GOPIO NEWS
BULLETIN
OCTOBER
2005
NOTE: This is a monthly newsletter of GOPIO International,
based in the
CONTENTS
HIGH EXPECTATION AT THE
INDIA-EU TRADE AND INVESTMENT CONFERENCE
GOPIO
ACADEMIC COUNCIL HOLDS ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION IN
GOPIO
CHAPTER NEWS
LATE
TEARS IN
NEWS ROUND-UP FROM
DIASPORA
YOUTH INTERNSHIP PLANNED FOR DEC./JAN.
NRIs/PIOs ACHIEVE
KARAN
BHATIA TO BECOME DEPUTY
BHOLA
WINS UNESCO AWARD
TWO INDIAN AMERICANS IN FORBES RICHEST
AMERICANS
KETAN GANDHI FIRST INDIAN PRESIDENT OF HOME NEWS
TRIBUNE
HARVARD NRI WINS TOYA AWARD
TWO
NRI LAWYERS AMONG HIGHEST PAID IN
NEWS OF INTEREST TO NRIs AND PIOs AROUND THE
WORLD
NEW
NRI WORKERS
WIN CASE IN
FOUR
GENERATIONS OF NRI FAMILY RESIDES IN
US
INCREASES FEE STRUCTURE FOR IMMIGRATION SERVICES
NRIs/PIOs SEND HUGE REMITTANCES TO
NRI GROUP PLANS BIGGEST FDI IN INDIAN REAL
ESTATE
SCHOOL TO NAME NEW BUILDING AFTER THE
NRI DONOR
NRI ENDOWS INDIAN MUSIC CHAIR AT
UCLA
SIKH DELEGATION VISITING
GOPIO CONTRATULATES
GUYANA
GOPIO LIFE MEMBERSHIP AND CHAPTER
FORMATION
EDITORIAL BOARD
HIGH EXPECTATION AT THE INDIA-EU TRADE
AND INVESTMENT CONFERENCE
The
Europe India Chamber of Commerce in cooperation with GOPIO Belgium and
Commonwealth Business Council, is all set to host a high level Conference on
EU-India Strategic Plan: Enhancing Trade and Investment on 8-9 November. The
Inaugural Session of the Conference will be held in the Hotel Sheraton on
November 8th evening whereas all other business sessions will be held
in the European Parliament on November 9th. The Conference is being
held in the background of the Strategic Partnership Agreement which
The
conference will open with an overview of the EU-India strategic relations with
comments by high profile representatives of the European Parliament, European
Commission and the Indian government. This will be followed by distinguished
panels examining the trade, investment and other economic issues that are
important for developing stronger relations. The
EICC-CBC-GOPIO Conference Committee is working very hard to make the Conference
a memorable event not seen in
European
As
mentioned above, the Business Sessions of the Conference will take place in the
European Parliament which is a high security zone and to get entry to the
Parliament, you need a Parliamentary pass. In order to avail, Parliamentary pass
all participants need to fill the Registration Form without which the
participation will not be accepted. The deadline for receiving Registration is
15 October. The Secretariat of our Honorary Chairman Mr. Nirj Deva MEP will co-ordinate
with the Parliament authorities to get all the passes ready for you to collect
as soon as you arrive in the Parliament Reception Desk on 9 November morning.
Indeed, you will be welcomed by EICC-CBC-GOPIO Executives and we shall be
available for any help that you may require.
Hotel Accommodation:
For
those who would like to seek accommodation in the hotel, the Conference
organizers have negotiated a special room tariff with Hotel Capital for Single
Room per night for 85 Euros and
Double Room for 95 Euros
inclusive of breakfast, taxes and services. The hotel is very
conveniently located with easy access to The Hotel Sheraton and the European
Parliament. The address of the Hotel is: Chausse de
Vleurgat 191, 1050 Brussels Tel: 0032 2 646 6420.
Those wishing to book through the internet, it is suggested that the
participants use the Hotel Capital website booking form (http://www.hotelcapital.be). This
form returns the information pre-formatted to the hotel. The participant can
also send the form by fax on +32 2 646 3314 or by E-mail: info@hotelcapital.be attention Mr.
