CHICAGO: A front ranking Member of Parliament from Gujarat, Sri Dipsinh Rathod, on a private visit to this country, said here that he would surely consider leading a delegation of MPs to USA in order to channelize NRI talents and investment for the development of India.
In talk to this paper, Rathod said that he was hugely impressed with the hard work put in by the people of Indian origin and the remarkable advancements that they have made in all spheres of life here. “This made me think if Indians in India pick up these traits; the country would notch huge advances in all walks of life. In order to see that the NRI talents are equally utilized for the country of their origin, it is important that their concerns and complaints need to be properly addressed and attended to. A visit by a group of Indian MPs will go a long way in this direction and I will try to work in this direction.”
Sri Dipsinh, MP from Sabarkantha, Gujarat, came to USA for a short ten-day visit at the invitation of his well wishers and friends here. It was his first visit and his first hand feel of the system, culture and the government responsiveness was quite revealing, he said.
During his visit he traveled to Boston, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Indiana and Illinois. In Chicago, he met a number of Indian Americans and also had a chance to meet the Cook County Forest Preserve president and Republican Party state secretary Tim Snyder. His talked centered around environmental issues and how forest planning can help in reducing carbon level from atmosphere and help to balance soil minerals.
Touching upon PM Modi’s three innovative programs – Swachhata Abhiyan, Make in India and Rural development – he observed that Swachhata Abhiyan is making headway and it has created awareness about cleanliness and hygiene in interiors of the country. Modi Ji’s campaign for encouraging a greater use of Make in India products is also gaining momentum but much needs to be done about it as its success will help generating huge local employment. For rural development, the government is considering setting out Rs one lakh for each village to undertake development projects.
He conceded that corruption is one of the biggest problems facing the country and it will need an all round collective effort to eliminate it. The Modi government’s record in this regard is far better than the previous government which was beset with one scandal after the other.
In this context Dipsinh also touted yet another movement gaining widespread attention in India- Go Organic. He mentioned that the Sikkim government has already taken steps to ensure that the State is rid of use of chemicals in cultivation. “In Gujarat, we are spearheading a movement to encourage Organic farming and we are getting huge response. Currently, I would say about 25 per cent of farming in Gujarat has become organic and this trend will continue now that there is an all-round community response,” he said
Tim Snyder indicated that the Cook County Forest department can arrange a forest preserve team visiting India for understanding their forest system. The Indian forest department can also pay a similar visit to Illinois for sharing knowledge. Snyder was very happy to meet Sri Dipsinh and exuded cordiality. He was inclined for cooperative efforts to share knowledge between the two countries and make strong relationship for a caring environment.
Nimish Jani (Schaumburg township trustee) assured the Indian MP that he would make a voluntary lead on this project. In Chicagoland, Dipsinh met among others Mafat Patel, often described as the Uncrowned King of mini India Town, Shamkant Seth, Shailesh Rajput and Nirav Patel. In Michigan City he met a front ranking hotelier Prakash Patel and in Chicago suburb of Bolingbrook he had a brief session with a leading Bohra community figure, Badri Ali.
Ramesh Soparawala
India Post News Service
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