GOPIO NEWS BULLETIN

September 2006

 

NOTE: GOPIO News is a monthly newsletter of GOPIO International, based in the USA . If you do not wish to receive this newsletter in future, please go to the bottom and click the unsubscribe URL. If you feel the information contained here is useful, please forward this e-mail to your friends and relatives. One could also subscribe this newsletter FREE by visiting www.gopio.net and type in the e-mail address and other details.

 

CONTENTS

EICC AND GOPIO TO HOST NOVEMBER MEET FOR INVESTORS IN BRUSSELS

 

US SENATE TO VOTE ON THE US-INDIA NUCLEAR ENERGY COOPERATION BILL S3709

 

BHARRAT JAGDEO AND RULING PPP PARTY RETAIN CONTROL IN GUYANA ELECTIONS

 

GUYANA YOUTH CORPS MAKE ANNUAL VISIT TO JAMAICA

 

GOPIO INTL. AND CHAPTER NEWS

GOPIO TRI-ANNUAL GLOBAL CONVENTION & CONFERENCE, JAN. 5-6, 2007, NEW DELHI

GOPIO-CT AWARDS WINNERS OF ESSAY CONTEST

GOPIO-TRINIDAD FORCES INVESTIGATION INTO RACIST STATEMENT

GOPIO-SURINAME CELEBRATES INDIA INDEPENDENCE ANNIVERSARY

 

NRIs/PIOs ACHIEVE

SUBHASH SINGHAL RECEIVES HIGHEST FUEL CELL HONOR

SHAYAM SUNDER TAKES OVER AS PRESIDENT OF AMERICAN ACCOUNTING ASSOCIATION

INDRA NOOYI NAMED CEO OF PESICO

SRINANDAN KASI NAMED VP AND GENERAL COUNSEL OF ASSOCIATED PRESS

APPU KUTTAN RECEIVES DIGITAL LITERACY INSPIRATION AWARD

MAULI AGRAWAL NAMED DEAN OF TEXAS UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

RAMACHANDRAN NAIR NAMED FOR HUMBOLDT PRIZE

FOUR INDIANS IN SIGAPORES TOP 40 RICH LIST

ANAND SATYANAND TAKES OVER AS GOVERNOR GENERAL IN NEW ZEALAND

 

NEWS OF INTEREST TO NRIs AND PIOs AROUND THE WORLD

INDIANS IN GULF REMIT $5 BILLION A YEAR

US PROPOSES TO INCREASE H1B VISAS

SIKHS WIN RIGHT TO BUILD GURUDWARA IN CALIFORNIA

INDO-TRINIDADIANS GET DUAL CITIZENSHIP CARDS

KERALA TO TAP NRKs FOR NEW INFRASTRUCTURE COMPANY

MALAYSIAN INDIAN CONGRESS TURNS 60

BAPIO TAKES UP ISSUE OF INDIAN DOCTORS IN UK

GREEN LIGHT FOR e-PASSPORT SCHEME

SOUTH ASIAN AMERICANS FORM NEW BANK IN MICHIGAN

LORD DILJIT RANA INVESTS 5 CRORES IN EDUCATIONAL COMPLEX IN PU NJ AB

MINISTER RAVI INAUGURATES PIO TV

RETURNED NRI ASSOCIATION IN BANGALORE

INDO-UGANDANS CONTRIBUTE TO EDUCATIONAL CAUSES IN UGANADA

GOPIO LIFE MEMBERSHIP AND CHAPTER FORMATION

 

EDITORIAL BOARD

 

EICC AND GOPIO TO HOST NOVEMBER MEET FOR INVESTORS IN BRUSSELS

 

Taking advantage of the presence of many industrialists, business leaders including a high level government delegation from India led by a Cabinet Minister, who would be addressing the EICC-IMC-ASSOCHAM-GOPIO Conference on EU-India Strategic Partnership, the EICC in association with GOPIO Belgium is organizing an Investors/Traders Meet in Brussels on November 9 evening at the Hotel Sheraton followed by a dinner. Several Indian companies will be represented by their top executives at this event. The event will afford the Investors an opportunity to meet face-to-face and discuss opportunities in their business plans. The presentations by some companies will outline their history, their present business plan and, most importantly, their vision for the future. A 30-minute question and answer session will follow. This interface, first of its kind being organized by EICC and GOPIO, will allow many participants to understand their businesses opportunities and how the EICC could help facilitate their business. More importantly, the event will also give the participants opportunities to learn about doing business in Europe and India with some practical experience.

 

As reported in the previous issues of the GOPIO News Bulletin, the high level conference on November 8-9 being organized by EICC and GOPIO in partnership with Indian Merchants Chamber and ASSOCHAM and the Indian Embassy is expected to attract a large number of participants. The EU-India economic co-operation will be the focus of the event during the business session on November 9 in the European Parliament. The Conference will also discuss, within the context of growing EU-India relations, economic and business climate and financing operations in India , steps India should take to attract foreign investment and including corporate experiences of doing business in India , etc.

