Harris' Indian uncle may attend her swearing-in
November 08, 2020 13:08
United States Vice President-elect Kamala Harris' maternal uncle, Gopalan Balachandran, who is also an expert in India-US relations, is planning to join Harris at her swearing-in ceremony on January 20.
"I spoke to her day before yesterday. It was family chitchat. I did not ask any political questions over the phone. I am planning to go to her swearing-in on January 20," Balachandran told ANI.
Balachandran said that he would encourage Kamala Harris like any other parent and advice her to continue the good work.
"I will tell her what anyone's parents would tell their kids. She has been doing everything well. If she does anything wrong, I would definitely ask her to change but I have no disagreement with her. And I definitely would tell her to keep up the good work," he added.
"I studied the data and I knew she was going to win. I was not tense, yet I wanted the final results to come so that I can sleep without any worries," Balachandran said.
With Joe Biden officially scheduled to assume the Presidential post, the swearing-in is scheduled to take place on January 20, 2021.
The Democrats fetched a win for themselves by defeating incumbent Republican Donald Trump in a close fight for the 46th Presidential post of the United States of America.
With this, Harris is set to become the first female vice-president of the US.
"There is a great expectation from this team. There is a great expectation from Biden and Harris. You can see on television, people were partying till midnight in the USA" Balachandran said.
Balachandran believes that Biden's victory would rebuild various international ties severed by Trump government during his tenure.
"He will go back to a lot of international agreements that Trump withdrew from. It is expected that he would go back to the Iran deal, WHO, WTO, Paris Convention. So much is going to change internationally" Balachandran said.
"India and US ties are strong. It has got a momentum of its own and it will go on in the same direction. Minor points may be included but you don't need a President or a Vice President to intervene," he concluded. -- Joymala Bagchi/ANI
Feel very happy over Kamala's victory, says aunt
November 08, 2020 10:56
Chennai-based maternal aunt of US Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, Dr Sarala Gopalan, is elated over her niece's feat and now hopes to attend her swearing-inceremony.
The jubilant veteran doctor said on Sunday that she couldn't speak to Harris on Saturday as she spent the entire day waiting for the announcement on her victory.
"How do you think I should feel about her victory. I feel very happy," a proud Gopalan, a senior consultant at the Voluntary Health Services, said.
"I was waiting for the announcement till late in the night... I felt tired and had to retire for the night," she added.
"Hopefully," was her response when asked if she would attend the swearing-in ceremony of her niece in the US.
The 56-year-old Harris, California senator, was picked by US president-elect Joe Biden as his running mate in August.
She is the first woman, Black, Indian-American vice president-elect and has her roots in Tamil Nadu.
news.rediff.com
Biden expected to back India's bid for UNSC
November 08, 2020 10:29
The Biden administration will place high priority on strengthening the Indo-US relationship by pushing India to become a permanent member of the UN Security Council, continuing co-operation on terrorism, climate change, health and trade, according to a policy paper released by the Biden campaign during the presidential election.
Biden, 77, defeated incumbent President Donald Trump in the bitterly-fought presidential election that attracted a record number of Americans to cast their votes.
By becoming the US president, Biden has an opportunity of fulfilling his 14-year-old dream to strengthen the India-US ties that he wants to achieve in 2020.
"My dream is that in 2020, the two closest nations in the world will be India and the United States. If that occurs, the world will be safer," Biden had told the now closed down India Abroad newspaper in an interview in December 2006.
While it would be tough for him to realise this in 2020, he can definitely achieve it during his presidency starting on January 20, 2021.
A policy paper released by the Biden Campaign during the closely-fought election gave an inkling of how he wants to accomplish it.
Topping the list is pushing India to became a permanent member of the UN Security Council, continued co-operation on terrorism, strengthening ties on issues like climate change and health working towards a multi-fold increase in bilateral trade.
Biden played a lead role, both as Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and as Vice President in the Barack Obama administration, in systematically deepening strategic engagement, people-to-people ties, and collaboration with India on global challenges, the policy paper said.
news.rediff.com
Biden will continue strengthening India-US ties: Experts
President-elect Joe Biden will continue strengthening India-United States relationship, think-tanks and prominent Indian-American experts have said.
More like this
Modi will have a good relationship with Biden
How newspapers reacted to Biden winning US elections
Photograph: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters
"A Biden administration will be mostly positive for India," said Rick Rossow from the Centre for Strategic and International Studies think tank.
"I expect most positive areas of cooperation -- notably defence -- to be maintained," he said.
Rossow said there are two key issues that could really define the US-India ties.
"First, how will the Biden administration handle potential sanctions on India over Russian defence purchases?
"And second, if the US is louder in raising concerns about social issues in India, will it create a wedge?" Rossow said.
He also opined that under Biden administration, India will face less pressure over ties with Iran and renewable energy cooperation will be highlighted.