Robert van der Plas. In the
comment form, the request should mention their participation to the
EICC-CBC-GOPIO Conference in order to avail the preferential rates. The Forms
can also be downloaded from EICC website (www.eicc.be). Indeed, participants
are free to make your own arrangement.
Tentative
Programme
EICC-CBC-GOPIO
Conference
EU-India Strategic Plan: Enhancing Trade and Investment
Tuesday,
8 November 2005
Hotel
Sheraton, Horizon Room Top Floor, Place
Rogier,
17:00
18:15
WELCOME AND REGISTRATION
18:15
18:25 WELCOME
ADDRESS - Mr.
18:25
18:35 ADDRESS
BY His Excellency Mr. Dipak Chatterjee
Ambassador
of
18:35
18:50 INAUGURAL ADDRESS BY CHIEF GUEST Hon.
Guy Verhofstadt, Prime
Minister of
18:50
19:05 Address by Hon. Dayanidhi
Maran, Union Minister for Communications and Information Technology (t.b.c.)
19:05
- 19:25 Key Note address by Hon. Sam Pitroda, Chairman, National Knowledge Commission, Government
of
19:25
19:40 Address
by Mr. S. P. Hinduja, Chairman, Hinduja Group
19:40
19.55 Address by Ms. Neena Gill,
MEP
& President,
19:55
-20:05 Address by
Dr. Thomas Abraham,
Chairman,
GOPIO International
Greetings by Mr. Inder Singh,
President, GOPIO International
20:05
20:10 Mr.
Sunil Prasad,
Secretary General EICC
20:10
- 21:45 Dinner
hosted by Sanjay Dalmia, Chairman, Dalmia Group of companies and EICC
Wednesday
9 November 2005
European
Parliament (Room 3E-2)
rue Wiertz Wiertzstraat, B-1047 BRUSSELS
(BUSINESS
SESSIONS)
08:45
09:20 Arrival of
participants
09:20
09:30 Opening of the Business Sessions
Address
by
09:30
09:45 Address by Director, European
Investment Bank
09:45
10:05 Special address by an EU Commissioner
10:05
10:20 Dr.
10:20
10:35 Dr.
Charles Tannock, MEP and Chairman, Friends of
India Group in the European Parliament
10:35
10:50 Mr. H.
S. Narula, Chairman, DS Group,
10:50
11:05 Mr.
Ashok Sajjanhar, Dy.
Chief of
11:00 11:20 Tea/Coffee Break
SESSION 1
11:20
13:00 Trade and Investment: Corner Stone of
EU-India Relations Views of Captains of Industry and Corporate
World
Chair:
Lord Dr. Diljit
S Rana MBE (confirmed)
Dr.
Ajit Shetty, CEO,
Ms.
Colette Mathur, Director, World Economic
Mr.
B. Ramlinga Raju, Chairman, Satyam Computers,
Mr.
Mr.
Geoffrey H Lipman, Special Trade Advisor, World
Tourism Organization
Inter-active
session
13:00
14:00 Participants move
to lunch
Seated/Buffet (Lunch hosted by Airbus)
SESSION 2
14:00
15:25 Investment potential in specific sectors in
Chair:
Mr. Bogdan Golik, MEP
IT
Sector Mr.
Jan Boll, Sr. Vice President, Philips
Bio-tech
Industry Prof.
Dr.
Aviation
Sector Dr. Kiran Rao, Sr.
Vice President, Airbus
Automobile
Sector Mr.
Thierry Moulonguet, Joint DG, RENAULT
Shipping
Sector Mr.
Ravi K Mehrotra, Chairman & CEO, Foresight Group
Ltd.
Infrastructure
Sector
- Mr. R. Veeramani, President, Indo-Japan
Inter-active
session
SESSION 3
15:25
17:00
Chair:
Mr. Jacek Emil Saryuz-Wolski,
MEP and Vice President, European Parliament
Impediments
for India to join 21st Century Mr.
Ravi Shankar, Managing Director, EPIC Asset Group,
EU-India Economic Co-operation and role of
Corporate and Business in
Banking
Industry
- Mr. Rutger Koopmans,
Director, ING Bank & Chairman,
Stakes
for India in the Enlarged Europe - Dr Jean-Joseph
BOILLOT, Financial Counsellor India & South Asia, French Embassy, New Delhi
Mr.
