
GOPIO-London
Hosts Dr. K.R. Narayanan
-
GOPIO-Belgium
Meets European Member of Parliament
v Conference for Religious Solidarity in the
Midst of Communal Violence
v GOPIO Chapter Initiation
v GOPIOs Business and Professional Service
Bulletin Board
NFIA AND GOPIO PAY TRIBUTE TO GADAR HEROS
An unprecedented
event was held Sunday, June 1st at the Santa Clara Marriott to
celebrate the 90th anniversary of the Gadar (revolution) movement
by early immigrants from India, who sacrificed their life in support of Indias
independence struggle from Great Britain. An all day seminar addressed by
renowned speakers and high ranking diplomats followed by a gala banquet brought
to light the saga of valor and courage of a small group of Indians in the
United States determined to work for the freedom of India. The highlight of the
event was the personal poignant stories of the descendents of the Gadarites.
National
Federation of Indian American Associations (NFIA) with co-sponsorship of Global
Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO), Federation of Indian American
Associations of the San Francisco Bay Area and Global Punjabi Diaspora (GPD)
organized this function first time in history of Indo-Americans, which was
attended by over 300 people, in order to pay tribute to the pioneers, patriots
and heroes of the Gadar movement.
Bhishma K.
Agnihotri, the Ambassador-at-large for NRI/PIO started the seminar with an
introductory address, in which he lauded the role of these people and asked the
audience to take lessons from their lives and now go back to India and fight
the poverty and corruption in free India, just as those people fought for the
freedom of India. He described a flyer produced in 1913 in an effort to recruit
volunteers stating: Wanted-Brave soldiers to stir up Gadar in India; Pay-death;
Prize-Martyrdom; Pension-Liberty; Field of battle-India. In an eloquent address
during the seminar as well as at the dinner, Ujjal Singh Dosanjh, the former
Premier of British Columbia traced the history of Gadri Babas, as they were
known in India from Canada to the United States. He said that these early
immigrants could have lived a comfortable life in the United States and become
rich. But instead, they chose service to their motherland and worked towards
gaining freedom of India. "Today, we salute them for their
sacrifices," said Dosanjh.
Organized by
Inder Singh, President-elect of GOPIO and past president of NFIA and moderated
by its president-elect Rajen Anand, the seminar was addressed by many speakers,
including Janmeja Singh, Arnold Kaminski of California State University, Long
Beach, Ted Sibia, Jasbir Sachar of London, Rani Johnson of Rhode Island,
Sulakhan Singh, S.P. Singh of Atlanta, Ved Vatuk of Berkeley, and Satish
Bhatnagar of Las Vegas.
The political and
social turmoil in India was felt worldwide, but it was felt by a unique group
of individuals in Northern California, that initiated a revolutionary movement,
later called as Gadar, to free India from the foreign rule. Sibia said
that the Gadarites, leaders of the movement, were enlightened
individuals who had the wisdom of their times and the courage to speak for
India. Over 6 thousands of them decided to go back to India and laid their
lives to free their home country from British Empire. Four hundred returning
Indian immigrants were executed. The efforts of these brave and dedicated
people did not succeed, said Inder Singh. But their movement fueled the desire
for freedom among the Indian masses.
Rani Johnson, the
grand daughter of Revolutionary Bhagwan Singh Gyani gave a moving account of
how she learned of her grandfathers activities. Her quest to research about her
grand father led to her meeting her Indian relatives. She met S.P. Singh from Atlanta
another grandson of Gyani and her cousin. She said, "I have started
reading some of my grandfathers writings and found an eerie familiarity with
their themes and tones."
Gala
Banquet
The seminar was
followed by a gala banquet, which was also graced by Ambassador Sichan Siv who
is the US representative to the United Nation, who paid a great tribute
the leaders of the Indian community, who had organized the function. He also
thrilled the audience by his anecdotes after he arrived in this country. Indian
Consul General H.H.S. Vishwanathan gave a powerful address saying that the Gadar
movement was founded on the principles of secularism and
nationalism. The people who joined the movement were identified as Indians.
Their religion, caste, or language was not important. Their aim was simple:
freedom for India. Several of the local politicians, including the mayor of the
City of Santa Clara were present at the banquet. Ambassador Agnihotri and
Dosanjh gave brief remarks.
