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CONTENTS

• GOPIO CONFERENCE HYDERABAD, INDIA, JAN. 5 6, 2006
• HYDERABAD GETTING READY TO HOST THE FOURTH PRAVASI BHARATIYA DIVAS
• INDIA CONSIDERING AN EXCLUSIVE UNIVERSITY FOR THE INDIAN DIASPORA
• PM TO LAUNCH DUAL CITIZENSHIP SCHEME IN JANUARY
• GOPIO CHAPTER NEWS

• DR. PIYUSH AGRAWAL IS APPOINTED AS USA COORDINATOR

• NRIs/PIOs ACHIEVE

• INDO-CANADIAN ELECTED TO SURREY CITY COUNCIL
• INDIAN AMERICAN SAM SINGH ELECTED MAYOR OF EAST LANSING
• BHAGAT TAGGAR APPOINTED AS HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSIONER
• SCOTLANDS INDIAN COUNCILLOR BECOMES OBE
• INDIAN AMERICAN SUBHENDU GUHA WINS THE WORLD TECHNOLOGY AWARD
• YOUSUF ALI ELECTED TO AHU BHABI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
• INDIAN AMERICAN AJIT DIVAKARUNI WINS MARSHAL SCHOLARSHIP
• THREE INDIAN AMERICANS CHOSEN AS RHODES SCHOLARS
• FIVE INDIAN AMERICANS WIN SIEMENS SCIENCE AWARDS

• NEWS OF INTEREST TO NRIs AND PIOs AROUND THE WORLD

• LAKSHMI MITTAL TO HELP REBUILD KATRINA DEVASTATED CITY
• INDIAN BANKS OFFER HIGHER INTEREST RATES ON NRI DEPOSITS
• UK ETHNIC MINORITIES GETTING TOP JOBS FASTER
• INDIAN IT PROFESSIONALS DOMINATE IN THE U.K.
• ANDHRA PRADESH TO TAP NRIs FOR DEVELOPMENT
• CANADIAN GOVT. TO RECTIFY WRONGS DONE TO ETHNIC GROUPS
• SCOTTISH INDIAN WINS RACIAL BATTLE
• U.K. TAKING STEPS TO PREVENT DISCRIMINATION AGAINST ETHNIC STUDENTS
• WORLD BANK STUDY SHOWS GAINS IN INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION
• LARGEST MOSQUE PROPOSED NEAR LONDON OLYMPIC SITE

• GOPIO LIFE MEMBERSHIP AND CHAPTER FORMATION
• EDITORIAL BOARD

 

GOPIO CONFERENCE - HYDERABAD, INDIA, JAN. 5 6, 2006

 

Global organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO)

 

Cordially invites you to

 

GOPIO CONFERENCE - 2006

IN CONJUNCTION WITH

PRAVASI BHARATIYA DIVAS

 

THEME:

GLOBAL INDIAN DIASPORA: TODAY AND TOMORROW

 

Place: Hotel Manohar Radisson, Hyderabad, India

Date and Time: Thursday, January 5^th and Friday, January 6^th, 2006.

 

Program

 

Thursday, January 5^th, 2006

10.00 to 12.30 p.m. GOPIO Executive Committee Meeting (Not open to general public)

 

12.3 0 to 1.30 p.m. (lunch)

 

1.30 to 3.00 p.m. GOPIO Council Reports and NRI/PIO Communities Area Reports -- Open to general public

§         Chair: Inder Singh, President, GOPIO International, Trzana, California, USA

§         Academic Council -- Dr. Jagat Motwani, Dix Hills, CA,USA

§         Business Council -- Dwarkesh Shah, Stutgart, Germany

§         Cultural Council -- Dharmatma Saran, Queens, NY, USA

§         GOPIO.Connect -- Prashant Gupta, Chicago, IL, USA

§         Human Rights Commission -- Ramesh Maharaj, Trinidad & Tobago and

§         Dr. Parveen Chopra, Baldwin, NY, USA

§         Philanthropic Council -- Prabodh Gupta, India

 

