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Two Indian-origin officials from Americas at UNSC ministerial signal diaspora’s influence
By Arul Louis
United Nations, March 29 (IANS) In a sign of the Indian diaspora’s growing influence, two cabinet-level officials of Indian-descent represented the biggest superpower, the US, and its neighbour, Canada, at the UN Security Council’s ministerial-level meeting on peacekeeping on Wednesday.
And they are both Sikhs — US Permanent Representative Nikki Haley, a member of President Donald Trump’s cabinet, and Canadian Defence Minister Harjit Singh Sajjan.
They were among the ten ministers and a deputy minister from Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas at the meeting presided over by Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte.
But there was no minister from India, which was represented by Tanmaya Lal, the Deputy Permanent Representative.
The changing demographics of Europe was on display, too.
Britain was represented by Tariq Ahmad, the Minister of State for the Commonwealth and the UN, and Sweden by Ibrahim Baylan, the Policy Coordination Minister.
Ahmad is an Ahmadiyya Muslim of Pakistani origin, while Baylan is an Assyrian born in Turkey.
Nikki, or Nimrata Nikki Randhawa, is the daughter of Ajit Singh and Raj Kaur Randhawa, who immigrated from Punjab’s Amritsar district. She was born in South Carolina state and was elected its Governor.
She came to the meeting with the Trump administration’s policy of cutting back on international contributions.
She said the US will not pay more than 25 percent of the peacekeeping budget and there should be a more equitable sharing of the burden.
Peacekeeping was a shared responsibility of all the nations and “One country should not shoulder more than one quarter of the UN peacekeeping budget,” she said.
Washington now foots about 28.5 percent of the $7.3 billion peacekeeping budget.
Haley said that peacekeeping missions need to support political solutions and the mandates set by the Council “must be realistic and achievable”.
“We need to be willing to change mandates when things aren’t working,” she added.
Sajjan, who was born in Punjab’s Hoshiarpur District and immigrated to Canada when he was five years old, spoke on behalf of the Group of Friends of Women, Peace and Security and held more women should be deployed in peacekeeping operations.
Creative thinking was required to meet this challenge and the UN department dealing with peacekeeping should devise a gender strategy.
(Arul Louis can be reached at [email protected])
–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.