Akash Passey, Vice
President, VOLVO,
Mr.
Tim Jones, Director, Rolls Royce (Aviation Engine)
Investment
Potentials in Indian Film Industry
- Mr. Mehar
Srivastava, Director Swarup Group of
Companies
Inter-active
session
17:00
17:30 Key Note address by
EU Trade Commissioner
Q & A
17:30
17: 45
Closing Remarks by Dr.
GOPIO ACADEMIC COUNCIL HOLDS ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION IN
GOPIOs Academic Council, in collaboration with the newly
formulated GOPIO - Upper New York Chapter, held a roundtable discussion on the
Indian Diaspora on Sunday, September 28, 2005 in
The guest speaker was Prof. Mohan Gautam, Co-Chair of GOPIOs Academic Council and Chairman of IUAES, Dept of South & Central Asian Studies at the KERN
Institute in the
Prof. Gautam enlightened the audience with his Insights
from experience and extensive research on the Indian Diaspora. He spoke about
its history and current status, and discussed its relevance and importance in todays global Indian Diaspora
of over 23 million living in almost all countries outside of
The roundtable discussion with audience questions and participation focused on collective achievements, leadership role, GOPIO's global responsibility and emphasis on meaningful results, and the importance of communications and use of media for the benefit of the Indian Diaspora.
GOPIO CHAPTER NEWS
LATE
CONGRESSMAN SAUNDs BIRTHDAY
CELEBRATED
California Governor last
July signed a unanimously approved Assemblyman Rudy Bermudezs bill which called
for an annual day of recognition to honor the late Dalip Singh Saund on Sept. 20, his birthday, for his outstanding
achievement as the first native of
Indian American Heritage Foundation, GOPIO, NFIA and some
other organizations in
Back
in January 2002, three organizations GOPIO, Indian American
Friendship Council and Global Punjabi Diaspora organized a tribute dinner to
celebrate 45th anniversary of election victory of late Congressman Dalip Singh Saund. The event was highly
publicized; all Indian newspapers in the
Although Saund was the first to be elected to a political
office, yet very little has been done to promote his legacy. I am glad that
since the seminar and banquet of 2002, some efforts have been made to get the
Indian American pioneer, the late Congressman Saund, well deserved recognition, said GOPIO
president Inder Singh, the chief organizer of the event.
TEARS IN
Tears In
Paradise by Rajendra Prasad of
'Tears In Paradise' is a remarkable book on history of
Indo-Fijians since their arrival in
The book is highly recommended to
those interested in the study and research of Indian Diaspora, particularly as
it relates to the indentured system.
The program was organized by GOPIO and USA-Fiji Business
Council at the Renaissance Hotel near
NEWS ROUND-UP FROM
DIASPORA YOUTH INTERNSHIP PLANNED FOR DEC./JAN.
The Government of Indias Ministry of Overseas Indians
(MOIA) has scheduled the next Internship Program for Diaspora Youth (IPDY) as
part of the 4th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas from December 19th, 2005 to January 6th, 2006. The 3 week long IPDY will have the
following broad outline:
Week 1 Tourism and exposure to Karnataka (arts, culture,
business, IT, S&T)
Week 2 Internship with an organization/institute/corporate
house in
Week 3 Attachment with the Center for Study of Indian
Diaspora, University of Hyderabad, followed by participation at PBD 06 in
Hyderabad (Jan. 7-9, 2006)
The participants will have to pay for their international
airfare and reach
The Indian Consulates, Embassies and High Commissions are
inviting nominations of overseas Indian students and/or young professionals of
the age group 18-25 years for selecting and recommending to the Govt. of India
for the program. Contact the Minister or Consul for Education and Culture at
these offices.
You may also contact GOPIO President Inder Singh E-mail: gopio-intl@sbcglobal.net or GOPIO Secretary General Ashook Ramsaran, E-mail: ramsaran@aol.com for more info.