 

The proposed Conference will be attended by more than 250 industrialists, business and community leaders from Europe, India , USA , representative of multinational corporations, European Parliamentarians, officials of the European Commission, representatives of various diplomatic Missions and also representatives of various Chambers of Commerce. The EU Commissioner for Energy Mr. Andris Piebalgs will deliver the inaugural address. Mr. Sam Pitroda, Chairman of the National Knowledge Commission of the Government of India will deliver the Keynote address on the 8th November and a Cabinet Minister from the Government of India will be the Chief Guest. Dr. Myron Scholes, 1997 Nobel Prize Laureate in Economics will also address the event.

 

The organizers have negotiated with Hotel Capital (Address: 191, Chausse de Vleurgat, 1050 Brussels Tel: 0032 2 646 6420) a special rate for the participants at the following rates: Single room: 75 Euros including breakfast and Double room: 85 Euros including breakfast. Contact Mr. Robert van der Plas, General Manager by fax +32 2 646 3314 or by E-mail: info@hotelcapital.be. While making booking, please refer booking Code agreement number #259 for obtaining a special negotiated rate.

 

Contact: Sunil Prasad, Conference Chair and Secretary General of the EICC, Tel. & fax: 0032 2 469 2677, GSM: 0472-207 338, E-mail: info@eicc.be or sunil.prasad@coditel.net. For more info about the tentative program and other details of the Conference, please visit the website: www.eicc.be

 

US SENATE TO VOTE ON THE US-INDIA NUCLEAR COOPERATION BILL- S3709

 

After passing with a thumping majority (359 to 68) in the US House of Representatives for the bill United States and India Nuclear Cooperation Promotion Act H.R. 5682 on July 25, 2006, it is now headed to the full US Senate voting for the companion bill: United States-India Peaceful Atomic Energy Cooperation Act Senate Bill S 3709.

GOPIO is appealing to Indian Americans to contact their Senators and convince/educate them about the benefits of this agreement for both countries: USA & India .

 

The highlights of this agreement are expected to be:

(1) Strong bilateral relations with India are in the national interest of the United States ;

(2) The United States and India share common democratic values and the potential for increasing and sustained economic engagement;

(3) Commerce in civil nuclear energy with India by the United States and other countries has the potential to benefit the people of all countries;

(4) Such commerce also represents a significant change in United States policy regarding commerce with countries not parties to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which remains the foundation of the international non-proliferation regime;

(5) Any commerce in civil nuclear energy with India by the United States and other countries must be achieved in a manner that minimizes the risk of nuclear proliferation or regional arms races and maximizes India 's adherence to international non-proliferation regimes, including, in particular, the Guidelines of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG)

 

The time for seeking active support from Senators is limited since the the bill may be voted by mid September. Contact GOPIO President Inder Singh at 818-708-3885, E-mail: gopio-intl@sbcglobal.net or GOPIO National Coordinator for the US Dr. Piyush Agrawal, Tel: 954-389-4465, E-mail: sudhapca@aol.com.

 

BHARRAT JAGDEO AND RULING PPP PARTY RETAIN CONTROL IN GUYANA ELECTIONS

 

General elections were held throughout Guyana on Monday, August 28, 2006 and early returns indicate that the ruling Peoples Progressive Party (PPP) with President Bharrat Jagdeo at the helm, has retained control of the government with a small majority. Although the final tally would not be available for a few days, the trend suggests that Mr. Jagdeos government would retain power to continue the PPPs development programs, several of which are currently in progress. The campaigning was intense as a few splinter parties participated in the elections along with the Indian PIO backed PPP and the Peoples National Congress (PNC), the latter of which is backed predominantly by the descendents of African origin.

 

The elections were held in a free and democratic manner that continues the trend since 1992 when fair elections placed the late Dr. Cheddi Jagan and the PPP in government after 27 years of dominating rule by the PNC. However, there have been eruptions of violence and targeted attacks against PIOs who form the economic backbone of the country.

 

Guyana, a former British colony previously known as British Guiana, is an independent nation located on the northern part of South America, with a population of slightly over 750,000 of which 45% are people of Indian origin whose ancestors were brought there as indentured sugar plantation laborers during the nineteenth century.

 

GUYANA YOUTH CORP MAKES ANNUAL VISIT TO JAMAICA

 

Nine years ago the Guyana Youth Corp (GYC) of New York was invited by Mrs. Barbara Persaud, President of the Prema Mandir of Kingston , Jamaica , West Indies , to teach in their Summer Youth Program that had been in existence for four years. GYC President, Dr Tarachand Singh, accepted the invitation and organized the first mission in July 1988. A team of dancers, cultural instructors, and dramatists left New York to work on that mission. The graduation ceremony that took place was a high point where the students exceeded the expectations of their parents. Organizers were happy with the progress, and GYC was invited by Prema Mandir to make the New York Jamaica project as an annual affair. Te New York Jamaica project supports the Summer Youth Program and the Adult Outreach Program. The New York Jamaica project team meets the requisite mission costs with their own private funds and helps maintain the cultural links with a PIO population of near 60,000.


Jamaica has been one of those Indian Diaspora countries where its 60,000 PIOs have been marginalized the most, and where their ethic pride was battered, and it would take years to heal those wounds. Despite the challenges faced, Dr. Singh said, we cannot lament this forever; we must do something to help the Prema and other organizations restore the lost pride and dignity of the Indian population there. Dr. Singh continued, We recognize that Indians live and work in an environment where diversity is a hallmark. We decided, therefore, to strongly support the Prema humanitarian outreach programs, namely, the Food Hamper, the Medical Clinic, and the Dental Clinic. These programs are targeted to the needy, irrespective of race or color. 

