Indian Diaspora Council

Month: July 2017

SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMME FOR DIASPORA CHILDREN [SPDC]

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SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMME FOR DIASPORA CHILDREN [SPDC]

FOR HIGHER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION IN INDIA

By Government of India, Ministry of External Affairs

Academic Session 2017-18



  • Government of India launched a scheme called “Scholarship Programme for Diaspora Children” (SPDC), in the academic year 2006-2007, for the children of Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) and Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) to assist them in pursuing Under Graduate courses in Indian Universities/Institutes.

  • SPDC is awarded to following four categories:
    • (i) Children of Person of Indian Origin
    • (ii) Children of Non-Resident Indian
    • (iii) Children of Indian Workers in ECR countries studying outside India
    • (iv) Children of Indian Workers in ECR countries studying in India

    • Read more…

Know India Programme for Young Overseas Indians

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Know India Programme for Young Overseas Indians
By Government of India, Ministry of External Affairs
Know India Programme Schedule: 2017-18

On 17 June 2017, External Affairs Minister inaugurated a portal for Know India Programme (KIP), the Ministry’s flagship initiative for engagement with young overseas Indians. The portal www.kip.gov.in enables Indian-origin youth to apply online for KIP programmes. This year i.e. in 2017, the Ministry will organise four KIPs with participation of 40 overseas Indians in each programme. The schedule of KIPs has been finalised and can be seen online. Indian-origin youth can submit applications online for the following first four KIPs to be held in 2017 i.e. 41, 42, 43 & 44:

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Indian Consul General Amb. Riva Das presented with NYS Resolution on 100th Anniversary of Abolition of Indian Indentureship – July 19, 2017

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Indian Consul General Amb. Riva Das presented with NYS Resolution on 100th Anniversary of Abolition of Indian Indentureship - July 19, 2017

New York State Assemblyman David Weprin, accompanied by Indian Diaspora Council International (IDC), presented to Amb. Riva Ganguly Das, Indian Consul General in New York, the NYS Resolution #701 adopted by NYS Legislature on June 21, 2017 in recognition of the March 3, 2017 observance of the New York Indian Consulate’s recognition of 100th Anniversary of the abolition of Indian Indentureship. The presentation took take place on Wednesday July 19, 2017 at the Indian Consulate in New York.

The Indian Diaspora Council International’s (IDC) president Ashook Ramsaran initiated the effort for the New York State Resolution and collaborated with Hon. David Weprin who was the lead sponsor. The Resolution was co-sponsored by NYS Assembly Members Miller, Rozic, Lavine, Simon, Ortiz and several others. This Resolution complements the Proclamation by NYS Governor Andrew Cuomo issued on March 3, 2017.

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Oscar Ramjeet appointed as IDC’s Director, Legal Affairs Committee

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OSCAR RAMJEET APPOINTED DIRECTOR, LEGAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE of INDIAN DIASPORA COUNCIL

Mr. Oscar Ramjeet

The Board of Directors of the Indian Diaspora Council International (IDC) is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Oscar Ramjeet as Indian Diaspora Council’s Director, Legal Affairs Committee.

This appointment takes effect immediately. The term of this appointment is for a period of three (3) years, is voluntary and can be renewed upon approval of the Board of Directors of the Indian Diaspora Council. The Indian Diaspora Council’s Director, Legal Affairs Committee reports directly to the Executive Vice President of IDC International.

The portfolio of IDC’s Director, Legal Affairs Committee shall include: Advice, recommendations and updates to IDC on legal matters pertaining to IDC goals, objectives, agenda and activities, working collaboratively with an internationally represented IDC legal team; regular reviews of IDC by-laws, press releases, letters of agreement and memorandum of understanding between IDC and other entities; interaction, liaison and engagement with other legal entities on IDC legal matters; legal approval of new IDC country affiliate applications; review and formulate plans to seek appropriate apologies, atonement, reparations and other means of compensation from British, French, Dutch and other governments and entities on the brutal and inhumane treatment of Indian indentured labourers and their descendants;