Former President
of India, Mr. Narayanan, who was scheduled to attend the event, but could not
come due to his continued tests and treatment at Baltimore, delivered his
speech through a pre-recorded video tape. In his address, Narayanan said that
in the evolution of Indias struggle for independence, the Gadar Movement
constituted an important landmark. "Countless daring and intrepid people
participated in that movement, set the goal of liberating our country through
armed struggle, faced untold misery and hardships in pursuit of their objective
and even made the supreme sacrifice of laying down their lives," said
Narayanan. He further added that one of the remarkable aspects of the Gadar
Movement was that it did many things, which showed the way for others to
follow. "The movement produced extraordinary leaders who through their
strategy, ideology and action influenced its course and made lasting impact on
the successive leaders of our struggle for independence," Narayanan added.
The Gadarites left
the luxury of life in the United States and went back to fight for the freedom
of India, said Niraj Baxi, president of NFIA the major organization sponsoring
the event. "Many of them paid the price with their life. We owe them a
debt of gratitude for paving the way for most of us to come to the United
States and enjoying the freedom and prosperity here," added Baxi.
Thomas Abraham,
the president of GOPIO, a co-sponsoring organization summed up by stating,
"all the speeches at the event were inspiring, especially to learn an
account of the struggles of Gadarites. They would remain as torch bearers for
future generations."
GOPIO - Belgium
Presents Problems of Indian IT Professionals in EU
CONDENSED
VERSION OF THE INPUT PRESENTED BY THE GOPIO BELGIUM TO THE COLLOQUIUM ON Problems encountered by Indian IT and other Professionals in
the European Union ON 23
MAY 2003 ON THE OCCASION OF THE VISIT OF MR. ARUN SHOURIE, MINISTER FOR
COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, GOVERNMENT OF
---------------
Introduction
The information
technology is one of the priority areas for
Skills
shortage in the EU countries needs change in policy framework
The countries of
the European Union face a massive shortage of skill labor in coming years.
Indian
software industry and GATS provision
While the future
of the Indian software sector seems bright, lack of proper implementation of
the GATS provisions and inadequate liberalization in Mode 4 may dampen the
prospects in this sector. MODE 4 under which temporary movement of persons from
provider country who go to consumer country for delivering services (Indian
software engineers going to EU countries or US on assignment), is of special
interest to India.
The following are
the most significant issues confronting Indian professionals:
Immigration
related issues
Visa related
issues are the most critical barriers affecting the Indian software
professional. Immigration regulations impose quantitative restrictions on the
movement of persons with an aim to create a protected labor market. Not only do
the regulations change depending on the economic and political situation
prevalent in the regulating country without considering the needs of other
countries, but there is also a lack of adequate transparency in the immigration
procedures. In many cases the professionals are not allowed to bring in their
families.
Inadequate
recognition of qualifications, training and experience
The inadequate
recognition of qualifications, training and experience restrict the
opportunities for software professionals from
Differential treatment of Foreign
Service providers
Trade in Mode 4 is
also restricted due to the policies, which differentiate against Foreign
Service providers. Some of the issues in this area include imposition of
stringent conditions for eligibility concerning residency or citizenship are:
Priority in Government Procurement and Government Approval.
Improving
the structure of GATS commitments by EU
To enable the Indian
professionals to get fair treatment in the EU countries the GATS should improve
their horizontal commitments in Mode 4 to specifically include individual
professionals, eligibility criteria, uniformity in definitions of different
classes, include middle and lower level professionals in the category of other
persons or specialists. In the context of the above, countries should ensure
that the visa application procedures are transparent, countries should also try
and simplify visa application procedures, less stringent norms should be
imposed for entry and stay of software professionals in the country.
Economic
Needs Tests (ENTs)
The widespread use
of the ENT has emerged as one
of the major artificial barriers preventing free movement of service providers
from
Language barriers
The key problem
experienced in EU is the language problems between Indians in general and the
co-employees. It is also the social environment and difficult to integrate
socially that adds to the barrier. Most professionals do not have the knowledge
of the EU language. Work pressure is a striking factor that prevents the
professionals from attending classes.