The Summer Youth Program had grown considerably over the past 9 years. In 2001, The Natraj Group (now named the Natraj Center for the Performing Arts) and the Bhuvaneshwar Mandir were invited by Dr Tarachand Singh to participate in this program. The Natraj's President, Ms Barbara LeMoine, and Bhuvaneshwar Mandir's Spiritual Leader, Shri Prakash Gossai, have ever since been integral to the Jamaica mission. In 2006 prominent New York community leader Ramesh D Kalicharran as well as Alim Hassim, Publisher of the West Indian Newspaper, participated in the program in Jamaica . 

 

GOPIO INTL. AND CHAPTER NEWS

 

GOPIO TRI-ANNUAL GLOBAL CONVENTION & CONFERENCE, JAN. 5-6, 2007, NEW DELHI

 

GOPIO announces its Tri-Annual Global Convention and Conference to be held on January 5 to January 6, 2007 in New Delhi, in conjunction with the 2007 Pravasi Bharatiya Divas events on January 7 thru January 9, 2007 in New Delhi. The schedule of GOPIO events are as follows:

 

Friday, January 5, 2007

 

Day                  Tri-Annual Global Convention and Executive Council Meeting

 

Evening           Reception & Conference Inauguration

 

Saturday, January 6, 2007

 

Day                  Conference

 

Evening           Community Service Awards Dinner

 

More details on the events venue and hotel information will be provided shortly. We encourage prospective delegates and attendees to make plans for early booking. For more details and program updates, visit www.gopio.net and www.pbd2007.org. For registration to GOPIO events, contact Ashook Ramsaran, Secretary General, GOPIO International at Ramsaran@aol.com.

 

GOPIO-CT AWARDS WINNERS OF ESSAY CONTEST

 

The winners of an Essay Contest titled, How Does Democracy Arise, Survive and Thrive were presented awards at a ceremony in Stamford on August 11th by the Connecticut chapter of the Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO). Ms. Diane Farrell, First Selectwoman of Westport and Democratic candidate for the 4th Congressional district in Connecticut , who was the chief guest, presented the awards. The winners of the contest are Mallika Vora ( Stamford High School ), Maya Chakravarti ( Stamford High School ), Amit Mehrotra (Bently College) and Manasi Raveendran ( Boston University ). First prize winners Mallika and Amit received $1000 each and second prize winners Maya and Manasi received $500 each. The evening was very well attended and enjoyed by all.

Most democracies "were born out of insurrection";  "the earliest use of democratic systems was found in the republics of Ancient India", and "A country is democratic if the people elect their governments in free elections" are some of the thoughts of the winners of the essay contest How Does Democracy Arise, Survive and Thrive.

 

The evening also celebrated India s Independence Day, with participation and a message by Dr. Neena Malhotra, Counselor-Press, Culture, Information, Education and Community Affairs at the Consulate General of India in New York .

 

Following the award ceremony, Ms. Farrell had an interactive session with members and friends of GOPIO-CT, in which she covered major issues including terrorism, Iraq war, Social Security, immigration and outsourcing. The audience actively participated with questions and comments. Farrell also made a commitment to join the India Caucus, if elected to the Congress.

 

The interactive session with Farrell was moderated by Dr. Thomas Abraham, who is chairman of GOPIO International.

 

We believe that it is vital to persuade and motivate the younger generation to actively think about it and participate in democracy. We were delighted at the participation and look forward to holding additional events for our youth said Sangeeta Ahuja, President of GOPIO -CT.

 

Contact: Sangeeta Ahuja, Tel: (203) 329-9744, E-mail: sangeetaahuja@aol.com

 

GOPIO-TRINIDAD FORCES INVESTIGATION INTO RACIST STATEMENT

 

On July 25th 2006 the Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad and Tobago (TATT) has been ordered by Justice Carlton Best to investigate complaints made against a radio station and its talk show host.

 

President of the local GOPIO chapter Devant Maharaj complained in April last year about what GOPIO considered to be a political advertisement, calling on Chief Justice Satnarine Sharma to resign. Complaints were also made about talk-show host George Umballa Joseph who GOPIO stated called the mainly Indian supporters of the United National Congress as United Nasty Canecutters and natural born thieves.

 

Justice Carlton Best, said that TATT was in breach of its statutory duty when it refused or failed to investigate the complaints against I.95.5FM, which is owned by PNM party supporter Louis Lee Sing, and talk show host George "Umballa" Joseph.

 

Following the judgment Maharaj said the case should force members of the public to determine what benefit TATT is to the public if it could not respond to complaints by citizens. "You have no choice but to ask whether the authority is a political tool of the ruling political party," Maharaj said. "The authority seems to be mimicking the tone set by those who hold public office in Trinidad and Tobago and has shown that it is willing to go to extreme lengths to prevent the Indo-Trinidadian community-Hindus, Muslims and Christians, from holding its rightful place in society."

 

TATT has also been ordered to pay GOPIO's legal costs.