Country/Area Reports

§         North America Dr. Piyush Agrawal, Coordinator, GOPIO USA, Miami, Florida

§         South America & Caribbean Harold Ramdhani, Secretary General, GOPIO Suriname

§         Europe Raj Lakha, President, GOPIO SE London, Kent and Essex, UK

§         Middle East Sunny Kulathakal (Bahrain), GOPIO Intl. VP for Middle East

§         Country Reports The Netherlands - Dr. Rejendra Tiwari, President, GOPIO-Amsterdam

§         Guyana, Trinidad, Fiji and other countries To be announced (TBA)

3.00 p.m. 3.20 p.m. Coffee Break

 3.20 p.m. to 5.30 p.m.      Session 1: Indian Diaspora - Mobilization of Indian Diaspora Resources for Common Goal

 

Chair: Dr. Thomas Abraham, Chairman, GOPIO International, Stamford, CT, USA

Co-Chair Dr. Chandrashekar Bhat, Prof. of Sociology and Director, Indian Diaspora Institute, Univ. of Hyderabad

Speakers:

• Mr. J.C. Sharma, Former NRI Commissioner and Former Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi, India
• Prof. Rajendra Prasad, Author, New Zealand
• Dr. Prem Misir, Pro-Vice Chancellor, University of Guyana
• Other speakers - To be announced (TBA)

 

7.0 0 p.m. to 8.00 Formal Inauguration of GOPIO Conference 2006

Dignitaries to be announced soon

 

8.00 p.m. to 9.00 p.m. Reception

 

Friday, January 6^th, 2006

9.00 a.m. to 10.00 a.m.    Registration/Coffee/Tea

 

10.00 a.m. to 10.45 a.m.   Opening General Session GLOBAL INDIAN DIASPORA: TODAY AND TOMORROW

 

Chair: TBA

Inauguration of Conference Session by Honorable Minister M.V.Rajasekharan, Minister of State for Planning, New Delhi

Speaker: Parmatma Saran, Professor of Sociology, Bernard Baruch College, City University, NY, USA

 

11.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m.    Session 2: Indian Diaspora - Opportunities in Business, Technology and Investments

 

Chair: Sunil Prasad, President, GOPIO-Belgium and Secretary General, Europe India Chamber of Commerce (EICC)

Speakers:

• Ms. Koosum Kalyan, Development manager, SHELL, UK
• Mr. George Abraham, Chairman, GA Group, Singapore
• Prof. Krishna R. Dronaraju, Houston, Texas
• Yesu Persaud, Executive Vice President of GOPIO International and Chairman of Demerara Distillers, Guyana
• Others TBA.

 

1.30 p.m. to 3.00 p.m. Awards Luncheon and Presentation of Pravasi Bhartiya Community Service Awards

 

3.30 p.m. to 4.30 p.m. Wrap-up and Adoption of Resolutions

  Chair: Dr. Piyush Agrawal, Miami, Florida, USA

Co-Chair: Raj Lakha, Kent, UK

 

Sunday, January 8^th, 2006

3.00 p.m. to 6.00 p.m. NRI/PIO COMMUNITIES/COUNTRY REPRESENTATIVES MEETING - OPEN DISCUSSION

(Open to Everyone. Venue will be announced on Jan.5^th and 6^th)

 

 

Conference Registration

Conference Registration Fee: Rs. 1,000. Total registration will be limited to 200 delegates. So, contact early to avoid disappointment. Pre-registration recommended. Those from outside India, please contact GOPIO Secretary General Ashook Ramsaran in the US at 718-353-1900 E-mail: ramsaran@aol.com.  In India, contact Conference Chair Prof. Gan Bukta at 91-9848-194718 or by email at:profganbhuktagift@yahoo.com.

 

Sponsor opportunities are available for Indian businesses interested to reach out to NRI/PIOs worldwide.