Reciprocal
Pension Policy required
One issue that should receive high
priority is the taxation and pension policy in most of the EU countries. For
example, the Belgian Pension and Social System
deprive Indians the benefits of pension. The situation has attained a remarkable
proportion with several Indians coming to
Social
situation
Although
intolerance against Indian professionals in
The situation with
regard to residence/work permit of Indian Software professionals employed in
GOPIO-BELGIUM
CALLS UPON INDIA GOVT. TO FORGE CLOSE RELATION WITH GOPIO INTERNATIONAL
Brussels, 23 May
2003: On the occasion of the visit of the Indian
The GOPIO Belgium
President outlined the issues that are confronting the IT and other
professionals in the European Union countries and the steps that the government
has to take to address these. He said that while the future of Indian software
sector seemed bright, lack of proper implementation of the GATS provisions and
inadequate liberalization in the Mode 4 might dampen the prospect of this
sector.
GOPIO Belgium
pointed out that EU stands to loose 380 billion Euros due to shortage of IT
skill alone. The IT budget for
Earlier Mr.
Shourie opening the discussions, said that it is not the IT sector alone that
needed to be performing well but the industrial as well as the manufacturing
sectors also have to be efficient and productive. He said that
On an
intervention by Mr.
Justifying the
privatization Mr. Sourie came down heavily on the state-owned sector, saying it
would be hypocritical to talk of even poorly performing ones as ``crown
jewels''. He emphasized the importance of dis-investment for the Indian economy
and said that with the changing trade scenario, it was necessary to increase
PIO/NRI MALAYSIAN
ISSUE
Malaysian
Court Upholds Rights of Indian Workers
A Tamilnadu human rights organization, Peace
Trust, took to court the issue of 52 Indian workers who were being underpaid
and cheated by their Malaysian employer. In a landmark judgment, the Penang
high court upheld the rights of the 52 laborers from Dindigul in Tamilnadu and
asked the company to pay them their promised wages as well as all the overtime
due to them. Peace Trust, which also works in Dindigul, said the judgment was
"a precedent-setting order" that would help stop exploitation of
Indian workforce by companies in South East Asia.
It is also
expected to make both the governments take a new look at contract procedures
for manual laborers from India. Judge Kamalanathan Ratnam had reportedly asked
the Malaysian and the Indian governments to look into the recruitment
procedures for manual laborers more closely.
Ratnam ruled that
the company did have a contract with the 52 laborers even if it claimed not to
- not only had the managing director of the company signed the employment
contract but the workers had come to Malaysia on the representation of the
company's agent. The judge also restored electricity and water to the workers'
hostel that had been disconnected by the company.
The story started
when recruitment consultant Amarjeet Singh and an agency called Mithun
recruited 52 workers from Dindigul to work as manual laborers in Malaysia. The
workers, including Sampath Kumar Vellingiri, who was the main witness in the
case, paid Rs. 100,000 to the agency to get employment. In turn, they were
promised a monthly income of RM 750 or Rs. 10,000. However, they were paid only
RM 350 each per month in Malaysia. In addition, the workers were told they had
to pay immigration tax even though the agency had already collected it as part
of the initial Rs.100,000.
Soon, the
employers, Chin Well Fasteners Co., asked the workers to sign new contracts
stating that their basic salary would be RM 350. They were told to return to India
in October 2002 when they refused to sign the new contracts. The workers
registered a police case resulting in the company cutting off water and
electricity in their hostels. The workers, helped by the Tamilnadu NGO, then
took the matter to court.
PIO HUMAN RIGHTS
PERSPECTIVES & EXPERIENCES
CONFERENCE ANNOUNCEMENT AND CALL FOR PAPERS
Human Rights Perspectives and Experience: People of Indian
Origin in the Caribbean, Americas, Asia, Africa, Europe
In-Depth
Reports, Discussions and Analyses. Experiences of People of Indian
Origin Living Outside of India in Countries with Significant PIO
Population. Reports on Fiji, the Caribbean, USA, Africa, Europe, Guyana,
Trinidad, Surname, and others.
Sponsored By
St. Johns Universitys
Center on Latin American & Caribbean Studies
on Saturday, October 25, 2003 @ 9:00am
at
St. Johns University
Bent Hall Auditorium
Jamaica New York
Co-Sponsored By
Global Organization of People of Indian
Origin (GOPIO), Inc.
