By IANS
New Delhi : The Indian diaspora is working in areas that will enable India become a developed nation by 2020, former vice president Bhairon Singh Shekhawat said while conferring the third Bharatvanshi Gaurav Sanman upon Thomas Abraham, chairman of Global Organisation of People of Indian Origin (Gopio) here.
Speaking at the award ceremony Friday, Shekhawat said the Indian diaspora was playing a leading role in various fields like biotechnology and space research, which would help translate into reality the vision of India as a developed nation by 2020.
India’s former vice president commended Abraham’s contribution in diaspora movement and hoped the award would further encourage him to continue to take up issues related to the development of overseas Indians.
Abraham spoke about the achievements and challenges faced by people of Indian origin living abroad. He has been working with the Indian American community for 33 years, having founded the National Federation of Indian American Associations in 1980 and Gopio in 1989.
He also served as the first president of the Federation of Indian Associations of New York, which organises one of the largest Republic Day parades outside India.
The award, constituted by Antar Rashtriya Sahayog Nyas (Trust for International Cooperation), contains Rs.100,000, a shawl and a memento.
Previous recipients include Ranjit Ram Narain of South Africa and Sat Maharaj of Trinidad and Tobago.