GOPIO NEWS BULLETIN
March 2005
NOTE: This is a monthly newsletter of
GOPIO International, based in the
CONTENTS
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NRI ADOPTION OF CHILDREN IN
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FIVE PIOs APPOINTED TO US
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US REPUBLICAN COMMITTEE AWARD GOES TO SURESH KUMAR
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THREE PROMINENT INDIANS HONORED IN
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GOPIO CHAPTER NEWS
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GOPIO –
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GOPIO – CHICAGOLAND TSUNAMI FUNDRAISER ON MARCH 5
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NEW SIMPLIFIED FORM FOR DUAL CITIZENSHIP
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NEWS OF INTEREST TO NRIs AND PIOs AROUND THE WORLD
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NRI GIRL WINS A POT OF GOLD
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NRIs IN GULF COUNTRIES SEND $9.5 BILLION TO
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SURVEY SHOWS SOUTH AFRICAN PIOs SUPPORT PRESIDENT MBEKI
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INDIAN BUDGET 2005 - NO TAX ON NRE DEPOSITS
GOPIO LIFE MEMBERSHIP AND CHAPTER FORMATION
EDITORIAL BOARD
PIO WORLD SYMPOSIUM IN
GOPIO BUSINESS COUNCIL GOPIO is a worldwide organization of people of Indian
origin (PIOs) established in 1989 in
PIO*
World Business Symposium
(Proposed program subject
to change!)
*PIO
= People of Indian Origin
Networking PIO Businesses Worldwide with businesses of
AND
Fourth Global Indian Entrepreneurs Conference
July 9 -12, 2005
Organized
by Business Council of GOPIO Intl. (
The Symposium will be held in English!
Expected
participants:
PIO businesses worldwide, PIO politicians such as prime ministers,
ministers/opposition leaders including members of the House of Lords (GB),
apex-bodies and EU/ German/ Indian businessmen and authorities, business
organizations, research institutions etc., Indian business forums and Chambers
of Commerce from countries with large PIO population such as Mauritius,
Guyana, Surinam, India, United Kingdom, Singapore, Malaysia, USA and India.
Day 1 – Saturday 9 July 05 – for PIO & Indian
Businesses
Tabletop
exhibition: 9 – 18 h
0900: - Arrival
of participants and registration
- Interaction of PIO business people
1400:
Opening session
Focusing on strength and investments of PIO/ NRI businesses worldwide
1600:
Inauguration of PIO World Business Session - Opportunities and problems of PIO/
NRIs in the host countries and with
1900: Cocktail reception (proposed)
Day 2 – Sunday 10 July 05 – German & EU
participants also to participate
0930: Coffee
1000:
Technology opportunities offered by PIO business in selected fields
1300: Presentation
by Indian state governments
1330: Lunch
break
1430: Presentation
by different Indian states
1615: Presentation
by various government authorities - ministries, Reserve Bank of India –
on investment procedures and new issues arising from the latest budget 2005/2006
1900: Reception and Dinner (proposed)
Day 3 – Monday 11 July 05 – for all participants
including German/European companies:
0830: Registration
by non-PIO participants
0915: Inauguration
of PIO World Business Symposium:
- plenary session & welcome
- Speeches by PIO/ NRI, Indian, German and European
Ministers; speech by President of BGA
1015: Presentation
by Invest in
1045: Presentation
by BWI - investment possibilities in various projects
in BW
1100:
Infrastructure and other projects in
1230: Lunch
break
1400: Product
session
- environment technologies
- engineering services
1600: Machine
building & Plant
·
automation
·
Information
Technology Enabled Services
- chemicals
1900: Cocktail reception (proposed)
Day 4 – Tuesday 12 July 05:
0830: Coffee
0900:
Plenary session
- speeches by various ministers
- speeches by Reserve Bank of
Banking and finances
1100:
"How to establish a company in
- Helping authorities for investments in
1230: Lunch
break
1400:
Product session
- renewable energy
- traffic and transport
- construction
- match making
1600:
Valedictory session
1800: End of the Symposium
**
Patrons & Supporters
(as on February 16, 2005)
The
following organizations have agreed to be either patrons or supporters for the
PIO World Business Symposium, which will take place in
1.
BGA, Federation of German Wholesale and Foreign Trades (German apex body as
patron of this event)
2.
Indian Merchants’ Chamber (IMC),
3.
Asia Pacific Forum of German Businesses (APA of BDI),
4.
Invest in Germany Berlin (German Investment Promotion Authority
5.
Ministry of Economics and Works (State of
6.
Baden-Württemberg International (state business promotion authority)
7.
City of
8.
Chamber of Commerce and Industry,
9.
Several industry specific German associations are also joining and supporting
this symposium
10.