Supported By
The Guyanese East Indian Civic Association (GEICA)
And Several Other Institutions & Organizations
Contact:
GOPIO, Web: www.gopio.net
Ashook Ramsaran
718-969-8206, E-mail: ramsaran@aol.com
Sudha Acharya
718-523-7668 eMail: sacharya@netzero.net
GEICA
Prakash Singh
718-939-8194 eMail: geica@aol.com
St. Johns. Univ.
Dr. Camacho-Gingerich
718-990-1932 eMail: clacs@sju.edu
Admission is Free *****
Attendance Confirmation Requested
PROGRAM OUTLINE
Friday, October 24, 2003
7:00pm Reception
Off-Premise
Saturday, October 25, 2003
Conference Venue - St Johns University
8:30am
Registration
9:00am
Opening
Remarks (SJU/CLACS, GOPIO)
9:15am
General
Remarks (with Speaker)
9:30am
Keynote
Address (On: Violations in General)
10:15am
Refreshments
10:30am Session
I Country Reports -- Region I
11:30am
Discussion
12:00pm LUNCH
(with Speaker)
1:00pm Session
II Country Reports -- Region II
3:45pm
Refreshments
4:00pm
Session
III Country Reports -- Region III
8::00pm
Dinner
Sunday, October 26, 2003
Working Session Off-Premise
(Selected 1015 persons)
9:30am
Introductory
Remarks
9:15am
Discussion
12:15pm
Closing
Remarks
12:30pm
Lunch
Region I
The
Caribbean, Guyana, Malaysia, Trinidad,
Suriname,
Fiji, Bangladesh
Region II
Kenya,
South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe,
Other
Africa, Mauritius
Region III
Australia,
Canada, Europe, United Kingdom, United States,
Other
Americas
SCHOLARLY
PAPERS ARE INVITED FOR PRESENTATION.
Please send an abstract to Ashook Ramsaran at ramsaran@aol.com or call 718-969-8206.
GOPIO CHAPTER NEWS
GOPIO Participates in
Trinidad Conference
Dr.
Jagat Motwani, the International Coordinator for The Global Organization of
People of Indian Origin [GOPIO], presented a paper at the 2-day conference held
on June 2 3, at the St Augustine, Trinidad campus of the University of the
West Indies. The conference was organized by the Indian
High Commissioner in collaboration with the Mahatma Gandhi Institute for
Cultural Cooperation, the National Council of Indian Culture and the University
of the West Indies. The conference was based on the theme: From
Indentureship to Entrepreneurship East Indians and Socio-Economic
Transformation in the Caribbean. The title of Dr. Motwanis paper was: Do
Victims Invite Human Rights Abuses? Participants included
several Caribbean and international scholars and experts on the topics
discussed.
Dr.
Motwani also met GOPIO Trinidad leadership and discussed issues concerning
rights violations of PIOs in Trinidad.
GOPIO-Chicagoland
Inaugurated
GOPIO-Chicagoland
NFP, a chapter of Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) held
its inaugural event in Des Plaines, Illinois on May 30th, 2003. The program was
held at the Crown Jewel Banquet, had over 160 attendees and was attended by
Consul General of India Surendra Kumar. Among the many dignitaries were GOPIO
International President Dr. Thomas Abraham and Mayor George VanDusen of Skokie.
"GOPIO
is secular, non-partisan organization working to create the awareness of our
issues among our growing communities around the world," Said Samir Shah,
president of GOPIO-Chicagoland."Our main objectives are development and
advancement of people of Indian origin," Shah added.
In
a complementary presentation, Dr. Manu Vora, Founder of Blind Foundation of
India, emphasized the group's objective to create senior care homes
specifically for those of Indian descent deserves attention from the PIO
community, among other issues. Dr. Vora stressed on youth activities among the
first generation Indian Americans. He emphasized the need for youth involvement
on all fronts of community activities, which, he said, would eventually
heighten their chances of being admitted to top universities of their choice.
People
of Indian Origin constitute a global community of 22 million people. It is
bigger than many countries of Europe," Dr. Abraham said. "It has been
estimated that, PIOs living outside India has a yearly combined economic output
of about $200 billion, almost half of the GDP of India. If were to pool our
resources, it will help not only India, but also the countries with large PIO
populations," Abraham added. According to Abraham, the new GOPIO chapters will
contribute to build up a vast network of Indian community
activists all over the world.
