India Post News Bureau
WASHINGTON DC: The US House of Representatives adopted H.R.5517, the Gandhi-King Scholarly Exchange Initiative Act, by voice vote on Thursday December 3 2020
H.R.5517 creates an annual educational forum held in the US and India that focuses on the social justice, civil and human rights legacies of Mohandas Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; creates a student exchange program for students in the U.S. and India at all academic levels; establishes a professional development training program called the Gandhi-King Global Academy within the US Institute of Peace (USIP); and establishes the US-India Gandhi-King Development Foundation within the US Agency for International Development (USAID), which would provide grants to private nongovernmental entities to address critical humanitarian, environmental, and development issues in India.
The Hindu American Foundation (HAF) directly advocated for H.R.5517 since introduction and launched a grassroots campaign for Hindu Americans and all civil rights activists to take action in support of the bill. H.R. 5517 was also a priority bill during meetings HAF held with Members of Congress as part of HAF’s 2020 Virtual Advocacy Forum in September 2020.
The bill now goes to the US Senate where it awaits consideration. The Senate will reconvene on Monday, December 7, for what is expected to be its final week of session before adjourning for the year.
“We urge the Senate to swiftly take up HR 5517 and in so doing, codify the legacies of iconic non-violence leaders Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Congressman John Lewis,” said Suhag Shukla, HAF Executive Director.
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