 

GOPIO-SURINAME CELEBRATES INDIA INDEPENDENCE ANNIVERSARY

 

GOPIO of Suriname organized and held a dinner in Paramaribo on August 13, 2006 in observation of India s Independence . It was attended by over 250 persons, which included the Vice President of Suriname, members of the Cabinet and the Judiciary, as well as members of the business and civic communities.

 

GOPIO Suriname President Krishna Nandoe delivered a well articulated speech commemorating the independence, with special notation to the linkage of Indians in Suriname to their proud heritage and lasting bond with India . Mr. Nandoe also made special reference to the endurance of the earliest Indians to settle in Suriname . He said: Though our parents, our grand parents, our great grand parents left India some 130 years ago, the link we have with India is still strong and vibrant and I may say blossoming. He continued by saying that, Today the PIO's of the world form an integral part of their society, thanks to hard working, entrepreneurship and good social standing. Without any doubt we can say that the Indian Diaspora has an intrinsic strength that gives us a sense of pride and a meaning to our identity.

 

Several other speakers congratulated the people of India on this occasion and noted the many strides India has made since its Independence , the various advances and levels of progress and development in food production, technology, economics and its increasingly visible position as an emerging world power.

 

 

NRIs/PIOs ARCHIEVE

 

INDIAN AMERICAN SCIENTIST SUBHASH SINGHAL RECEIVES HIGHEST FUEL CELL HONOR

 

Fuel cell pioneer Subhash Singhal, a Battelle Fellow and Director, Fuel Cells at the Department of Energys Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) received the Christian Friedrich Schoenbein Gold Medal for his outstanding contributions to solid oxide fuel cell technology. The biennial award is the highest honor presented by the European Fuel Cell Forum.

 

The medal is named for the Swiss scientist who is credited with identifying the fundamental chemistry of fuel cells and, together with Sir William Robert Grove, for the creation of the fuel cell in 1839.

 

Singhal joined PNNL in April 2000 after nearly 30 years at Siemens Westinghouse Power Corporation, where he led development of solid oxide fuel cell technology from a laboratory curiosity to fully integrated 200 kW power generation systems. At PNNL, Singhal provides senior technical, managerial and commercialization leadership to the laboratorys fuel cell program.

 

A member of the National Academy of Engineering, Singhal is a Fellow of four professional societiesAmerican Ceramic Society, Electrochemical Society, ASM International, and American Association for the Advancement of Scienceand a senior member of TMS, the Mineral, Metals & Materials Society. He also has served on numerous national and international advisory panels.

 

Singhal has authored more than 75 scientific publications, edited 13 books, received 13 patents and delivered over 225 plenary, keynote and other invited presentations worldwide. He is an adjunct professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Utah and serves on the Visiting Advisory Board of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Florida .

 

SHAYAM SUNDER TAKES OVER AS PRESIDENT OF AMERICAN ACCOUNTING ASSOCIATION

 

Shyam Sunder, the James L. Frank Professor of Accounting, Economics and Finance at the Yale School of Management, has begun his term as the 2006-2007 president of the American Accounting Association (AAA).

 

The American Accounting Association is the premier forum for scholarly interchange in accounting. With 8,000 members throughout the world, it promotes worldwide excellence in accounting education, research, and practice.

 

Sunder is a native of Dankaur, UP and has retained his Indian citizenship while residing in the United States for the last 35 years. He is only the third foreign-born professor to be elected to this office.

 

In his presidential address, delivered at the AAA 2006 Annual Meeting in Washington , DC , Sunder spoke about the "Imagined Worlds of Accounting." He said, "Accounting scholarship examines the way things were and are, and how they might be. The theme of the 2007 AAA meeting will be to celebrate and explore the power of accounting in both these domains."

 

Sunder is a leading accounting theorist and experimental economist. In addition to his teaching and research at Yale, Sunder served as director of the Yale Center for Corporate Governance and Performance during its first year of start-up activity in 2005.

 

He is the author of three books including Theory of Accounting and Control, co-author of Experimental Methods: A Primer for Economists, and has edited several volumes, including Japanese Style of Business Accounting. Sunder has published more than one hundred articles in premier research journals of accounting, economics, and finance.

 

Sunder attended IIT Kharagpur and graduated at the top of his class from the Indian Railways Institute of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering in Jamalpur. Before joining Yale in 1999, Sunder taught at Carnegie Mellon, the University of Minnesota , and the University of Chicago .

 

INDIAN AMERICAN INDRA NOOYI NAMED CEO OF PESICO

 

Corporate leader Indra Nooyi, once described as one of the "most powerful women in America ", has been named the next CEO of US multinational PepsiCo. The Chennai-born Nooyi, who will take charge on October 1, will succeed Steve Reinemund, who said that he is retiring to spend more time with his family.

 

In a statement, outgoing CEO Reinemund said, "Indra's record of transforming PepsiCo speaks for itself, and she has been an invaluable partner and ally throughout my time as CEO."

 

"She not only co-authored our vision and drafted our strategic blueprint, she has a sharp talent for turning insightful ideas and plans into realities and for developing and replenishing our talent base... I am convinced she is more than qualified and clearly ready for her new role leading PepsiCo," he said.

 

Nooyi joined the $33 billion global convenient foods and beverages company in 1994 and has served as president and chief financial officer since 2001, when she was also named to PepsiCo's board of directors.