Limited number of Tabletop Booths will also be available at the venue on both days, January 5^th and 6^th.

Contact Prof. Bukta above.

 

Procedure for Hotel Bookings Please reserve your hotel booking though the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas website, i.e. http://www.INDIADAY.ORG/ They have rooms at different rates. If you still need assistance, contact Prof.Bukta. 

 

For more infor, please contact GOPIO President Inder Singh in USA at 818-708-3885, E-mail: gopio-intl@sbcglobal.net or Prof. Gan Bukta, GOPIO Hyderabad Conference Chair at 91-9848-194718 or by email at:profganbhuktagift@yahoo.com.

 

HYDERABAD GETTING READY TO HOST THE FOURTH PRAVASI BHARATIYA DIVAS

 

About 2,000 non-resident Indians (NRIs) and person of Indian Origin (PIOs) are expected to attend the fourth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, or the fourth annual conclave of the Indian diaspora, to be held from January 7-9 2006 in Hyderabad.

 

Jointly organized by the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA), the Andhra Pradesh government and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), about 2000 NRI/PIO delegates and 1000 Indian delegates are expected to attend.

 

MOIA website http://www.INDIADAY.ORG/ outlines details of the event and providing online registration. The website will also have details about flight connectivity to Hyderabad, description of the sites of tourist interest and tourism packages.

 

The conclave is held every year to mark the return of Mahatma Gandhi from South Africa on January 9, 1915, after a successfully fighting for the rights of the colored minorities.

 

The venue is the International Convention Centre, being constructed in the premises of Hyderabad International Trade Exhibition (HITEX) in Madhapur. The 4,000 capacity convention center, the largest such venue in India and being built by Dubai-based Emmar Properties, will be the venue for the inaugural and valedictory sessions of the three-day convention.

 

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will inaugurate the conference on January 7 and President APJ Abdul Kalam will address the valedictory session and honor 15 eminent overseas Indians with the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman.

 

The adjacent HITEX will host an India trade and industrial exhibition in which several states as well as private exhibitors will take part. The plenary session and business conferences will be held at Shilpakala Vedika near HITEC City, which houses many multinational and national IT giants.

 

The nearby Shilparamam crafts village will be the venue for a cultural exhibition to showcase the arts and crafts of various states. Since entertainment programs at this year's conclave in Mumbai were cancelled due to last ear's tsunami, the organizers have planned a grand show this time around.

 

INDIA CONSIDERING AN EXCLUSIVE UNIVERSITY FOR THE INDIAN DIASPORA

 

The Government of India is considering establishing an exclusive university for People of Indian Origin as feedback from PIOs world over on the initiative to set up a separate university has been extremely encouraging. This was disclosed by the Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh while addressing a dinner meeting with Indian community in Kaula Lumpur. An announcement to this effect is likely to be made during the January 7-9 Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, or Indian Diaspora Day conclave, at Hyderabad. The Prime Minister also said that India was considering several proposals to increase the number of seats available to Persons of Indian Origin in educational institutions in India.

 

The Prime Minister lauded the contribution of the Indian community in Malaysia - about two million strong - saying it represented the largest concentration of people of Indian origin living outside the Indian subcontinent. "The Little Indians which we see in so many towns in Malaysia are more than geographical spaces. They are repositories of the sentiment that links people of Indian origin to the motherland," he said. The Prime Minister said the large migration of Indians to Malaysia during the colonial era provided the bedrock linking the two countries. Noting that education was an area that offers immense potential, Singh said he was happy to note that a significant proportion of practicing doctors and lawyers in Malaysia had obtained professional degrees from Indian universities. However, since 1980s this trend has slowed down for several reasons. Singh said that India must not only reinstate its traditional educational linkages but provide them with a fresh momentum. The Prime Minister lauded the presence of senior Malaysian minister S. Samy Velu, who is also president of the Malaysian Indian Congress, the largest political party representing the interests of the ethnic Indians in the country. The party is a member of the governing coalition. Mr. Samy Velu would lead one of the largest delegations from Malaysia to the Hyderabad Diaspora meet in January.