The
Consul General complimented GOPIO for its extraordinary work for the benefits
of the NRI/PIO community. Kumar then continued to speak on the India America
Friendship in the new global order.
Prashant
Gupta, a GOPIO activist and Secretary of GOPIO-Chicago land, talked about
organization's new initiative 'GOPIO.Connect' to explore the potential for
facilitating knowledge contributions from the current and the future generations
to India and those countries with large PIO population. Gupta said that the
first major project for GOPIO.Connect will be providing information on water
management
Author,
Robert Arnett, an Indologist who wrote "India Unveiled" was one of
the featured speakers at this first program. Arnett presented some of
outstanding photos he took in India.
The
program included ceremonial lighting of oil lamp (Deepak) by Mrs. Jaya Shah,
Mrs. Kamla Mathur, Dr. Madhavi Mehta and Dr. Hema Pokharna. Masters of Ceremonies
Usha Kamaria and Dr. Utpal Parekh conducted the meeting and introduced the
guest speakers. Speaker series was followed by a cultural program consisting of
Indian Dances, award presentations by GOPIO-Chicagoland Board Member Pratap
Mehta, and a sumptuous dinner of Indian cuisine.
GOPIO-Chicagoland
chapter will cover Illinois, Indiana, Iowa and Wisconsin. If you like to
participate or become a member, please contact Chapter President Samir Shah at
847- 904-7327, E-mail: samshausa@netscape.net or Secretary Prashant Gupta at
847-541-4461, E-mail: pg1619@yahoo.com
Former President
K.R. Narayanan Inaugurates GOPIO- Washington DC Chapter
The
Washington Chapter of the Global Organization of People of Indian Origin was
inaugurated by former President K R Narayanan at a ceremony at Double Tree
Hotel, Rockville, Maryland near Washington DC on May 25th. Paying
rich tributes to the Indian Diaspora, Narayanan said if the 20 million
Indian-origin people abroad came together, "they would be able to make an
impact on international relations and be of great support to India's global
policies of peace and friendship." Narayanan, expressed the hope that
Indian-origin people would soon be represented in the US Congress and the
Senate.
Dr.
Thomas Abraham, President of GOPIO, said there would be 200 Chapters of GOPIO
in the next five years. The Washington Chapter will be headed by Dr. Renuka Misra. A scientist with NIH. Indian
Ambassador to the US Lalit Mansingh and Kumar Barve, majority leader in the
Maryland state legislature were also present in the function last night.
Speaking
on the role of Indian-origin people abroad, the former President said Mahatma
Gandhi has defined it as being like "sugar in the milk". They should
be indistinguishable from the larger community while enriching it, he said.
Indian culture is "strong and vibrant and it embodies the values of human rights, democracy and friendship
for all," the former President said. "Through the perspective of this
culture," said Narayanan, "we can serve the international community
as well as India".
For
participation and/or to become a GOPIO-Washington DC chapter member, contact
Dr. Renuka Misra at 301-330-5098 or send an e-mail to renugopio@yahoo.com
GOPIO-New York Hosts
Reception/Dinner to Honor Dr. K.R. Narayanan
GOPIO
New York organized reception/Dinner on honor of Dr. K.R. Narayanan at Worlds
Fair Marina Banquet Hall in the Flushing area of New York on June 12th.
Attended by over 400 people, Dr. Narayanan was accompanied by Mrs. Usha
Narayanan and daughter Amrita Narayanan.
What
was feared as brain drain decades ago has turned out to be an investment as
expatriates return to India and set up projects, Said Dr. Narayanan. Lauding
the progress made by the Indian-American community, the former President said
they had made India proud by keeping alive their culture.
GOPIO-New
York President Lal Motwani. welcomed the guests, while secretary of the chapter
Sudhir Sachdev gave the vote of thanks.
For
participation and/or to become a GOPIO-New York chapter member, contact DLal Motwani at 718-470-1026 or send an e-mail to: lmotwani@nyc.rr.com
GOPIO-London Hosts
K. R. Narayanan
GOPIO-London
hosted reception in honor of Dr. K.R. Narayanan in London on May 19th.