NRIs/PIOs ACHIEVE
GUYANA PRESIDENT JAGDEO TO CHAIR WORLD BANK AND IMF BOARDS
Guyana's President Bharrat Jagdeo has been selected as the Chairman of the
Boards of Governors of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund
(IMF) for the coming year, a position that is effective immediately. This is
quite a unique accomplishment, one that is reflective of President Jagdeos educational background and
leadership in the financial area. The selection marks the first time that a Head
of State in the
According to a World Bank Group statement, President Jagdeos wide respect among finance and
development officials is one of the main reasons for the choice of his candidacy
over the others by the Executive Directors representing 34 countries of the
Every autumn, the 184 member countries represented by a
Board of Governors hold their Annual Meetings to discuss a range of issues
related to poverty reduction, international economic development and finance.
These meetings, which provide a forum for international cooperation, are
attended by about 10,000 people, including about 3,500 delegates of the member
countries of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, and approximately
1,000 representatives of the media.
INDIAN AMERICAN KARAN BHATIA TO BECOME DEPUTY
US President George W Bush has announced that he intends to
nominate an Indian American, Karan K Bhatia, of
Bhatia currently serves as Assistant Secretary for Aviation
and International Affairs at the Department of Transportation. He previously
served as Deputy Undersecretary of Commerce for Industry and Security. Prior to
that, Bhatia was Chief Counsel for the Department of Commerce's Bureau of Export
Administration. Earlier in his
career, he was an equity partner at the law firm of Wilmer, Cutler &
Pickering in
Bhatia received his Bachelor's degree from Princeton, his
Master's degree from the London School of Economics, and his JD from
BHOLA WINS UNESCO AWARD
Dr. H.S. Bhola, Professor Emeritus,
Professor Bhola's winning entry, entitled, "Adult Literacy for
Sustainable Development: Knowledge-Based Discourse for Course of Action,"
was anchored in two of United Nations global initiatives - - United Nations
Literacy Decade, 2003-2012; and United Nations Decade of Education
for Sustainable Development 2005-2014 - - and "successfully develops a
strong and visionary argument in favor of a more serious consideration of
development and the purpose of literacy."
The Award that carries a cash prize of US$5,000 will be
presented to the winner on a special ceremony later during the year.
The monograph including this research will be published by UNESCO Institute
of Education during 2006 in English, French and Spanish.
TWO INDIAN
AMERICANS IN FORBES RICHEST AMERICANS
Two Indian Americans feature in
the just released Forbes list of 400 richest Americans. They are Kavitark Ram Shriram and Amar Bose.
While Shriram, ranked at 258th position in the Forbes list, is
one of the directors in Google Inc since 1998. His net worth is $1.3 billion.
Shriram gained $400 million by
selling Google stock and still owns 3.4 million shares worth $960 million. He
first came into prominence in 1998 after he sold shopping portal Junglee.com to
Amazon and later turned into an investor. He is associated with many important
technical groups like Plaxo,
Yodlee, Zazzle.com.
Amar Bose is founder of Bose Corporation. His net worth is $1.2
billon while the company has a sales turnover of $1.7 billion. He is ranked at
283. Bose set up the Bose Corporation in 1964 while teaching at MIT. So good
were his products that the NASA and the
KETAN GANDHI FIRST INDIAN PRESIDENT OF HOME NEWS TRIBUNE
Ketan N Gandhi has been named president and publisher of the
Gannett Company's Home News Tribune in
Gandhi began his career with Gannett in 1986 as an
accounting manager at the Valley News Dispatch of Tarentum, PA, he also served as controller for Gannett
newspapers in
Gannett is a leading international news and information
company that publishes 101 daily newspapers in the
HARVARD NRI WINS TOYA AWARD
Kumar, 29, works days as a
pathology resident at Brigham and Women's Hospital affiliated with Harvard and
has concentrated his energies at night to his business: improving rural health
care in the developing world with handheld computer technology.
With degrees in medicine and
engineering, Kumar runs a venture, Dimagi, whose chief customers are nonprofit
Kumar believes delivering high-tech to low-tech corners of
the globe isn't just socially transformative but also carries potential for huge
financial gains for companies like his because health problems are so great in
emerging markets.
For advancing the use of such technology, Kumar won the
Annual Technology in Service of Humanity award last month from MIT's Technology
Review magazine. Kumar studied at the Indian Institute of Technology before
dropping out to join
TWO NRI LAWYERS AMONG HIGHEST PAID IN
Two non-resident Indian lawyers, Kalyani Kaul and Balbir Singh were ranked third and fifth
respectively in the list of 10 highest paid barristers in the
Andrew Dismore Labour MP however was not happy as he commented: "They're just astronomical figures. Nobody is worth that sort of money from public funds."