Mr. Ramjeet earned LL.B (Honors) from University of the West Indies (1977); Council of Legal Education Certificate from the Caribbean (1993) and Diploma in Journalism and Public Relations from the Federal Republic of Germany. Countries admitted to practice law: Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Montserrat, St. Lucia, British Virgin Islands, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and also in the Southern District of New York, USA; Admitted in the District of St. Thomas US Virgin Island as an Assistant Attorney General as well as the Third Circuit in 1994 and appeared in two appeals while served as Assistant Attorney General. Solicitor General of Belize, member of Judicial & Legal Service Commission; Immigration attorney; Associate J.S. Archibald & Co. Legal Practitioners, British Virgin Island; Associate J.S. Archibald & Co. Legal Practitioners, British Virgin Island; Registrar/Magistrate in Montserrat; Administrative Law Judge, St Thomas, US Virgin Islands; Legal Counsel, Personnel, Office of the Governor; Assistant Attorney General, US Virgin Island; Solicitor General, St Vincent and Grenadines. Participated in numerous conferences and seminars in UK, Bolivia, Canada, Washington DC and several Caribbean Community (CARICOM) states.

IDC’s Board of Directors firmly believes that Mr. Ramjeet’s vast experience and expertise as well as his shared interests will enhance the goals of IDC globally, and welcomes him to the IDC family.

Evaluative Case Study of Caregiver Support & Advocacy for Children with Disabilities in Guyana

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Evaluative Case Study of Caregiver Support & Advocacy for Children with Disabilities in Guyana

After twenty-eight years, I finally returned to Guyana to fulfill one of my life long dreams. This trip was to begin the process of advocating for and providing support to the disabled population.

Day 1: My trip began at the Community Based Rehabilitation Program (CBR) which is located in Port Mourant, Berbice, gathering data and conducting assessments to understand and help parents of disabled people. I met with Mark Adams the program officer for the CBR program who was extremely helpful in setting up the visit to the program, making introductions to the teachers and administrators as well as parents who currently participate in the program. I immediately began administrating surveys to parents, teachers and administrators followed by parent training skills classes which included American sign language. Parents and teachers were extremely receptive and thankful. They reported that they felt relieved after the training sessions because it helped them to understand their children better.

Day 2: Next I visited the Sorsha Williams Foundation in Georgetown Guyana, a program owned and facilitated by Ms. Karen Williams. Ms. Williams is an amazing human being who puts any and all efforts necessary to meet the needs of parents of disabled children. This program serves children with special needs and Autism Spectrum Disorder. Parents who participate in this program were very receptive to the skills training sessions and were also very thankful for any help. After my visit at the Sorsha Williams foundation, I did an interview with the Guyana Times newspaper as well as a television interview via the “Coast to Coast” program facilitated and hosted by Mr. Nazim Hussain, National coordinating Director of Caribbean Voice. The newspaper and television interviews were both tremendous in helping to raise awareness and create advocacy for the disabled population.

Day 3: On day three of my trip, I met with Hon. Volda Lawrence, Minister of Public Health (pictured on left). , The meeting was facilitated by Indian Diaspora Council president Mr. Ashook Ramsaran. My meeting with the Min. Lawrence was a success as Min. Lawrence and her staff were welcoming and respectful of the objectives of my trip. They were kind enough to listen to my assessment of the CBR program and offered to help with the project by putting me in contact with the staff of the Disability Council in Guyana. On the same day, I reviewed the Ptolemy Reid Program, also in Georgetown which serves children with disabilities. The staff at the Ptolemy Reid program were hungry for knowledge and resources to better help them to serve the disabled population.

Days 4-5: In days four and five I followed up with more training sessions at the CBR program as well as conducting one to one house visits with families of disabled children. Visiting families on a one to one basis left a profound impact on me and the extent of work that needs to be done to improve this disabled population in Guyana.

My brief five-day trip was productive, inspiring and rewarding. It helped to keep alive my passion as a psychologist and philanthropist who will continue to empower parents of disabled children and influence positive social change and social justice. My observations and interactions with families, programs, teachers and administrators provided an in depth understanding of the real-life condition of these facilities. There was no running water and barely functional furniture. I am even more disturbed at the limited resources available to the disabled population. It is appalling that teachers at the CBR program use beer bottle caps as counting tools, outdated and inappropriate books that do not address the appropriate cognitive level of functioning of the students. There was no running water and the furniture was barely functional. Despite all these conditions, the teachers worked diligently with what was available to provide an education to their students.

All of these programs are in dire need of education, awareness, nurture, advocacy and resources to support and sustain appropriate care for the disabled population. It is highly unethical that the amendments that were put in place by the Convention on the Rights for People with Disabilities in 2006 has not been distributed to every parent of a disabled child, facilities that struggle to support this population, teachers, administrators and representative who are in the position to advocate appropriately for the disabled population.

