GOPIO NEWS BULLETIN
February, 2002
INDIAN GOVERNMENT RESOLVES ISSUE OF DUAL CITIZENSHIP
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Tuesday announced that the government has
resolved the issue of dual citizenship, which would facilitate Indians settled
abroad to make their contributions in the progress of the country.
"There were problems in resolving the issue. But now the issue has been resolved
and I am hopeful that Indians settled abroad would find it suitable," he said
after receiving the report of the high level committee on Indian diaspora,
headed by noted jurist L M Singhvi.
He said, "We are in favor of dual citizenship, but not dual loyalty.''
Vajpayee said that Indians settled abroad should also have loyalty to the
countries where they had settled and would fulfill their responsibilities as
citizens of those countries.
Singhvi said the committee had identified the US, the UK, Canada, Australia, and
New Zealand, a large part of Europe and Singapore for implementation of dual
citizenship.
He said the committee recommended dual citizenship within the framework of the
Citizenship Act and it did not involve any amendment in the Constitution.
GOPIO welcomes this news. Dual citizenship was passed as a resolution at the
First national Convention of Asian Indians in North America held in New York in
1980 which resulted in the formation of the National Federation of Indian
Associations (NFIA). At the First Global Convention of People of Indian Origin,
one major resolution was on "DUAL CITIZENSHIP," as follows: "The Government of
India should consider further liberalizing dual nationality privileges for
Indians permanently settled abroad on a country-by-country basis after careful
consideration of all aspects of the question."
GOPIO is extremely pleased that the Singhvi committee has made exactly the same
recommendation.
TRIBUTE TO LATE CONGRESSMAN DALIP SINGH SAUND
Over 500 Indian Americans and their American friends gathered on January 13th in
Los Angeles to pay their tribute to the first Indian American elected to the
United States Congress. Several Indian organizations joined to sponsor the
event. A seminar and a gala banquet commemorated the day when Dalip Singh Saund
took oath at the nation's capital. Delegates from the states of New York,
Pennsylvania, Maryland, Texas, California, British Columbia and Minnesota
attended the tribute function. Saund family was at hand to share their joy.
The weeks that led to this day saw extensive write ups of Saund's contributions
published all over the world in both ethnic and mainstream American press giving
broad converge of congressman Saund's pioneer works both as a pioneer and US
Congressman.
The day began with a seminar entitled "Indian Diaspora: Tale of Indian American
Pioneers". Dr. Rajan Anand who had held a very high ranking position during
Clinton Administration facilitated the seminar program. Speakers included,
Professor Jayasri Hart, Producer & Director of Roots in the Sand; Prof. Karen
Leonard of University of California, Irvine and author of books on Indian
pioneers; Dr. Harbans Lal, Professor Emeritus, University of North Texas Health
Science Center; Dr. Jagat Motowani of New York, author "Global Indian Diaspora",
Michael Potts of India West, Maryland State representative Kumar Bharve, and
successful physician Dr. Baldev Devgan.
The seminar speakers highlighted the heavy odds against Dr. Saund in his fight
for his beliefs and how he won all the battles successfully. He succeeded in
developing special constituency of all ethnic communities as well as confidence
of all American voters who elected him for three terms. Youth were urged to
emulate Dr. Saund by seeking public service office at very level. Similarly
parents were urged to be proactive in providing appropriate environments for
their children to grow in this new world.
The seminar was followed by a packed house for PBS documentary "Roots in the
Sand" depicting early Indian American pioneers who were mostly Sikhs from
Punjab.
The evening reception and a banquet dinner were addressed by invited dignitaries
where Saund family members (Ellie Ford, daughter; Eric and Neil Saund,
grandsons) were introduced to the audience. Consul General S. Viswanathan spoke
on behalf of the Government of India saying that Saund made India and Indians
proud. Keynote Speaker, Ujjal Sing Dosanjh, Former Premier of British Columbia
spoke at length his experiences in public life and potentials of Indian
Americans in their newly adopted home in North American continent. Satveer
Chaudhary, Minnesota State Senator paid homage to a century of toils of pioneers
from India for their countless achievements. He asked the diaspora generation to
dream of becoming the president of USA, Kumar Barve, Maryland State Assemblyman
who was the first Indian American elected as State Assemblyman and is a leading
candidate for an open seat for US congress spoke about the legacy of late Dalip
Singh Saund.
Inder Singh President Elect of Global Organization of People of Indian Origin
who headed the celebration, in welcoming the guests, himself paid tributes to
the legacy of a man who started it all and whose life is a beacon of hope, a
source of inspiration and a worthy role model for all Indian Americans. He not
only brought two other associations, Indian American Friendship Council and
Global Punjabi Diaspora, to actively co-organize the event but also brought
several community organizations to participate in the event. For his dedication
and commitment, he was recognized and repeatedly applauded as the "first" to
organize tribute function for the "first" Indian American congressman, late Dr.