NEWS OF INTEREST TO NRIs/PIOs AROUND THE WORLD
NEW
Overhauling the process of visa applications for travel to
the
Under the new arrangement, the non-immigrant visa
application fees of USD 100 (Rs
4,400) will have to be paid before booking an appointment for an interview. The
fees, along with Rs 276 towards
visa-related services, can be paid in 32 branches of HDFC bank in 12 cities in
At present, the visa application fees can be paid at the
time of interview. According to a US Consulate official, this creates a long
waiting period as 25 to 35 per cent of applicants do not show up.
While the visa application fees
will remain the same, the expenditure for related services will decrease from
the current Rs 441. The fees will
be non-refundable and cannot be transferred to any other applicant, except with
special permission from the embassy.
VFS will provide over-the-counter
assistance to applicants at its existing offices in
INDIA GOVT. WILLING TO FUND MIGRATION STUDIES
Indian government is willing to support any studies that can be
done on migration and non-resident Indians (NRIs), according to a senior official.
Protector General of Emigrants R.K. Singh made the offer
while on a visit to the Centre for Development Studies (CDS) in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. According to a CDS official, the ministry of overseas
Indian affairs would be willing to financially support any studies on migration
which would be done by our institute.
Close to 1.9 million people from Kerala are currently living and working abroad,
mostly in the
NRI WORKERS WIN CASE IN
Malaysian court
ordered an employer to pay dues totaling $132,640 in damages for not paying 48
NRI workers the promised salary as reported in the New Strait Times on October
2, 2005.
The newspaper said
the workers were promised a higher salary and benefits by Chin Well's recruiting
agent Mithun Travels Pvt Ltd in
There are hundreds
of Indian nationals who go to
FOUR GENERATIONS OF NRI FAMILY RESIDES IN
Four generations of an NRI, Dr
Harikrishin Harilela, OBE, and his family, comprising 70
relatives and 40 servants have been living together under one roof in
The mansion originally included
18 bedrooms but now the main house has six apartments with 40 bedrooms between
them. Each flat measures about 2,500 sq ft. The apartments are divided among
five brothers and one sister. The 100,000 sq ft mansion was possible due to a
promise made to Hari`s mother --
that he and his brothers would always live together.
The Harilela holdings include hotels all over the world,
from Holiday Inns in Asia to the W in
US INCREASES FEE STRUCTURE FOR IMMIGRATION SERVICES
USCIS is a fee-based agency and the fee for various services, provided by the agency must recover the full cost of operations. The new fee structure has been revised to take into account inflation.
NRIs/PIOs SEND HUGE REMITTANCES TO
NRIs/PIOs
remit more amount to
NRIs in
UK WANTS TALENTED INDIANS TO STAY BACK
Lauding the strides made by
India in the fields of economy, science and technology, a British Minister has
said his government's effort now is not how to stop Indians coming over to
Britain, but how to prevent talented, educated graduates of Indian origin
leaving the UK to work in their homeland.
"Our focus is not how to stop
Indians coming over here, but how to prevent talented educated graduates of
Indian origin leaving the
"I get asked, how many more
people will come to this country? I say, as many as we need to face up to the
future challenges of the
At the reception, 35 of Tony
Blair's Ministerial team committed to engage with
Several leaders lauded
NRI GROUP PLANS BIGGEST FDI IN INDIAN REAL ESTATE
A US-based infrastructure
company unveiled plans to invest $1 billion in Indian real estate in what is
being billed as the largest foreign direct investment (FDI) in the newly
liberalized sector. Royal Indian Raj International Corporation (RIRIC), a
Nevada-based company promoted by people of Indian origin, is firming up plans to
build integrated townships and planned cities in the country. The company has
entered into a strategic partnership with New York-based real estate investment
banking firm The Greenwich Group International to finance the development of
multiple private cities in
"We have already been working on
our inaugural residential project on a 17-acre plot on the outskirts of
RIRIC said it aimed to take
advantage of
"We have got into a contract to
acquire nearly 5,000 acres of land near Mumbai, 3,000 acres near
The central government adopted a regulation in February allowing foreigners to bid for Indian construction projects with local partners and also reducing their minimum land-holding limit from 100 acres to 25 acres.
