Close X
Wednesday, December 4, 2024
ADVT 
International

UK's First Woman Sikh MP Preet Kaur Gill Elected To Key Parliament Panel

Darpan News Desk IANS, 18 Jul, 2017 11:37 AM
    Britain's first woman Sikh MP Preet Kaur Gill has been elected to an influential cross-party panel in the UK Parliament that examines the workings of the Home Office.
     
    Gill, who won the Edgbaston seat for the Labour party in the June 8 snap general election, was elected to the Home Affairs Select Committee in the UK Parliament.
     
    "We had no Sikh MPs prior to this election. So, Sikhs had no representation, and we had no female Sikh representation. Parliament must reflect the people it serves, said the 44- year-old, who will join 10 other British MPs on the committee.
     
    The House of Commons Home Affairs Select Committee was chaired by Keith Vaz, Britain's longest-serving Indian-origin MP, until he stepped down from the post last year.
     
    Its newly-elected chair is Labour party MP Yvette Cooper, elected unopposed to the post last week.
     
    The Committee chooses its own subjects of inquiry and seeks written and oral evidence from a wide range of relevant groups and individuals.
     
     
     
    At the end of an inquiry, the committee often produces a report setting out its findings and making recommendations to the UK government.
     
    It is incumbent upon the government to respond to each of the report?s recommendations within two months of publication.
     
    Gill has also been chosen to lead the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for British Sikhs.
     
    "The APPG has made an excellent start this week...We are confident Preet will make an excellent chair to guide the APPG to make concrete progress on some of the key issues of importance to the Sikh community," said Bhai Amrik Singh, chair of Sikh Federation (UK).
     
    Meanwhile, a veteran Indian-origin Labour MP, Virendra Sharma, was re-elected chair of the Indo-British All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG).
     
    The 70-year-old, who has been the Chair of the group for seven years and prides himself as the only first-generation member of the Indian Diaspora in the House of Commons, was unanimously re-elected by the cross-party meeting of members of both Houses of Parliament this week.
     
    The group, of which fellow Indian-origin Labour MP Seema Malhotra was elected vice-chair, works to promote understanding and co-operation between the people and parliamentarians of India and Britain.
     
    "The Brexit negotiation period will be a challenging time for the United Kingdom and I want to do everything I can to encourage further trade and investment opportunities between the UK and India," said Sharma, the MP for Ealing Southall.
     
    Earlier this year, he had led an international cross party delegation of parliamentarians to Agra and Delhi, where the group met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

    MORE International ARTICLES

    Indian-American CEO Who Made Maid 'Sleep Near Dogs' Told To Pay $135k

    Indian-American CEO Who Made Maid 'Sleep Near Dogs' Told To Pay $135k
    An Indian-American CEO has been ordered to pay US$ 135,000 to her former domestic worker after a Labour Department investigation found she underpaid and mistreated her.

    Indian-American CEO Who Made Maid 'Sleep Near Dogs' Told To Pay $135k

    Indo-US Hotelier Vikram Chatwal Gets Community Service In Dog-Torching Incident

    Indo-US Hotelier Vikram Chatwal Gets Community Service In Dog-Torching Incident
    Prominent Indian-American hotelier Vikram Chatwal has been ordered to do five days of community service and barred from owning a pet for five years for trying to set two dogs on fire.

    Indo-US Hotelier Vikram Chatwal Gets Community Service In Dog-Torching Incident

    Indian Doctor Denies Genital Mutilation Charge; Judge Keeps Her Locked Up

    Indian Doctor Denies Genital Mutilation Charge; Judge Keeps Her Locked Up
    DETROIT — A Detroit-area doctor charged with performing genital mutilation on two 7-year-old girls denied the allegations through her lawyer Monday, insisting that she conducted a benign religious ritual for families of a Muslim sect.

    Indian Doctor Denies Genital Mutilation Charge; Judge Keeps Her Locked Up

    Indian Husband Accused Of Killing Wife At Dunkin Donuts On The Run In US

    Indian Husband Accused Of Killing Wife At Dunkin Donuts On The Run In US
    The FBI on Tuesday added a 26-year-old Indian national on its top 10 "Most Wanted List", two years after he went missing after allegedly killing his wife inside the kitchen of a Dunkin Donuts restaurant in the US.

    Indian Husband Accused Of Killing Wife At Dunkin Donuts On The Run In US

    Now, Australian PM Turnbull Abolishes Visa Programme Popular With Indians

    Now, Australian PM Turnbull Abolishes Visa Programme Popular With Indians
      Responding to a query, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay said that the government was examining consequences of the new policy in consultation with all stakeholders. 

    Now, Australian PM Turnbull Abolishes Visa Programme Popular With Indians

    Singapore Minister Applauds Sikh Community For Its Vibrant Culture On Baisakhi

    Singapore Minister Applauds Sikh Community For Its Vibrant Culture On Baisakhi
    Singapore's Sikh community has been applauded for its vibrant culture as it celebrated Vaisakhi with foreign workers, especially those from India.

    Singapore Minister Applauds Sikh Community For Its Vibrant Culture On Baisakhi