Saund. He also brought many "firsts" that included former British Columbia
Premier Dosanjh, Dr. Joy Cherian, Kumar Barve and Satvir Chaudhary to the
function, who paid their own tribute to the late congressman Saund.
THIRD GLOBAL INDIAN ENTREPRENEURS CONFERENCE
The conference, which was postponed because of the terrorist attacks in New
York, is rescheduled for September 20th to 23rd, 2002. Please visit
www.gopio.net for updates.
September 20-23, 2002
Crowne Plaza Hotel, La Guardia Airport, 104-04 Ditmars
Blvd., East Elmhurst, New York 11369, USA
Conference Theme
"People of Indian Origin - Technology, Investment, Business and
Networking Opportunities"
Organized By
Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) &
GOPIO
Business Council
INIDA TRADE AND TECHNOLOGY CONFERENCE
March 22-23, 2002
Omni Shoreham Hotel, 2500 Calvert Street, NW Washington DC
Visit our web site: www.nationalfederation.org for details.
Hosted By
National Federation of Indian-American Associations (NFIA)
Sponsored By
U.S.-India Business Council (US-IBC), The World Bank Institute
(WBI), University of Georgia (UG), Confederation of Indian Industries (CII),
Indian CEO High Tech Council (ICEO), Global Organization of People of Indian
Origin (GOPIO), Silicon India (TIE)
DRAFT PROGRAM
Friday March 22, 2002
Morning Session (9:00AM-12: 30 PM)
9:00AM-9:30AM
Conference Opening - Hon. Anthony Williams,Mayor,District of
Columbia*
Welcome: Dr. Parthasarathy Pillai, President, NFIA
Conference Goals:
Dr. Joydeb Roy, Executive Director, NFIA
9:30AM-11:00AM
Session I: Building Better Trade Relations
Keynoter - U.S. Secretary of Commerce*
Keynoter - Science & Technology Minister of India*
Keynoter - Hon.S.M.Krishna, Chief Minister, Karnataka,India
Remarks - Hon. David S Iannucci, Secretary Maryland Dept.of Business & Economic
Development
Panel Discussions: Ambassador Lalit Mansingh, Ambassador Frank Wisner(USIBC)*,
Dr. Montek Singh Ahluwalia(IMF)
11:00 AM- 11:15 AM
Coffee Break
11:15 AM-12:30 PM
Session II: Trade & Investment
Keynote - Hon. Kenneth W Dam, U.S. Deputy Secretary of the Treasury*
Panel
Discussion:Mr. Lakshman Achuthan, Managing Director, BusinessCycle, NY, Mr.
Joydeep Mukherjee, Standard & Poor*,Dr. Michael Clark, Executive Director, USIBC
Mr. Natwar Gandhi, CFO, District of Columbia
Mr. Ajay Malhotra, Minister,
Commerce, Embassy of India
I2:30PM - 2:00 PM
Luncheon
U.S.-India Emerging Relationship
Mr. Bobby Jindal.
Asst. Secretary, US Dept.of Health and Human Services
Dr. Stephen Cohen, Brookings Institution
Friday March 22, 2002
Afternoon Session (2:00PM-6:00 PM)
2:00PM- 3:30 PM
Session III: Security & Terrorism
Keynoter - U.S. Attorney
General*
Keynoter - Ambassador T.P.Sriniwasan, Indian Ambassador to Austria
Panel Discussion:Dr. Anupam Shrivastava , South Asia Program, University of
Georgia
3:30PM-6:00 PM
Session IV. Hospitality & Tourism
Mr. Niraj Baxi,
President-Elect NFIA
Mr. Willaim Hansbury, President, Convention & Tourism
Corp., Washington DC
Ms Reba Pitman Walker, President, Hotel Association of Washington DC
6:00 PM-7:30 PM
NFIA Reception
Saturday March 23, 2002
Morning Session (9:00 AM-12:30 PM)
9:00AM-9:20AM
Keynoter - Dr. Sam Petroda, CEO, World-Tel India's role in
innovative technologies
9:20AM-10:30 AM:
Session V:Trade & Technology Information Technology, Global
Capital Market, Strategies for Corporate Acquisitions, Intellectual Properties
Mr. Neil Callagan, IBM Corporation, Mr. Arun Bellary, Chairman and CEO of
Metro-Optix,
Prof. Harbir Singh, Wharton School, Dr. Shantanu Das, CEO, TranSwitch
Corporation
Mr. Parth Tiwari, McKinsey & Co.