UK NRIs CAN
MAKE CHEAP CALLS TO
Reliance Communications UK has
launched a telephone service offering cheap
It is estimated that about 70 to
80 million minutes of calls are made from
Reliance launched a similar
service in the
Gov. Bill Richardson of
In renaming the
highway, Governor Bill Richardson said, Yogi Bhajan was a special man- a man of peace,
compassion, and intelligence who profoundly influenced the lives of those he met
and countless others around the world. His spiritual leadership, legacy of
giving, and positive impact on the business community will shine as an example
for generations to come. It is fitting that we pay tribute to Yogi Bhajan by naming this road in his
beloved
SCHOOL TO NAME NEW BUILDING AFTER THE NRI DONOR
NRI Bhupesh Parikh and his wife Kumud donated $1 million to
YADUNANDAN
Uka Solanki, a businessman and
philanthropist (recipient of GOPIO Community Service Award 2005), donated a
substantial sum of money for
NRI ENDOWS INDIAN MUSIC CHAIR AT UCLA
Dr. Mohinder Sambhi donated $1 million for the establishment of
Mohinder Brar Sambhi Endowed Chair in Indian Music at UCLA in
memory of his late wife Dr. Mohinder Brar Sambhi. The inaugural event on October 2, 2005
started in UCLA with a sitar concert by famous Shujaat Khan.
SILICON
On
October 8, 2005,
NRIs
in the Silicon Valley raised a $1 million for promoting elementary
education, women's empowerment and eradication of AIDS in
Several corporate giants and celebrities from the entertainment industry, including Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty, attended the event. AIF president Lata Krishnan was thrilled to see the event meeting the target of generating 1 million US dollars.
SIKH DELEGATION VISITING
A three-member Sikh delegation of the Delhi Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee (DGPC) went to
Many Hindu temples including the famous Krishna temple in
They would be replacing the old
kalash or urns with new ones at
the
GOPIO CONGRATULATES
It has been 13 years since free,
fair and open elections were held on October 13, 1992 that brought about the
return of democratic rule in
GOPIO is gratified that its
efforts towards this goal which began at GOPIOs First Global Convention in 1989 contributed
to the realization of democratic rule in
GOPIO continues its active
monitoring of all countries with populations of non-resident Indians (NRIs) and PIOs to be vigilant and ensure government by
democratic process and rule based on open, free and fair elections where all
citizens can participate without fear or intimidation.
GOPIO congratulates the people and leadership of
GOPIO, LIFE MEMBERSHIP AND
CHAPTER FORMATION
GOPIO is a non-partisan, non-sectarian global organization
with chapters in several countries, actively promoting the interests of people
of Indian origin worldwide by monitoring and addressing current critical issues
of concern, and by enhancing cooperation and communication between groups of
Indians living in various countries.
GOPIO
Individual Life membership is open to all who believe in the mission of GOPIO.
The one time fee is $1,000 for those from developed countries and $500 for those
from developing countries or Rs.
25,000 for those from
GOPIO
is looking forward to opening chapters in all major cities of the world so as to
network people of Indian origin all over the world. If you do not have chapter
in your city, please visit GOPIO website (www.gopio.net) and get details of chapter initiation
(visit http://www.gopio.net/chapter_initiative.htm). Process
involves sending a letter of intent to start a chapter by a committee of five
people or more. For
more information, contact:
GOPIO
President Inder Singh,
GOPIO
Secretary General Ashook Ramsaran, Fresh Meadows,
To
become a Life member of GOPIO, visit http://www.gopio.net/membership_form.htm, print and
fill up the form and send it with a check to: GOPIO,
EDITORIAL BOARD
Chief Editor: Dr. Thomas Abraham, Chairman, GOPIO (
Webmaster: Prashant Gupta (
Contributors for this issue: Inder Singh
(USA), Sunil Prasad (
GOPIO NEWS welcomes NRI/PIO related stories from all over the world. Be a volunteer correspondent or reporter. Contact Dr. Thomas Abraham, Tel: 203-329-8010, E-mail: gopio@optonline.net
V
isit GOPIOs Official site at www.gopio.net or www.gopio.com