India today is politically and economically stronger than ever before and is
poised to take its pride of place in the comity of nations, former President K
R Narayanan said. Proving the prophets of doom wrong, India has emerged
stronger. The country is stronger politically and economically than ever
before," Narayanan said at a reception hosted here in his honor by the
European wing of the Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO).
"When
the country is united and strong, it makes Indians a little more taller than
before," he added. The reception, organized by J S Sachar, Coordinator of
GOPIO for the European Region, was attended among others by Lord Swaraj Paul,
NRI industrialist and Ambassador for Overseas British Business, Baroness Sheila
Flather, India's High Commissioner Ronen Sen and Karan Bilimoria, voted Asian
of the Year for 2002-03.
Eulogizing
the achievements of Indians abroad, Narayanan said he had seen how NRIs had
struggled in the early 1940s and 1950s. "But today they are not only
united but prospering."
"Indians
have achieved this not by any means but by dint of their determination and hard
work." In Great Britain, "Indians are the single largest ethnic
group, economically prospering and educationally more advanced than any other
people here," he said.
Dr.
Narayanan said though India has many problems, the people have learnt the art
of converting these into challenges and overcoming them to their advantage.
He recalled that 19th century India was not only plagued by famine, but even the
rate of economic growth was less than one per cent. After independence, the
country achieved 3.5 per cent growth for over four decades and after
implementing the economic reforms in the 1990s, the country has emerged as one
of the top 10 industrial countries in the world, he said.
Narayanan,
who had served in different capacities including Indian Ambassador to the USA,
Thailand, China and Turkey, said he never considered Indians going abroad as
brain drain. "Indeed, it was
a brain bank and today Indians in high positions and well versed in technology
are going back to India to make their contribution to the motherland," he
said. Referring to achievements of Indians abroad, the former President said he
was happy to see many Indians occupying high positions in the UK and "so
many of them in the House of Lords and the House of Commons. We are proud of them."
Bilimoria said the GOPIO was rendering yeoman's service by uniting Indians globally.
Sachar, GOPIOs Vice President for European Region said that he planned to bring
out a Global Asian 'Who Is Who' shortly.
To
become a member of GOPIO-London, contact: Jasbir Sigh Sachar at (044)
208-550-3745, E-mail: jsachar@asian-whoswho.com
GOPIO-Belgium
Delegation Meets European Member of Parliament
Brussels,
12 June 2003. A Two member delegation of GOPIO Belgium composed of its
President Sunil Prasad and Assistant Treasurer Nawab Khan called on Mr. Bashir
Khanbhai, Member of the European Parliament on 12 June 2003. The MEP Khanbhai
is a Person of Indian Origin and represents the Conservative Party of the
United Kingdom in the European Parliament.
The
President briefed the MEP about the history of GOPIO Belgium, its Executive
Committee and, in short, its accomplishments during last eight months. He also
briefed him about the GOPIO International and its history including some of its
major achievements in the service of the NRIs/PIOs. The MEP Mr. Khanbhai was
very pleased to learn the achievements of the GOPIO and hoped that the
organization would one day become the strongest voice of the NRIs/PIOs in the
world. The delegation provided the MEP Constitution of GOPIO Belgium, Report of
its Founding Congress, List of the Office Bearers and Executive Committee
members, GOPIO's letter to the Ambassadors of India, Malaysia and Sri Lanka on
the Pension issue, Country Report of the GOPIO Belgium presented in the GOPIO
Conference in New Delhi in January 2003, GOPIO Input to the recently held
Colloquium in Brussels on the occasion of the visit of the Indian IT Minister
and GOPIO Memorandum to the Indian HRD Minister Dr. M. M. Joshi.
Mr.
Khanbhai congratulated GOPIO for its campaign to fight for the pension issue
and said that he was aware of the problems and although he shared the concern,
the Taxation and Pension issues are outside the power of the EU Parliament and
that each of the three governments should start bilateral negotiations on the
issue with the Government of Belgium. Since the MEP is a regular contributor to
various newspapers, he said that would write about the problems faced by the
NRIs/PIOs in Belgium and also about the important work the GOPIO Belgium was
doing.
He
suggested the delegation to update the Asian Voice, brought out from London by
one Mr. C B Patel, about the GOPIO Belgium and its achievements. He said that
there must be several NRIs/PIOs who have made extra-ordinary progress in
business, social work, education and in their professional career and GOPIO
Belgium should write about them and publish it through the Asian Voice. This,
he said, will help the GOPIO international to broaden its sphere of influence.