My Conclusions

  • Parents are unaware of the amendments that were put in place by the 2006 Convention on the Rights for People with Disabilities.
  • The needs of the disabled population are minimized.
  • Parents of disabled people are in need of education, advocacy and resources to understand and help their disabled children.
  • The CBR program is in need of school supplies, furniture and additional educations resources to continue to teach the students of the program.
  • The CBR program needs to be restructured to appropriately serve the needs of disabled children as well as their parents.
Proposed Future Plans and Actions:
  • Rebuild and restructure the CBR program.
  • Provide resources to maintain the CBR program.
  • Provide consistent and ongoing skills training to parents of disabled children.
  • Provide and train professionals to sustain the growth of the CBR program.
I feel honored and I am grateful for this opportunity that supported my research project and the completion of my doctoral dissertation. My next steps are to put the appropriate resources in place to support, rebuild, restructure as well as sustain the CBR program to fit the needs of parents with disabled children.

Sharla Madho-Khargi, PhD
Dr. Sharla Madho-Khargi, Indian Diaspora Council’s Director of Community Based Rehabilitation, is a clinical psychologist based in New York. She is an assistant director for one of NY State’s Psychiatric Institute’s QSAC – Quality Service for the Autistic Community, as well as an adjunct professor at the City University of New York. She is currently working internationally to raise more awareness and build advocacy for disabled people. Her research focuses on improving the lives of disabled people across the world and effecting positive social change.

Appointment of Prof Ghan Shyam, Dir of Academic & Cultural Outreach, Uttar Pradesh

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PROF. GHAN SHYAM APPOINTED DIRECTOR OF IDC’s ACADEMIC & CULTURAL OUTREACH, UTTAR PRADESH, INDIA

Prof. Ghan Shyam

The Indian Diaspora Council International (IDC) is pleased to announce the appointment of Prof Ghan Shyam as Indian Diaspora Council’s Director of Academic and Cultural Outreach in Uttar Pradesh, India.

This appointment takes effect immediately. The term of this appointment shall be for a period of three (3) years, is voluntary and can be renewed upon approval of the Board of Directors of the Indian Diaspora Council. The position reports directly to the president of IDC International.

The portfolio of Indian Diaspora Council’s Director of Academic & Cultural Outreach in Uttar Pradesh, India shall include: Advice and recommendations on outreach and engagement as well as liaison with academic institutions in Uttar Pradesh, India on behalf of Indian Diaspora Council; for on-going and planned Indian Diaspora Council Indian Diaspora research, surveys and migration history projects, events and programs in India and globally; promote and advance Indian Diaspora Council’s recommendations, suggestions and proposals to academic institutions in Uttar Pradesh, India and solicit collaboration and support where appropriate; including but not limited to organizations, academic institutions, scholars and researchers; advice, recommendations and assistance to descendants of Indians from Uttar Pradesh seeking to trace and visit their ancestral roots. We expect that this portfolio of responsibilities to be enlarged subsequently to include other areas as Indian Diaspora Council enhances its outreach, programs and projects Dr.Ghan Shyam was born in Azamgarh District of Uttar Pradesh, India. He earned his BA from Allahabad University, MA & PhD from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi. He joined Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Varanasi, UP in 1998, is currently a full professor in the department of History, Faculty of Social Sciences. He has taught courses on the history of modern Europe, American history, and the history of the Indian diaspora, among others. Through his teaching, he encourages his students to broaden their understanding of other countries and societies and develop a critical bent of mind.

Dr.Ghan Shyam had been Fulbright Fellow at New York University twice; in 2005 as a short term fellow to study US Civilization and for the academic session 2016-17 as a visiting scholar to teach and conduct research on the topic “In the Land of Opportunity: A Comparative Study of Indo-Caribbean & Indian Immigrants in New York City since 1965”. His current research interest is in Indian diaspora studies focusing on Indo-Caribbean diaspora. He has published articles on the identity and social roots of Indian-origin people in the Caribbean, and made presentations at international conferences in India, the U.K., Canada, the USA and Trinidad.

IDC’s Board of Directors places high value on Prof. Ghan Shyam’s position, experience, expertise and shared interests to enhance the goals of IDC in India and globally, and welcomes him to the IDC family.