 

She is the fifth CEO in PepsiCo's 41-year-old history.

 

An alumna of the Indian Institute of Management IIM- Calcutta (IIM-C), she brings with her vast and unique skills to the job. She has directed the company's global strategy for over a decade and was the primary architect of PepsiCo's restructuring, including the divestiture of its restaurants into the successful Yum brand.

 

She was instrumental in the spin-off and public offering of company-owned bottling operations into anchor bottler Pepsi Bottling Group (PBG), acquiring Tropicana, and the merger with Quaker Oats that brought the Quaker and the sports drink Gatorade businesses to PepsiCo.

 

After graduating in science from Madras Christian College , Noovi joined IIM-C and then to Yale University for a degree in Management. Prior to joining the Purchase PepsiCo, Noovi held senior management positions in Motorola and ABB. She had started her career in 1980 with the Boston Consulting Group.

 

Fortune magazine had named her among the "50 most powerful women in America ". In 2005, Wall Street Journal named her in its list of 50 women to watch.

 

Nooyi also serves on the boards Motorola, the International Rescue Committee, and the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. She lives in Greenwich , Connecticut , with her management consultant husband, Raj, and their two daughters.

 

INDIAN AMERICAN SRINANDAN KASI NAMED VP AND GENERAL COUNSEL OF ASSOCIATED PRESS

 

Srinandan Kasi, the Indian American deputy general counsel of the Associated Press, has been promoted vice-president and general counsel of the international news agency. Kasi, popularly known as Sri, has thus become one of the most senior South Asians in the business side of the media in the US . He is a graduate of University of Madras , India .

 

With this promotion, Kasi joins a handful of executives in the top management of US mainstream media firms, which includes Nusrat Durrani, senior vice-president and general manager, MTV World, Ketan Gandhi, president and publisher of the Home News Tribune in New Jersey (the first South Asian publisher of a US daily), Rene Golden, senior vice-president of CNN International and Manish Jha, senior vice-president and general manager of Mobile ESPN.

 

In an interview carried in the website of the South Asian Journalists Association (SAJA), Kasi said that general counsel is responsible for the legal affairs of the entire organization.

 

"These responsibilities are of particular significance in a US news organization to ensure that the First Amendment protections for a free press are carefully used and safeguarded," he said.

 

Asked what he has learned while working in AP, he said that the 160-year old news organization can protect its news values even while adapting to changing distribution models and news consumption patterns worldwide.

 

"The Internet has enhanced, not diminished the value of essential journalism," he added.

 

He has worked on a variety of mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance matters, strategic alliances and joint ventures. He was previously a scientist at IBM.

 

INDIAN AMERICAN APPU KUTTAN RECEIVES DIGITAL LITERACY INSPIRATION AWARD

 

An Indian American pioneer in digital education, Appu Kuttan, has won the prestigious 2006 Champions of Digital Literacy Inspiration Award for making the most contributions globally to bridging the digital divide over the years. Kuttan, chairman and founder of CyberLearning, the global non-profit leader in digital education, was presented the award by David Saedi, president and CEO of Certiport, at a ceremony at Disney World in Orlando , Florida , on Saturday.


"This award is given in recognition of exceptional vision and leadership in bridging the digital divide. We selected Appu Kuttan unanimously for this prestigious award because of his outstanding leadership efforts and contributions towards bridging the digital divide by advancing digital literacy in many countries over many years," he said.


Kuttan was chosen for the Inspiration Award from 13 Champions of Digital Literacy award recipients. They included education, government, corporate and non-profit leaders from China , Japan , Greece , Costa Rica , El Salvador , Puerto Rico and the US , a Certport release said.

 

Kuttan founded CyberLearning in 1994, and has since built it into the world's leading global non-profit organiZation bridging the digital divide through digital education. CyberLearning has trained over a million disadvantaged students and adults in digital literacy and IT skills. Its programs have been implemented in the US , India , Jordan , Egypt and Mauritius among others.


Kuttan's contribution to digital and IT education spans 20 years from advising late Indian prime minister Rajiv Gandhi on making India an IT power, to currently helping Mauritian Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam transform Mauritius into an IT-focused nation by providing digital literacy and IT education to 400,000 Mauritians to providing digital education to thousands of disadvantaged school students and teachers in the US and India.


Kuttan is an international management and education systems expert, and author of several innovative concepts, such as "CyberLearning," "Management By Systems (MBS)," "Total Tennis" and "Holistic Executive."

 

MAULI AGRAWAL NAMED DEAN OF TEXAS UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

 

Dr. C. Mauli Agrawal has been named dean of the College of Engineering of the College of Engineering at the University of Texas . A mechanical engineer form the Indian Institute of Technology in Kanpur , Agrawal holds the Peter Flawn Endowed Professorship in biomedical engineering at UTSA and is a professor of orthopedics at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio .

 

Agrawal has authored more than 240 scientific publications and has been awarded 11 patents with seven more pending.

 

RAMACHANDRAN NAIR NAMED FOR HUMBOLDT PRIZE

 

University of Florida professor Dr. P.K. Ramachandran nair has been selected for the prestigious Humboldt Prize. Instituted by the Alexander Humboldt Foundation ( Bonn , Germany ), the prize includes a cash award of up to 85,000 Euros and Germany s highest academic honor for outstanding international scientists and scholars,

 

Nair is Distinguished Professor of the Center for Subtropical Agroforestry at the University of Florida . Nairs contributions to the development of scientific agro-forestry could find applications for poverty alleviation and food security in poor countries and environmental sustainability in the industrialized nations. He has authored or edited 12 books and contributed nearly 200 scientific articles and book chapters.

