GOPIO NEWS BULLETIN
March, 2003
CONTENTS
v GOPIO Welcomes New Chapters
v GOPIO Sets Up Fiji Cyclone Rehabilitation
Fund, Raises Funds in New York
v No Tax on NRIs
Staying Abroad 90% of the Time Since 1993
v NFIA Pledges Support for Bobby Jindals Campaign
v PIO Human Rights Violations Conference
v GOPIO Chapter news
v Global Indian Technovators
Awards 2003
v GOPIOs Business and Professional Service
Bulletin Board
GOPIO WELCOMES NEW CHAPTERS
With the passage of a new amendment to
GOPIO constitution, GOPIO Chapters are being initiated in all major cities of
the world. One can initiate a chapter and become part of this global network of
people of Indian origin by visiting GOPIOs Chapter Initiation 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 or Secretary General Ashook Ramsaran at 718-363-1900 or
contact by e-mail at gopio@gopio.net or write to GOPIO International Inc., P.O.
Box 1413, Stamford, CT 06904, USA.
GOPIO SETS UP FIJI CYCLONE REHABILIATION FUND, RAISES FUNDS IN
NEW YORK
Just
recently, Cyclone Ami hit Fiji with destructive force of a hurricane with wind
speeds gusting up to 180 knots per hour and caused widespread destruction to
north-eastern Vanua Levu
including Labasa and surrounding areas, and to outer
islands in the Lau Groups and eastern Fiji. There were over two dozen deaths
and enormous property damage.
Part of the damage in the Labasa area was
caused by heavy flooding brought about by the cyclone. Homes have been washed
away, destroyed or substantially damaged, crops have been ruined, power lines
brought down and water supply disrupted. Hundreds of people are left with just
the clothes on their back.
Much of the loss occurred because the cyclone struck at night. Labasa suffered a complete blackout even before the full
fury of the cyclone was unleashed. The area suffered massive destruction to
infrastructure. There has been over $50 million US dollars in damage
along with deaths and destruction to lives. A rehabilitation effort
has been started with several international voluntary agencies involved in it.
GOPIO has set up a Fiji Cyclone Fund. Renowned pro-golf player Vijay
Singh has extended his support in the GOPIO efforts to raise funds. The funds
will be channeled through the agencies working in the field for immediate needs
such as food, clean water, and shelter as well as to get children back in
school to get their minds off the traumatic events and catastrophe. GOPIO will
take advice from former Fiji Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry who has been actively involved in the relief and
rehabilitation efforts in the affected areas.
GOPIO has designated President-elect Inder
Singh to be the Coordinator for Fiji Cyclone Relief Fund. Contact Singh by
email (InderSingh.la@sbcglobal.net) or by phone at 818 708-3885. Dron S. Battan from the
Indo-Fijian community, from Downey, CA is as an important contributor to this
effort and managed to get Mr. Vijay Singh's support to help this cause for the
cyclone victims of Fiji.
GOPIO organized a fund-raiser in New York on February 12th in the
presence of the legendary icon of Indian film Dev Anand
at The Tandoor Restaurant in Rego
Park, Queens, New York. Anand was the
guest of honor. He reminded everyone that people of Indian origin
have been living in Fiji for generations and they need for assistance due
to the Cyclone that brought death and devastation.. He said, Please
give and give generously to them especially at this time of their need. We
cannot control disasters, but we must help each other.
Anand was encouraged
that the attendees did not include any Fijian yet the attendees came out
to support them. He gave his time freely, posing for photographs,
taking questions, signing books and autographs. He briefly discussed
the release his new movie Love in Times Square on Valentines Day.
The program was compeered by GOPIO Secretary General Ashook
Ramsaran. GOPIO President inducted Dev Anand to be a Honorary Life Member of GOPIO.
A few years ago, Gujarat earthquake shook NRI/PIO conscience. NRIs/PIOs liberally contributed to help the
victims. GOPIO makes an appeal to do likewise for Fijian PIO brethren
who have suffered from cyclone Ami. GOPIO has assured that one hundred percent
of the contribution will be sent for this humanitarian cause. Please send your
tax-deductible contribution to: GOPIO Inc., c/o Dr. Sushila
Gidwani, 243 Palisade Ave., Dobbs Ferry, NY 10522.
No Tax on NRIs Staying Abroad for 90%
of Time Since 1993
At the new budget presented by Finance Minister Jaswant
Singh, the Government of India has decided to exempt from income tax
Non-Resident Indians who have stayed abroad 90 per cent of the time in the last
10 years. This facility would be available for two years, Finance Minister Jaswant Singh said presenting the Budget for 2003-04.
"There is a category of taxpayers in India ordinarily not found elsewhere --
the not ordinarily resident. They do not normally have to pay tax on their
foreign sourced income," Singh said, adding there was confusion on this
provision due to different legal interpretations.
"To set the matters at rest, the relevant definition has been suitably
amended so that the benefit will now be available to persons for two years in
case they remain non-resident for the last nine out of ten years," Singh
said.
The government also abolished tax clearance certificates needed for a person
leaving India or for those submitting tender for a government contract.
"Henceforth, only expatriates who come to India in connection with
business, profession or employment, would have to furnish guarantee from their
employer in respect of tax payable before they leave India," Singh said.
