India’s minister of petroleum attends meet in New York.
Bureau Report
NEW YORK: The Indian National Overseas Congress(I) formally inaugurated its Karnataka Chapter in the presence of India’s Union Minister of Petroleum, and former Chief Minister of Karnataka, Veerappa Moily, at the Royal Palace Restaurant in White Plains, New York.
The chapter is headed by former Association of American Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) President and philanthropist Dr. Dayan Naik, who runs several medical schools in Aruba and other parts of the world.
The inaugural event started with a classical dance performance by local danseuse Arpita, and was followed by a power point presentation on Karnataka and its legends and their contribution to the growth of India. The Karnataka Koota performed an ethnic folk song before the formal start of the event.
Naik said there is a need to strengthen the Congress Party with like-minded people. The guests at the meet included the Deputy Consul General of India in New York, Dr. Devyani Khobragade, and several officials of the petroleum ministry, who accompanied the minister from India.
The formal event started with the INOC (I) Vice-President Shudh Jasuja introducing the various chapter heads and executive committee members of the Indian National Overseas Congress(I). President of the organization George Abraham addressing the audience, and termed Moily as a “modern reformer,†for the measures he has taken in various capacities at the state and union government.
In his speech, Moily said the backbone of India was its pluralistic society, its secularism and the talent and willingness of its people to succeed. He spoke about how he got the idea to build a Silicon Valley in Karnataka, in Bengaluru, after a visit to the Silicon Valley in the United States, and how he helped entrepreneurs like Narayan Murthy, the founder of Infosys, among others to expand their business.
Moily said he has a plan in place to make Indian self-sufficient in petroleum by 2030, that he would approach the task in a phased manner to achieve this objective. He said the Indian economy is resilient, and has withstood two major economic downturns that the world witnessed in 2008 and 2012.
He said he hoped that young people in India will convert India into a super power; this can be done as “India’s turn is around the corner†due to its large young population. He said that India is “on the threshold of great economic opportunities†and that NRIs should avail the opportunities and benefit from the growth of the Indian economy.