Close X
Saturday, December 28, 2024
ADVT 
International

Help Develop India, New Envoy Navtej Sarna Tells UK Indians

Darpan News Desk IANS, 13 Feb, 2016 01:08 PM
    India's new envoy Navtej Sarna told leading members of the Indian community in the UK that India House is an "institution open to all Indians" and the community could play a "huge role" in helping to channelise foreign investment and in the development of its key infrastructure.
     
    At a well attended Indian community function here on Friday, Sarna, who took over from Ranjan Mathai last month, said Indians in the UK had flourished extensively in every field of human endeavour, economics and business, politics, culture, medicine and finance, and had acquired a political weight and strong voice.
     
    "Even while they flourish in the UK they have not forgotten their cultural roots. On the contrary, their culture has become part of British life -- tandoori is more popular than fish and chips, Bhangra is a byword in London," the high commissioner said.
     
    Sarna said UK's Indian community has a huge role to play in helping India attract foreign investment and expertise that would help develop its infrastructure, its ports, airports and smart cities and the cleaning of the Ganga river.
     
    "The intention of the High Commission is to initiate a two way conversation with members of the community wherein all problems could be freely shared and discussed," he said.
     
    The High Commission would make every effort to resolve "all concerns", said Sarna.
     
    "This is actually the first of such conversations," he told about 100 representatives of social and cultural associations of the Indian diaspora and Indian origin members of the British Parliament who attended the function.
     
    Welcoming the community to India House, the historic building housing the Indian High Commission, Sarna said all community members must feel that "this is their home" and they would always be welcome here.
     
    Each community member’s life journey could be described as A Tale of Two Countries -- that of India and the UK, that of the "matrabhumi" and the "karmabhumi," said Sarna, an acclaimed author and short story writer in his personal life.
     
    The high commissioner also noted that the UK had the highest share of electronic visas that had been issued -- 24 percent, adding that 300,000 OCI cards (multiple entry lifelong visa for Overseas Citizens of India) had been issued and 300 applications were being received every day.
     
    He said the high commission had recently expanded its telephone exchange to one with 15 lines so that queries could be more efficiently handled.
     
    There are an estimated over a million people of Indian origin in the UK, comprising the largest single ethnic minority group in Britain making up almost a quarter of the total ethnic minority population.

    MORE International ARTICLES

    ‘David Headley's Disclosures Will Expose Pakistan To The World'

    ‘David Headley's Disclosures Will Expose Pakistan To The World'
    Expecting that the world would take a "serious note" of Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist-turned-approver David Coleman Headley's revelations on the devastating 26/11 Mumbai attack that claimed 166 lives

    ‘David Headley's Disclosures Will Expose Pakistan To The World'

    Britain's Independent Newspaper To Cease Print Editions

    Britain's Independent Newspaper To Cease Print Editions
    ESI Media said The Independent's final paper edition will appear March 26. Sister paper the Independent on Sunday will end with the March 20 issue.

    Britain's Independent Newspaper To Cease Print Editions

    Tour Operators Say Zika Could Be Bad For Olympics Business

    Tour Operators Say Zika Could Be Bad For Olympics Business
    "It could be catastrophic," Jerri Roush, director of operations of Cartan Tours, told The Associated Press. "It's uncharted territory."

    Tour Operators Say Zika Could Be Bad For Olympics Business

    India-Born Masood Khan Wins $3.1 Million Discrimination Suit Against Chicago Police Department

    India-Born Masood Khan Wins $3.1 Million Discrimination Suit Against Chicago Police Department
    Masood Khan won $3.1 million in compensation, along with Glenford Flowers, a Belize-born man, as victims of the discriminatory hiring policy

    India-Born Masood Khan Wins $3.1 Million Discrimination Suit Against Chicago Police Department

    Indian American Pavithra Nagarajan Danseuse Named For US Presidential Scholars

    Indian American Pavithra Nagarajan Danseuse Named For US Presidential Scholars
    An Indian American danseuse has been nominated for 2016 US Presidential Scholars in the Arts, one of the nation's highest honours for high school students.

    Indian American Pavithra Nagarajan Danseuse Named For US Presidential Scholars

    UK Newspaper Takes Stand On ‘Hindu Nationalism’, To Use Bombay, Not Mumbai

    UK Newspaper Takes Stand On ‘Hindu Nationalism’, To Use Bombay, Not Mumbai
    The city's name was officially changed to Mumbai in 1995 to distance itself from the colonial term - Bombay.

    UK Newspaper Takes Stand On ‘Hindu Nationalism’, To Use Bombay, Not Mumbai

    PrevNext