However, he said, that trade tensions between the countries will persist.
According to Ashley J Tellis, Tata Chair for Strategic Affairs at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace think tank, "Without a doubt, Joe Biden will continue strengthening the US-India relationship."
"He will have his hands full...overcoming problems at home and restoring American leadership abroad. Everything else comes second," Tellis told PTI.
North Carolina-based Swadesh Chatterjee, who is an old friend of the President-elect, said Biden really wants India to be the greatest friend of the United States its best ally in the 21st century.
"That's what he believes in," he told PTI.
Underlining that India-US relationship does not depend on individuals anymore, Chatterjee said it is deep and will get better.
Biden, he said, has always India supported the cause of India-US relationship.
But for the role played by Biden, then as Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the historic civil nuclear deal would never have been passed by the US Congress, Chatterjee said.
At a time when it was a Republican administration, Biden as a Democrat played a key role in its Congressional passage, because he strongly believes in India-US relationship, he said.
The India-US nuclear deal was initiated in 2005, after nearly 30 years of US-imposed sanctions since India tested its first nuclear weapon in 1974.
The landmark agreement, signed during the Bush administration, saw an implicit recognition -- for the first time -- of India as a nuclear weapons power.
Under the deal, India agreed to separate its civil and military nuclear facilities and to place all its civil nuclear facilities under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards and, in exchange, the US agreed to work toward full civil nuclear cooperation with India.
According to Ajay Jain Bhutoria, a Biden supporter, the President-elect will bring US and India more closer.
Biden understands the issues impacting India -- cross border terrorism, issues related to Indo Pacific region with China -- and supports the rise of India, he said.
"India-US relationship thrived under Obama administration and it will thrive again under a Biden-Harris administration," Bhutoria said.
www.rediff.com
Joe Biden administration likely to provide US citizenship to over 500,000 Indians
WASHINGTON : US President-elect Joe Biden will work towards providing a roadmap to American citizenship for nearly 11 million undocumented immigrants, including over 500,000 from India, and will also establish a minimum admission number of 95,000 refugees annually.
As a largely immigrant community, but in some cases with American roots reaching back generations, Indian-Americans know firsthand the strength and resilience that immigrants bring to the United States of America, according to a policy document issued by the Biden campaign.
"He (Biden) will immediately begin working with Congress to pass legislative immigration reform that modernises our system, with a priority on keeping families together by providing a roadmap to citizenship for nearly 11 million undocumented immigrants -- including more than 500,000 from India," it said.
The Biden administration will support family-based immigration and preserve family unification as a core principle of the US' immigration system, which includes reducing the family visa backlog, it said.
"And, he will increase the number of refugees we welcome into this country by setting the annual global refugee admissions target to 125,000 and seek to raise it over time commensurate with our responsibility, our values, and the unprecedented global need. He will also work with Congress to establish a minimum admissions number of 95,000 refugees annually," the policy document said.
Biden will remove the uncertainty for Dreamers by reinstating the DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) programme and explore all legal options to protect their families from inhumane separation. And, he will end workplace raids and protect other sensitive locations from immigration enforcement actions, it said.
Launched by the Obama administration, the DACA is an immigration policy that allows some individuals with unlawful presence in the US after being brought to the country as children to receive a renewable two-year period of deferred action from deportation and become eligible for a work permit in the US. DACA recipients are often referred to as Dreamers. To be eligible for the programme, recipients cannot have felonies or serious misdemeanours on their records.
The Trump administration moved to end the DACA programme in 2017 and was ultimately blocked by the Supreme Court from doing so this year. Even so, his administration scaled back the programme and pledged to end it, leaving thousands of the programme's beneficiaries in limbo.
Biden will also restore and defend the naturalisation process for green card holders, the policy document said.
Employment-based visas, also known as green cards, allow migrants to gain lawful permanent residence in the US in order to engage in skilled work.
"He (Biden) will increase the number of visas offered for permanent, work-based immigration based on macroeconomic conditions and exempt from any cap recent graduates of PhD programmes in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields," it said.
"He will support first reforming the temporary visa system for high-skill, specialty jobs to protect wages and workers, then expanding the number of visas offered and eliminating the limits on employment-based green cards by country, which have kept so many Indian families in waiting for too long," the document stated.
The Biden administration, it said, will also repeal President Donald Trump's "Muslim ban".
President Trump had imposed a controversial travel ban, often referred to by critics as a "Muslim ban", on several Muslim majority countries, including Iran and Syria, through a series of executive orders.
“Biden will rescind Trump’s “Muslim ban" on day one and reverse the detrimental asylum policies that are causing chaos and a humanitarian crisis at our border," the policy document said.
November 08, 2020 13:08
United States Vice President-elect Kamala Harris' maternal uncle, Gopalan Balachandran, who is also an expert in India-US relations, is planning to join Harris at her swearing-in ceremony on January 20.