The MEP
was not very enthusiastic about the PIO Card scheme introduced by the
Government of India and said that it did not meet the expectation of the
NRIs/PIOs. He promised that he would take up this issue with the Indian
Government at his earliest opportunity.
The GOPIO
Belgium is planning to call the other three MEPs of Person of Indian Origin
from the United Kingdom to seek their assistance to strengthen the
organization. The three MEPs are: Mr. Claude Moraes (PIO from Goa), Ms. Neena
Gill (PIO from Punjab) and Mr. Niranjan Deva (PIO from Sri Lanka).
Mr.
Khanbhai promised to speak and work for GOPIO and the interest of NRIs/PIOs in
the Parliament and other Foras. He said that GOPIO was free to contact him
anytime it required and it would be his personal privilege to help GOPIO
members.
Conference of
Religious Solidarity in the Midst of Communal Violence
Appeal
from Dr. Hemalata Pokharna, Member of Executive Board, The Council of
Parliament of Worlds Religions (www.CPWR.org)
A
Conference for Religious Solidarity in the Midst of Communal Violence has been
planned to be held in New Delhi from December 7-10, 2003. It is expected to be
very meaningful and effective. The opening plenary will be inaugurated by Dr.
APJ Abdul Kalam, President of India, who will speak on this important theme.
H.H. Dalai Lama has been requested to deliver the valedictory address. The
events will be held at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, as well as in the Chinmaya
Mission and the India International Centre.
The objectives of the conference are as follows:
- Invigorate the
consciences of all Indian People regardless of religion or ethnicity
regarding the need for mutual respect and harmony.
- Leave a legacy of
spirited groups in every state, and within every religious and spiritual
community who will speak out with a united voice against intolerance,
prejudice, violence and injustice.
- Affirm the spirit
of the Indian people, particularly in times of stress, and communal
violence.
- Inspire groups at
the community level to work together for social and economic justice, harmony
and peace.
The
Chicago Organizing Committee has made a commitment to raise $15,000 in support
of the conference. These funds will be used toward bringing 600 participants
from throughout India to exchange ideas and resources to create inter-religious
dialogue and engagement within India. The Chicago committee is seeking support
in the US and India. The Indian Committee consist of Dr. Mohinder Singh
(National Institute of Punjab Studies); Sri Sri Saidas Baba (Sai Foundation
International); Dr. T. D. Singh (Bhaktivedanta
Institute); Fr. Albert Nambiaparambil (World
Fellowship of Interreligious Councils) and Dr. S. Ausuf Ali (Director, Chancellors House, Indian Institute of
Islamic Studies.
The
Chicago committee has the support of The Council for a Parliament of the
World's Religions (CPWR) whose Board approved a Memorandum of Understanding and
whose staff is assisting the Organizing Committee with planning and
communication and will participate in the event. CPWR will handle the funds on
behalf of our US Committee. Donations are tax deductible and checks may be sent
to: CPWR, 70 E. Lake Street, Ste. 205, Chicago, IL 60601, USA; please note
"India Parliament Event" on the memo line.
The
US Organizing Committee consists of Dr. Hemalata Pokharna, Dr. Rahul Deepankar,
MD, Prashant Gupta, Balwant Singh, Hansra Irfan, Ahmad Khan, Prem T. Lalvani
and Madhavi Mehta. Contact: The Committee is seeking funds from NRIs and PIOs
to promote this conference. Contact: Dr. Hema Pokharna at ahinsa@hydeparkaccess.com
GOPIO Chapter Initiation
One
can initiate a chapter and become part of this global network of people of
Indian origin by visiting GOPIOs Chapter Initiative website www.gopio.net/chapter_initiative.htm
to get a copy of the guidelines governing GOPIO chapters. Alternately, call
GOPIOs International coordinator Dr. Jagat Motwani at 631-421-4688 in USA.
Business and
Professional Services Bulletin Board
NRIs/PIOs
and businessmen from India are encouraged to publicize businesses and services
though GOPIO Business Council Bulletin Board free of charge. Please visit www.gopio.net/wboard/bulletin.htm
Visit GOPIOs Official site at www.gopio.net