Appointment Cliff Rajkumar as IDC National Coordinator, Canada

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CLIFF RAJKUMAR APPOINTED NATIONAL COORDINATOR INDIAN DIASPORA COUNCIL, CANADA

Mr. Cliff Rajkumar

The Indian Diaspora Council International (IDC) is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Cliff Rajkumar as Indian Diaspora Council’s National Coordinator, Canada.

This appointment takes effect immediately. The term of this appointment is for a period of three (3) years, is voluntary and can be renewed upon approval of the Board of Directors of the Indian Diaspora Council. The Indian Diaspora Council’s National Coordinator, Canada reports directly to the president of IDC International.

The portfolio of IDC’s National Coordinator, Canada shall include: Active interaction, liaison and engagement with the Government of Canada, Provincial Governments in Canada, organizations, institutions and agencies in Canada on behalf of Indian Diaspora Council for matters relating to non-resident Indians (NRIs) and persons of Indian origin (PIOs); for on-going and planned Indian Diaspora Council projects, events and programs in globally; promote and advance the interests of Indian Diaspora Council with the Government of Canada, Provincial Governments in Canada, organizations, institutions and agencies in Canada; advance Indian Diaspora Council’s recommendations, suggestions and proposals to the Government of Canada , Provincial Governments in Canada, organizations, institutions and agencies in Canada and solicit collaboration and support where appropriate.

Cliff Rajkumar migrated from Guyana to Canada in 1974 and is a graduate from Seneca Polytechnic with high honors. He is a prominent community advocate residing in Toronto and passionate about the preservation of cultures and traditions. He strongly believes in civic duties and responsibilities and does not hesitate to serve and contribute towards good causes for the community and society at large. Mr. Rajkumar is presently a Business and Financial Consultant and Entrepreneur, with over 40 years of senior executive experience with three of the world’s largest corporations: Comptroller & Director, ITT Industries of Canada, Financial Services Div.(1977-90); Senior VP & Director, HR and Administration, Deutsche Bank Int’l Financial Services Division (1990-03); Senior VP, HR and Administration with GE Capital, Int’l Financial Services Division (1993-04). Mr. Rajkumar has served with distinction in his various senior management and leadership roles and is known to be a very talented and effective results oriented executive with strong emphasis on value creation through operational efficiency and competitive posturing. He was instrumental in leading various organizational realignment(s) through acquisitions, divesture and internal strategic and tactical repositioning.

IDC’s Board of Directors firmly believes that Mr. Rajkumar’s experience, expertise and shared interests would enhance the goals of IDC in Canada and globally, and welcomes him to the IDC family.

Conference in Reunion Island

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Conference in Reunion Island: "IS ENGAGISM A CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY?"

The India Diaspora Council — Reunion Island (IDC), in collaboration with Association “Memory of Crève – Cœur” and CIRCI, have concluded an interactive conference titled “L’ENGAGISME A-T- IL ETE UN CRIME CONTRE L’HUMANITE ?” (“Is engagism a crime against humanity?”). The event was held on 30th June, 2017 at 17:30 (5:30pm) at the University of La Reunion, Faculty of Arts and Humanities and moderated by Jean Regis Ramsamy, PhD, Indian Diaspora Council Coordinator of Reunion Island. The keynote speaker was M. Egata-Patche Abady, a distinguished entrepreneur and historian; Book: L’engagisme (coolie-trade) a-til été un crime contre l’humanité (“Coolie trade in Reunion Island was same as slavery”). Other speakers included M. Latchoumanin Michel, Professor of Education.

Egata-Patche Abady
Abady EGATA-PATCHE, Latchoumanin Michel, Ramsamy Jean Regis

Notable attendees included Serge Camatchy, former Vice-president of Region Reunion, and Hon. K. H. Bhati, Consul General of India in Reunion Island. Snacks and hospitality provided by Association “Memory of Crève – Cœur”, IDC International president Ashook Ramsaran remarked that, “IDC considers this and similar conferences as important discussions on the journeys among the Indian Diaspora, its history and sad chapters of inhumanity perpetrated against Indian Indentured labourers during that unforgettable period.” Dr. Jean Regis Ramsamy, Indian Diaspora Council Coordinator of Reunion Island, stated that, “Our conference brought together partnership with IDC, Association “Memory of Crève – Cœur”, and University of Reunion to discuss the crucial topic of “Is engagism a crime against humanity? which is significant to PIOs in Reunion and other countries”.