Mr. Sudhakar Senoy, CEO,
Information Management Consultants
10:30AM- 10:45 AM:
Coffee Break
10:45 AM -12:30 PM:
Session VI: Trade & Technology ROUND TABLE
From ideas to
products, successful entrepreneurship, promising technology, technology
transfer, challenges faced by entrepreneurs of Indian origin in US, A winning
business climate for India
Panel Discussion: Dr. Tejas Vakil, Mr. Subhash Patil,
Co-Founder TIE*, Mr. Subash C Roy, TranSwitch Corporation, Dr. Pradeep Ganguly,
Director, Maryland Business Development, Mr. Prasanta K Biswal, Director, FICCI,
Dr. Vaikunth Gupta,*,Dr. Hemant Kanakia*
12:30 PM -2:00 PM
Luncheon Break
U.S.-India Relationship,Ambassador-At-Large Bhisma K Agnihotri , Senator Paul
Sarbanes*
Saturday March 23, 2002
Afternoon Session
2:00 PM-3:00 PM
Session VII: Business Opportunities
Panel Discussion:Emerging
Technologies: Business Opportunities and Challenges
Mr. Javad (Jay) K.
Hassan, Chairman, AM Communications
Mr. Reggie Aggarwal, CEO Cvent, Dr. T
(Kesh)Keshavadas, Professor, SUNY, Buffalo
Mr. Govind Kizhepat, EVP, Globespan
Dr. Sriram Viswanathan, Director of
Strategic Investments, Intel Capital
3:00PM-4:00PM
Hidden Treasures: Medical Technology & Biotechnology
Dr.Manoj Jain, CEO, Biocore Technologies Inc.,
Dr.Mohammed Majeed, CEO,
Sabinsha Corp.
Dr. Sekhar Rao,CEO, Helixity, Dr. Ved Brat, CEO Braton Biotech
4:00PM-4:15PM
Coffee Break
4:15PM-5:00 PM
Session VIII: A View from the Community
Mr. Satveer Choudhury, State Senator, Minnesota ,Professor Devesh Kapur, Harvard
University
Mr. Neil Patel, Staff Secretary, VP Richard Cheney, Ms. Preeta
Bansal, Harvard University
5:00PM-6:00PM
U.S. -India Relations-perspective of business community
Dr.
Thomas Abraham, President GOPIO, Mr. Swadesh Chatterjee, President, Brandts
Instruments
Dr. Joy Cherian, President, J Cherian Consultants, Mr. Kishore
Kaul*
6:00PM-7:30 PM:
Social Hour
7:30 PM-9:30 PM
Dinner Banquet
Secretary of State Colin Powell*
Hon. Norman
Mineta, Secretary of Transportation
Congresswoman Connie Morella
Congressmen
Ackerman* and Benjamin Gilman*
Dr. Vinod Thomas, V.P.,World Bank
Ms. Marriott*
Dr. Deepak Chopra*
9:30PM-10:30 PM:
Entertainment
11:00 AM
Adjournment
* Invited
Please register for the conference today. Further information
301-935-5321/301-935-4824
Reserve the hotel rooms. Omni Shoremam: 202-234-0700, Clarion Hampshire:
202-296-7600.
NEW GOPIO CHAPTERS INITIATED
With the amendments to GOPIO constitution last year, new city-based chapters are
being initiated all over the world. The new chapters are already working in New
York, Los Angeles, Detroit, Harare, Durban and Zurich. GOPIO President Dr.
Thomas Abraham recently visited India and initiated GOPIO chapters in Bangalore,
Cochin, Trivandrum and Kolkatta.
"By the end of this year we hope to have 35 chapters around the world and this
will be something very big for the PIO community and India," said Dr. Abraham.
"Within the next 2-3 years, we should be able to develop a great network of
GOPIO chapters in all major cities of the world," added Dr. Abraham.
One can initiate a chapter and become part of this global network of people of
Indian origin by visiting GOPIO's Chapter Initiative website
www.gopio.net/chapter_initiative.htm to get a copy of the guidelines governing
GOPIO chapters. Alternately, call GOPIO's International coordinator Dr. Jagat
Motwani at 631-421-4288 in USA.
BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL SERVICES BULLETIN BOARD
PIOs are encouraged to publicize businesses and services though GOPIO Business
Council Bulletin Board free of charge. Please visit
www.gopio.net/wboard/bulletin.htm
OTHER ORGANIZATIONS
Spend a year in India doing public service
Indicorps offers competitive fellowships for Indian-Americans interested in
spending a year (September 2002 to August 2003) on unique social service
projects in India. Fellowships are designed as one-of-a-kind transformational
experiences, emphasizing both public service and personal growth. Indicorps, a
new non-profit organization, will provide a stipend to 10 fellows who are
willing to commit a year to implement service projects established with partner
organizations in India. All fellows will participate in a four-week orientation
program, share experiences through regular retreats, and are actively supported
by Indicorps and partner organizations. Prospective fellows must be at least
50% of Indian origin with a college degree or five years equivalent work
experience. The application and more information is available online at
www.indicorps.org.
Applications are due April 26, 2002. Email info@indicorps.org or call (858)
483-0933 for more information.
Visit GOPIO's Official site at www.gopio.net