 

PM TO LAUNCH DUAL CITIZENSHIP SCHEME IN JANUARY

 

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will hand out the first dual citizenship to a Person of Indian Origin (PIO) at a function at Hyderabad in January. The light-blue four-page booklet carrying personal details will be supplemented by a permanent visa on the passport. The booklet will have all the advanced security features of Indian passports to prevent fraud.

 

The facility would be available to all those whose parents or grandparents migrated from India before 1950 excluding those who went to either Pakistan or Bangladesh. The Home Ministry expects a couple of lakh applicants.

 

Though holding dual citizenship will not make a person eligible to take part in elections or hold a constitutional post, the benefits include a lifetime multiple entry visa, permission to buy non-agricultural land and exemption from regularly reporting to the police while staying in India. The economic and educational rights would be the same as Non-Resident Indians (NRIs).

 

Top Home officials said although applications can be submitted at Indian missions, the processing work would be done in New Delhi keeping in mind security implications and lack of infrastructure at some missions.

 

The applications would be cleared by the intelligence agencies after which the documents would be issued and sent by post to the applicant. It is estimated that the process would take about a month.

 

The application form, unlike the one for awarding Person of Indian Origin (PIO) status, is much less complicated. The four-page application form can be downloaded from the internet. The documents to be attached with the application include proof of the applicants Indian origin, photographs, address, profession, and a declaration on criminal record, if any.

 

GOPIO CHAPTER NEWS

 

DR. PIYUSH AGRAWAL APPOINTED AS GOPIO USA COORDINATOR

 

Dr. Piyush C. Agrawal has agreed to serve as the GOPIO USA Coordinator, a position in which he will provide leadership in developing new GOPIO chapters and strengthen the existing ones in the United States.

 

Dr. Agrawal has the distinct honor to have led the effort to start Diwali celebrations at The White House in 2003. Since then, Diwali has been celebrated every year in the White House.

 

Dr. Agrawal has a very long and distinguished record of Indian civic organization in the United States. He served as the National President of the Association of Indians in America (AIA). He chaired the Education Committee of the Rotary Club of Miami. He is the current Chairman of Asian American Foundation, Asian American Alliance, and the Asian American Community forum - all three organizations serve the Asian American Community in Florida. He is also the President of The Asian American Federation of Florida established in 1984

 

Dr. Agrawal has worked in the field of education since 1955 in various capacities, from a classroom teacher to a United Nations Expert to a Superintendent of Schools. He has about two dozen publications to his credit and has received several notable honors and awards.

 

Plans are ahead to have a GOPIO chapter in all major US cities. Contact Dr. Agrawal at SUDHAPCA@aol.com

 

NRIs/PIOs ACHIEVE

 

INDO-CANADIAN ELECTED TO SURREY CITY COUNCIL

 

Tom Gill has made history by becoming the first Indo-Canadian elected to the Surrey City Council, a city with a large South Asian population. There was no representation in the council or school board when Gill entered the body. An accountant, Gill was one of the six Surrey Electors Team (SET) councillors elected.

 

The other Indo-Canadian candidate on SET, Sargy Chima, sister of former federal minister Herb Dhaliwal, was one of two SET candidates not elected. Two Indo-Canadians on the rival Surrey Civic Coalition (SCC) slate, Barinder Rasode and Amrik Mahil, were placed well out of contention.

 

After getting elected, an elated Gill said more Indo-Canadians were needed on council for fair representation. There was another Gill who got elected in Abbotsford. Moe Gill got through in tough competition. Lions' Bobby Singh was elected to the Richmond school board.

 

INDIAN AMERICAN SAM SINGH ELECTED MAYOR OF EAST LANSING

 

Sam Singh has been elected Mayor of the university town of East Lansing, Michigan. A history graduate of Michigan State University, singh has been on the City Council for the past 10 years. He has served as Mayor pro-term for the last eight years before being elected on November