By Reena Bhardwaj
New York [US], November 26 (ANI): In an atmosphere full of enthusiasm and unity, the Indian American community of the New York Metropolitan Area hosted a farewell reception for India’s current consul general in New York, Randhir Jaiswal, who is proceeding for his next assignment as the spokesperson of the external affairs ministry.
Prominent members of JAIPUR FOOT USA-BRAHUD SENIORS and Rajasthan Association North America (RANA) held a reception earlier this week at the Indian consulate in New York that contained a mix of goodbye and congratulatory messages for the envoy.
Speaking at the occasion, Jaiswal congratulated the Indian American community for its outstanding success in many areas and praised their contributions in various fields and in strengthening the Indo-US relationship. He talked about the need to involve Indian American youths in strengthening bilateral ties. “Each one of you is a success story and you are the actual ambassador,” he said.
Jaiswal was appointed to his current position as consul general in New York in July 2020 and was praised by the diaspora members for being actively involved in the repatriation of Indian Americans during COVID-19 pandemic and how the diplomat exports and the mission adjusted to the unprecedented global health crisis.
Jaiswal, an officer of the 1998 batch of the Indian Foreign Service, will succeed the current spokesperson, Arindam Bagchi. Jaiswal has served in Portugal, Cuba, South Africa and at India’s permanent mission to the UN in New York.
At the event, Prem Bhandari of Jaipur Foot USA and a leading Indian American voice highlighted the envoy’s efforts to improve the consular service provided by the mission to resolve various problems faced by the community on passport, visa and OCI cards. “Under the leadership of Jaiswal, the consulate in New York undertook several digital initiatives to serve the people better.”
It launched a Mobile App, bringing all the visa/OCI services in the comfort of phone for people. It has unique Chat Bot called Bharati which provides curated answers to frequently asked queries for the ease of applicants.
Consul General Jaiswal also launched Pramit 2.0, which has a feature to provide an update on the application’s status to the applicant. These initiatives have been well received and applauded by the community at large,” Bhandari added.
Members of the community praised the outgoing CG Jaiswal, terming him as an official who has been absolutely committed to and completely focused on the job. “Since there is no rest for the best, he leaves as the next spokesperson of Ministry of External Affairs. And it gives us all immense pride to have known CG so well over the years. And we all look forward to seeing him in this prominent position,” Bhandari told ANI.
Bhandari highlighted the relationship Jaiswal has had with the community in New York over the years and urged the top Indian diplomat to be the voice and help raise the concerns of many Indian Americans and other people of Indian origin around the world.
The members of the diaspora stressed on how land grabbing still remains a key problem for expats around the world and how they often end up in a vortex of bitter family feuds and legal disputes. The cumbersome legal process in India that can take years, and the logistics of travelling home to attend court proceedings only make matters worse.
“Although land disputes are a state subject in India, in one of the highest offices in New Delhi, we feel like we have a ‘voice’ of our own who can rake up our issue,” Bhnadari concluded. (ANI)