 

FOUR INDIANS IN SIGAPORES TOP 40 RICH LIST

 

Four NRIs/PIOs are listed in the top 40 Rich List in the latest Forbes list of Richest people in Singapore . The four have collective net worth of $1.54 billion, which is more than 5% of the accumulated net worth of $28 billion of Singapore 's 40 richest people.

 

Murli Kewalram Chanrai, ranked 7th, is at the top among the Indians in the list. He heads the $3 billion Kewalram Chanrai Group; Sudhir Gupta, ranked 13th, heads Amtel-Vredestein Tire Company; Kartar Singh Thakral, ranked 25th, has many businesses, including the Singapore-listed Thakral Corp; and Mustaq Ahmad, ranked 27th is the owner of Mustafa Centre in Little India.

 

ANAND SATYANAND TAKES OVER AS GOVERNOR GENERAL IN NEW ZEALAND

 

Anand Satyanand, a PIO, was sworn in as New Zealand s new governor general on August 23rd, 2006. He is the first governor general of Asian descent.

 

In his inaugural speech, Satyanand acknowledged his Indo-Fijian parentage. I want also to pay deference to my linkage with Fiji , where my parents were born and raised. They came to this country in the 1920s and 1930s to undertake their lives in the New Zealand community, he said. I acknowledge also my Indian origin, with four grandparents who migrated from that country to Fiji .

 

Satyanand graduated with a law degree from the Auckland University in 1970. He practiced law for 12 years before becoming a district court judge in 1982. In 1995, he was appointed an ombudsman and served in that capacity for two terms of five years each. He has written and published extensively.

 

Satyanand was made a Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (DCNZM) in the Queens Birthday Honors in 2005.

 

NEWS OF INTEREST TO NRIs/PIOs AROUND THE WORLD

 

INDIANS IN GULF REMIT $5 BILLION A YEAR

 

Over four million Indian workers in the Gulf region remit nearly $5 billion a year to India . Foreign workers, mainly from India and Pakistan , send home nearly nine per cent of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member nations' gross domestic product (GDP) each year.

 

The largest transfers originate from Saudi Arabia , which accounts for 63 per cent of all remittances, followed by the United Arab Emirates at 15 per cent, according to a report in the Gulf Daily News.

 

According to Dr. N. Janardhan, program manager of GCC-Asia, close to $413 billion was remitted by expatriates between 1975 and 2002. " India and Pakistan together received about $60 billion in 10 years between 1993 and 2002, while India presently averages receipts of nearly $5 billion ever year," said Dr. Janardhan.

 

US PROPOSES TO INCREASE H1B VISAS

 

The newly appointed US Consular officer in New Delhi Mr. Peter G. Kaestner has said that there is proposal to increase the H1B visa quota for Indians by 25 per cent and is taking steps to reduce the waiting period for visa applications, particularly students from India . Kastner also denied that religion was any criteria for issuance or denial of visa to anybody.

 

Current limitation for H1B visa is 80,000. Last year, the cap was 100,000. The issue is political in nature and US Congress has to decide on it finally, the official said.

 

Kaestner, who has served at the US Embassy earlier also, said he felt the number would remain inadequate even after the hike. Kaestner said the number of Indian students in the US was growing, recording an increase of 30 per cent last year. The US Embassy is making efforts to reduce the waiting period for visa seekers, particularly students and cut down on the backlog.

 

SIKHS WIN RIGHT TO BUILD GURUDWARA IN CALIFORNIA

 

In a major victory for Sikhs in the US , a San Francisco court has held that the community has the right to build a Gurudwara in their neighborhood. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has allowed a Sikh congregation to construct a place of worship on land allotted for agriculture in Sutter County .

 

The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, a non-profit law firm renowned for protecting the free _expression of religious traditions, had filed an amicus curiae brief on behalf of the community.

 

"This resounding victory for the Sikh group has nationwide implications for a wide range of cases dealing with religious land interests and it will echo loudly, especially in California," firm spokesman Jared N Leland said.

 

Neighbors had complained over the congregation's first bid to locate its Gurudwara in a residential part of California 's Yuba City , so it acquired land in a rural, agriculturally zoned area in 2002.

 

The Sutter County then denied them permission, saying it amounted to disorderly development or "leapfrog development" because the site was away from the city.

 

The brief filed by the Becket Fund in the Guru Nanak Sikh Society vs the County of Sutter case stated that the Sutter County 's Board of Commissioners' refusal to issue a building permit to the Sikhs violated the federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000.

 

INDO-TRINIDADIANS GET DUAL CITIZENSHIP CARDS

 

A University of West Indies professor is among the first two Indo-Trinidadians to receive the Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) cards.

 

Rajendra Kumar Rastogi and Rinu Birla Totla received the cards from the Indian high commissioner to Trinidad and Tobago , Jagjit Singh Sapra, according to a report in the Trinidad & Tobago Express newspaper.