An Indian citizen would also have to give his permanent account number (PAN)
and the period of his intended visit abroad to the emigration authorities.
NFIA PLEDGES SUPPORT TO BOBBY JINDALS CAMPAIGN
The National Federation of Indian-American Associations (NFIA) will lend its
full support to the campaign of Bobby Jindal for the
governor of Louisiana. Jindal will be the first
American of Indian decent to run for governor in the United States, and if
elected, will be the youngest head of State.
"We are delighted to see the great heights Bobby Jindal has reached at this young age," said Niraj Baxi, the president of
NFIA, "We will do everything in our capacity to help him in his
quest to become the governor of Louisiana."
Jindal who served for
nearly two years as Assistant Secretary of Planning and Evaluation of Health
and Human Services, the highest-level politicalappointee
of Indian origin in the Bush Administration recently resigned from that job to
start his campaign for the State governor. A graduate from the Oxford
University as a Rhodes scholar, Jindal previously
served in Louisiana as Secretary of Health and Hospitals. He was credited for rescueing the State's Medicaid program from bankruptcy by
turning a $400 million deficit, into three years of surpluses totaling $220
million. He was only 26 year old at that time. In 1999, he was appointed
President of the University of Louisiana, the youngest person to head a major
university in the country.
NFIA President-elect Rajen Anand
who served as head of a USDA agency for over 6 years in the Clinton
administration, described Jindal as pride of the
Indo-American community, who deserve full support, especially financial help,
from the entire community in the United States. He strongly urged people to
open their wallets and generously donate money to Jindal's
Campaign. "It will be great to see someone from first generation of
Indo-Americans to occupy the highest office in the State of Louisiana,"
added Anand.
Jindal has accepted an
invitation from NFIA to attend its Board of Directors meeting scheduled in New
Orleans, March 7-9, 2003. He will be addressing the Board on Saturday evening.
Born and raised in Baton Rouge, LA, Jindal is
product of public school system in the state. He received his High School
diploma from Baton Rouge High School and went on to graduate in biology and
public policy from the Brown University. Jindal is
married to Supriya Jolly and they have a one-year-old
daughter.
"We have a golden opportunity to lend our support to a fellow
Indian, and we should not miss it," observed Rajendra
Jain of New Orleans, the Vice President of NFIA and a close family friend of
the Jindals.
PIO Human Rights Violations Conference
HUMAN RIGHTS PERSPECTIVES: The Experiences of East Indians
Abroad
In-Depth Reports, Discussions and Analyses on All Types of Atrocities and
Abuses Against East Indians Living Outside of India in Countries with
Significant Population of People of Indian Origin. Reports on Fiji, Guyana,
Trinidad, Surname, African Countries and others.
Sponsored By St. Johns University, Center on Latin American &
Caribbean Studies, Queens, New York, USA
Date: Fall 2003
Venue - St. Johns University, Jamaica New York
Co-Sponsored By Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO)
Supported By The Guyanese East Indian Civic Association (GEICA)
And Several Other Institutions & Organizations
SCHOLARLY PAPERS ARE INVITED FOR PRESENTAION.
Please send an abstract to Ashook Ramsaran at ramsaran@aol.com or call 718-353-1900.
GOPIO Chapter News
GOPIO-Chicagolands official inauguration
is scheduled for end of May 2003. The chapter will cover Illinois, Indiana,
Iowa and Wisconsin. If you like to participate or become a member, please
contact Chapter President Samir Shah at 847-004-7327
(samshausa@netscape.net) or
Secretary Prashant Gupta at 847-541-4461 (pg1619@yahoo.com).
GLOBAL INDIAN TECHNOVATORS AWARDS 2003
The Idea
To recognize and felicitate twenty
distinguished innovators of Indian origin working at the cutting-edge of
technology and harnessing these technologies for far-reaching applications. The
awards emphasize the need to honor young, upcoming people; the upper age limit
is 40 as one of the criteria for nominations.
Specialty Areas
- Biotechnology
- Materials
and devices
- Information
technology
- Medicine and
healthcare
- Social
development
Nominations are also invited in other categories that do not fit into one of
the above broad areas.
Objectives
1. Recognize and encourage the innovative, and creative spirit of people of
Indian origin.
2. Identify potential role models
for the younger generation.
3. Provide a platform to
showcase the talents of these young innovators.
4. Help in building stronger
ties with the global community
5. Help advance scientific
temper
Methodology:
Nominations are invited on a global basis. These will be screened by doctoral
and post-doctoral students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Finally, nominations will be judged by a panel consisting of eminent
researchers, and prominent personalities in the industry and venture capitalist
arenas. Judges will be carefully chosen to represent the spectrum of fields
encompassed by these awards. The presentation ceremony will be held at MIT, in
October 2003.
The call for nominations will be open until May 31, 2003. Nominations can be
filled in at: http://technovators.mit.edu
Award Organizers
Sangam - The Indian Students' Association at MIT; Sangam is an active student group, recognized widely by the
Indian community around New England. This event is being undertaken by the
Indian Business Club, one of the various initiatives of Sangam.
Please visit: http://technovators.mit.edu or http://web.mit.edu/sangam/www
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