Several chambers of commerce and industry of PIO have agreed to cooperate in
holding this symposium. GOPIO Business Council is in contact with several
Chambers of Commerce and Associations in
**
Contact:
Dwarkesh Shah, Indo-European Foundation, and GOPIO Business Council,
Julius-Hölder-Str. 46, 70597 Stuttgart/ Germany, Tel.: +49 (0) 711 722 2071,
Fax: +49 (0) 711 722 2939; www.gopio.net;
E-Mail: info@gopiobiz.com or
info@imexma.com
The
National Federation of Indian-American Associations (NFIA) was founded at the
First National Convention of Asian Indians in
The NFIA (www.nfia.net)
has been serving the Indo-American community for the last 25 years. NFIA
membership comprises all people, irrespective of their religious, regional,
professional, or political affiliation. NFIA had taken up several issues
affecting the community and has successfully campaigned on legislative issues
such as immigration to the
With the
theme, “Building on the Past, Shaping the Future,” the event will
provide a great opportunity to reflect on 25 years of service to the Indian
American community and chart out a course for future. The program will start
with the inauguration on Friday, May 27 evening at the Crowne Plaza LaGuardia
Hotel in
The New
York Celebration Committee Chairman is Lal Motwani who is also the Vice
President of NFIA. The program committee is chaired by NFIA founder president
Dr. Thomas Abraham.
Sponsoring
opportunities are available for businesses and professional practitioners.
Contact:
Lal Motwani, Tel: 718-470-1026, E-mail: lmotwani@nyc.rr.com or NFIA President Dr. Rajen S. Anand
(562) 537-1077, E-mail: ranand2@csulb.edu
The
government of
GOPIO has
been demanding the repeal of the new VCA clearance rules for adoption of
orphaned children from
There are over 44 million destitute children and over 12
million orphan children in
GOPIO
CONTINUES TO RAISE FUNDS FOR REHABILITATION OF TSUNAMI VICTIMS
The
world's most powerful earthquake in more than 40 years struck deep under the
The GOPIO
has set up a Tsunami Rehabilitation Fund and appeals to everyone, the NRIs/PIOs
in particular, to open your hearts and wallets and help the unfortunate victims
of Tsunami during this challenging phase of coping with the tragedy.
Please
send your donation check to GOPIO (Tsunami Relief Fund) at
For more
information, please contact the GOPIO secretariat by telephone at 718/939-8194
or by email: ramsaran@aol.com
US
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES PASS BILL TO NAME
The US
Congress has passed a legislation to name a postal office building after the
late Dalip Singh Saund in his former congressional district in
Congressman
Issa, who sponsored the bill (HR 120) to name the post office after Saund,
said, "The Dalip Singh Saund Post Office building will honor an American
who followed his dream to the United States, broke barriers, and served as a
representative of the people. This Act of Congress will preserve Congressman
Saund's legacy and honors the success of all immigrants from
The legislation
will now go to the Senate for voting, and then to President Bush for his
signature to become the Dalip Singh Saund Post Office Building Designation Act.
Newly elected Congressman Bobby Jindal, who is the second Indian-American after
Saund to enter the US House of Representatives, co-sponsored HR 120.
The Global
Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO), which lobbied Congressmen for
honoring Saund, has thanked the House for naming the post office after the late
Indian American Congressman. "Congressman Issa's support of HR 120, the
Dalip Singh Saund Post Office Building Designation Act is highly appreciated by
the Indian-American community. This honor for the late Saund is long overdue.
And it is also a great honor for the 2.5 million-strong Indian-American
community,'' said GOPIO president Inder Singh.
In
January 2002, GOPIO had organized the first major gathering including Saund's
family members, to honor Saund at a program in
Fiji
Indian community has announced the establishment of the
The
University was established under the organisational lead of the Arya Samaj, but
is run by a collective of representatives of a wide range of stakeholders in
education in
In line
with most Indian Fijian endeavours in education, the
With the
support of stakeholders in
Class at
the University begin on 14 March 2005. Initially, focus shall be on offering
degrees, diplomas and certificates in Commerce (Accounting, Management),
Economics, IT/Computing, Maths and Arts. During 2006, the
An added
attraction of the University is that it has decided to establish two
specialized Institutes. It shall be starting an Institute for Indigenous
Studies and an International Centre for Studies in Indian Diaspora. The
Committee for the International Centre is chaired by the internationally
reknown scholar Professor Brij Lal. The University, therefore, would provide
the first major international center for the study of Indian Disapora in a
developing nation.
Further
information on the University could be obtained from the Interim CEO of the
University, Dr. Ganesh Chand, phone (679) 6650292/6640600; mobile 9955709 ; fax
6640700, or email: unifiji@connect.com.fj
Expressions of support and suggestions from the global Indian community would
be appreciated and welcomed.
FIVE PIOs APPOINTED TO US
The US
National Academy of Engineering's (NAE) 2005 scroll of honor contains several
foreign-born members, including five scholars of Indian-origin. Among this
year's 74 new members are:
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Subhash Mahajan,
Chair, Department of Chemical and Materials engineering,
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Arunava
Majumdar, Professor of Mechanical Engineering,