 

Rastogi, who arrived in Trinidad in 1974, married a Trinidadian and acquired citizenship shortly thereafter. He is a professor in the department of food production in the University of West Indies ' St Augustine campus. Totla was born to parents who had emigrated from India to Trinidad . She recently married an Indian national and later moved to India .

 

Meanwhile, according to the Express report, around 100 PIO cards have been issued by the high commission to Indo-Trinidadians in the past one year. The card carries 15-year visa validity.

 

The PIO card is issued to a person who had at one time held an Indian passport or whose parents, grandparents or great grandparents were born in and permanent residents of India . The person can also be the spouse of an Indian citizen or a PIO.

 

Indo-Trinidadians, most of whom are descendants of Indian workers who came to Trinidad and Tobago in the 18th and early 19th centuries to work as indentured labors in sugarcane plantations, comprise nearly 50 percent of the country's population of 1.4 million.

 

KERALA TO TAP NRKs FOR NEW INFRASTRUCTURE COMPANY

 

Non-Resident Keralites (NRKs) may soon be approached by the Government of Kerala to invest in a limited company on the lines of the Cochin International Airport Limited to raise capital for building much-needed infrastructure in the state.

 

According to State Governor R.L. Bhatia and Chief Minister V.S.Achthanandan rapid industrialisation in Kerala cannot take place without the existence of world-class infrastructure. Bhatia recently told members of the State Assembly that the new NRK-funded public limited company "will build quality infrastructure required to attract hi-tech industries."Apart from NRKs, the Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation and the Kerala Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation, both state agencies, will be involved.

 

Official records say that there are close to two million NRKs, 90 percent of whom are employed in the Middle East . Annual remittances from NRKs have reached the Rs.200-billion mark, which is about 25 percent of the net domestic product of the state.

 

There are also plans to broaden the responsibilities of the Non-Resident Keralites Affairs (NORKA) Department to meet the expectations of the NRKs.


MALAYSIAN INDIAN CONGRESS TURNS 60

 

Malaysia Indian Congress (MIC), the largest Indian-based political party in the country, turned 60 on Wednesday. MIC, touted to be one of the oldest political parties in Malaysia , was formed on August 2, 1946 in a bid to end the British colonial rule and the need for Indian representation in the government during the post-war era. The current president is S Samy Vellu, who is also the Work Minister. Samy Vellu said the MIC's prime objective was to protect and preserve Indians' interests and well-being.

 

Indians, mainly from Tamil Nadu, were brought to Malaysia by the British to work in rubber plantations, build roads and the railways. Though several returned to India , thousands stayed back and today ethnic Indians comprise seven per cent of the population.

 

MIC's founder, John A Thivy, became the first president at a time when the party was committed to fighting for independence and democracy, Malasian national news agency Bernama reported. The baton of leadership was later passed on to Budh Singh who helmed the party from 1947 to 1950.

 

After realizing the futility of non-cooperation with the government the MIC in 1954, under the tenure of fourth president KL Devaser, became the third partner of the ruling alliance comprising the Malay Umno and Malaysian Chinese Association. The third phase of the party's history started under the leadership of VT Sambanthan from 1955 to 1973.

 

The party's finest hour was on the country's Independence Day on August 31, 1957, when the Merdeka (independence) Agreement was signed with Sambanthan as a signatory, Bernama said.

 

BAPIO TAKES UP ISSUE OF INDIAN DOCTORS IN UK

 

The British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin [BAPIO] has got green signal from a UK court for a judicial review of the recent UK Health department announcement on work permit requirements for international medical graduates. New rules had made it necessary for foreign medical graduates, moving to the UK , to have permanent job offers before they got their visas. Now, BAPIOs legal challenge against the new immigration rules, which had made permit-free training for doctors from non-EU countries impossible, will get a hearing in the High Court. BAPIO had filed the case in June.

 

Following the new rule, an estimated ten thousand foreign trainee doctors who were already in the UK faced an uncertain future and would have to leave the country half way through their training. BAPIO has urged the UK Health department to ease the guidelines for doctors who are in the country under the highly-skilled migrant program so that they can be appointed to posts that extend beyond the duration of their current leave to contract and hence compete equally with UK/EU nationals.

 

GREEN LIGHT FOR e-PASSPORT SCHEME

 

Amidst Security concerns that biometric information in passports could be easily cloned, the Ministry of External Affairs has given the green light for the roll-out of a pilot project of India s own e-passport scheme. The project entails the issue of passports, embedded with chips, to replace the existing 40,000 diplomatic and official passport booklets, by the end of 2007. According to reliable sources, the go-ahead was given by E. Ahamed, Minister of State for External Affairs, to the Task Force set up to supervise the implementation of the scheme, last week.


SOUTH ASIAN AMERICANS FORM NEW BANK IN MICHIGAN

 

A new bank scheduled to be launched in Michigan State in December will have an Indian American as its head. The City Central Bank, to come up at Novi, a small township in the state's Oakland County , is a result of the efforts of Satish Jasti and a group of 20 investors, 19 of them South Asians, according to media reports.

 

The Michigan Office of Financial and Insurance Services and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp recently gave their approval to Jasti and his group to organize a new Michigan state bank.

 

The bank unveiled its tentative design last week. It will open in a temporary office in December but will shift to a permanent building next summer.

 

Though Jasti described the new venture as a "community bank", he said it would cater to not only South Asians. The institution would look to carving a niche in the cutthroat Michigan banking market by catering to physicians, attorneys, certified public accountants and the general public.

 

By targeting specialized groups, Jasti hopes to insulate it from Michigan 's sluggish economy. The bank plans to offer loans up to $1.5 million. The bank is awaiting approval from the country's Securities and Exchange Commission following which it plans to raise $11-16 million in capital through a common stock offering.

 

LORD DILJIT RANA INVESTS 5 CRORES IN EDUCATIONAL COMPLEX IN PU NJ AB

 

GOPIO honoree, Lord Diljit Rana, a Northern Ireland-based businessman has invested Rupees five crores for developing an educational complex of four professional colleges and a public school at Sanghol, near Chandigarh, where he was born. Dr AJP Abdul Kalam, President of India, inaugurated the complex on August 17th, 2006.

 

The complex, which is being developed through a charitable trust the Smt Jawala Devi Memorial Trust and named after Lord Ranas mother, includes a co-educational Cordia College affiliated to the Punjabi University, Patiala; a Management Institute; a Hotels and Hospitality Institute affiliated to the University of Ulster in Northern Ireland; a Teacher Training College; and a school for Sanghol and the neighboring 12 villages in Fategarh Sahib district.

 

Lord Rana has lived in Belfast , Northern Ireland for almost 40 years and is now India s Honorary Consul there. He was given GOPIO Community Service Award in January 2006 for his outstanding charitable and community services.

 

MINISTER RAVI INAUGURATES PIO TV

 

Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi inaugurated PIO TV which will be available through the Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) platform.

 

Hosted on www.IndiaTVLive.com, PIO (Persons of Indian Origin) TV will offer news, business, sports, segments on lifestyle, cuisine, culture and Bollywood. The Web-based channel can be viewed using mobile phones and internet connections.

 

The global Indian diaspora can now connect with India for instantaneous news and information in real time. 'PIO TV is the first-ever ethnic channel for any expatriate community,' said Munish Gupta, president of India Broadcast Live.

 

RETURNED NRI ASSOCIATION IN BANGALORE

 

The Indian government used to consider NRIs a brain drain and not an asset to rely on. Diplomats and others ridiculed them as Never Returning Indians. Being unwanted at home, however, did not translate into security for many abroad. When the U.S. economy faltered a few years ago, many high-tech NRIs found themselves converted to NR ISV (No room in Silicon Valley ).

 

There was time when the expatriate Indians appeared to belong neither to the home country, which he had left behind, nor to the country where he worked and lived.

 

But that is no longer true, thanks to India s booming economy. India has been reaching out to NRIs/PIOs to tap their skills and experience. The prodigal son has become the prodigious one.

 

The Returned Non Resident Indians have now an association which estimates that during the past three years, between 20,000 to 25,000 NRIs have returned to Bangalore while India-wide, the RNRI population is estimated at 70,000 and the number is rising every month. The association website http://www.r2iclub.com offers many tips and suggestions for returning NRIs.

 

GOPIO webmaster Parshant Gupta, after making Chicago his home for many years, has also followed go back to the roots trail. He now provides the same quality volunteer services to GOPIO from his new location in India , thousands of miles away from GOPIO HQ.

 

INDO-UGANDANS CONTRIBUTE TO EDUCATIONAL CAUSES IN UGANADA

 

Kerala Samajam of Uganda (KSU) donated sh50m for the education of children in Karamoja at the 59th anniversary of India s Independence Day celebration in Kampala .


Uganda Prime Minister Prof. Apolo Nsibambi and the visiting Indian Minister for Overseas Affairs, Vayalar Ravi, hailed the humanitarian assistance as a symbol of strengthening Indo-Uganda relationship.


KSU chairperson Gopal Krishnan said that his organization had donated sh40m worth of blankets, an operation theatre and other facilities last year to St. Joseph Hospital , Kitgum for the needy children in northern Uganda .

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 $5,000 for Platinum Life Membership, $2,500 for Gold Life Membership and $1,500 Silver Life Membership and half the amount for each category for those from developing countries and India .

 

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, Tarzana , California , USA , Tel: 818-708-3885, E-mail: gopio-intl@sbcglobal.net

 

GOPIO Secretary General Ashook Ramsaran, Fresh Meadows, New York City , Tel: 718/939-8194, E-mail: ramsaran@aol.com

 

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, P.O. Box 1413 , Stamford , CT 06904 , USA .

 

EDITORIAL BOARD

 

Chief Editor: Dr. Thomas Abraham, Chairman, GOPIO ( Stamford , CT , USA )

Webmasters: Prashant Gupta (Gurgoan, Haryana , India ) and Abu Thomas ( New Rochelle , NY , USA )

Contributors of this issue: Inder Singh (USA), Sunil Prasad (Belgium), Ashook Ramsaran (USA), Dr. Piyush Agrawal, Sangeeta Ahuja (USA), Devant Maharaj (Trinidad and Tobago) ; Krishna Nandoe, (Suriname), Dr. Tarachand Singh (USA) and Ramesh Kalicharran (USA).

 

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

 

Visit GOPIOs Official site at www.gopio.net or www.gopio.com