"I spoke to her day before yesterday. It was family chitchat. I did not ask any political questions over the phone. I am planning to go to her swearing-in on January 20," Balachandran told ANI.
Balachandran said that he would encourage Kamala Harris like any other parent and advice her to continue the good work.
"I will tell her what anyone's parents would tell their kids. She has been doing everything well. If she does anything wrong, I would definitely ask her to change but I have no disagreement with her. And I definitely would tell her to keep up the good work," he added.
"I studied the data and I knew she was going to win. I was not tense, yet I wanted the final results to come so that I can sleep without any worries," Balachandran said.
With Joe Biden officially scheduled to assume the Presidential post, the swearing-in is scheduled to take place on January 20, 2021.
The Democrats fetched a win for themselves by defeating incumbent Republican Donald Trump in a close fight for the 46th Presidential post of the United States of America.
With this, Harris is set to become the first female vice-president of the US.
"There is a great expectation from this team. There is a great expectation from Biden and Harris. You can see on television, people were partying till midnight in the USA" Balachandran said.
Balachandran believes that Biden's victory would rebuild various international ties severed by Trump government during his tenure.
"He will go back to a lot of international agreements that Trump withdrew from. It is expected that he would go back to the Iran deal, WHO, WTO, Paris Convention. So much is going to change internationally" Balachandran said.
"India and US ties are strong. It has got a momentum of its own and it will go on in the same direction. Minor points may be included but you don't need a President or a Vice President to intervene," he concluded. -- Joymala Bagchi/ANI
Feel very happy over Kamala's victory, says aunt
November 08, 2020 10:56
Chennai-based maternal aunt of US Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, Dr Sarala Gopalan, is elated over her niece's feat and now hopes to attend her swearing-inceremony.
The jubilant veteran doctor said on Sunday that she couldn't speak to Harris on Saturday as she spent the entire day waiting for the announcement on her victory.
"How do you think I should feel about her victory. I feel very happy," a proud Gopalan, a senior consultant at the Voluntary Health Services, said.
"I was waiting for the announcement till late in the night... I felt tired and had to retire for the night," she added.
"Hopefully," was her response when asked if she would attend the swearing-in ceremony of her niece in the US.
The 56-year-old Harris, California senator, was picked by US president-elect Joe Biden as his running mate in August.
She is the first woman, Black, Indian-American vice president-elect and has her roots in Tamil Nadu.
Feel very happy over Kamala's victory, says aunt
Chennai-based maternal aunt of US Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, Dr Sarala Gopalan, is elated over her niece's feat and now hopes to attend her swearing-inceremony.
November 08, 2020 10:29
The Biden administration will place high priority on strengthening the Indo-US relationship by pushing India to become a permanent member of the UN Security Council, continuing co-operation on terrorism, climate change, health and trade, according to a policy paper released by the Biden campaign during the presidential election.
Biden, 77, defeated incumbent President Donald Trump in the bitterly-fought presidential election that attracted a record number of Americans to cast their votes.
By becoming the US president, Biden has an opportunity of fulfilling his 14-year-old dream to strengthen the India-US ties that he wants to achieve in 2020.
"My dream is that in 2020, the two closest nations in the world will be India and the United States. If that occurs, the world will be safer," Biden had told the now closed down India Abroad newspaper in an interview in December 2006.
While it would be tough for him to realise this in 2020, he can definitely achieve it during his presidency starting on January 20, 2021.
A policy paper released by the Biden Campaign during the closely-fought election gave an inkling of how he wants to accomplish it.
Topping the list is pushing India to became a permanent member of the UN Security Council, continued co-operation on terrorism, strengthening ties on issues like climate change and health working towards a multi-fold increase in bilateral trade.
Biden played a lead role, both as Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and as Vice President in the Barack Obama administration, in systematically deepening strategic engagement, people-to-people ties, and collaboration with India on global challenges, the policy paper said.
Biden expected to back India's bid for UNSC
The Biden administration will place high priority on strengthening the Indo-US relationship by pushing India to become a permanent member of the UN Security Council, continuing
President-elect Joe Biden will continue strengthening India-United States relationship, think-tanks and prominent Indian-American experts have said.
More like this
Modi will have a good relationship with Biden
How newspapers reacted to Biden winning US elections
Photograph: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters
"A Biden administration will be mostly positive for India," said Rick Rossow from the Centre for Strategic and International Studies think tank.
"I expect most positive areas of cooperation -- notably defence -- to be maintained," he said.
Rossow said there are two key issues that could really define the US-India ties.
"First, how will the Biden administration handle potential sanctions on India over Russian defence purchases?
"And second, if the US is louder in raising concerns about social issues in India, will it create a wedge?" Rossow said.
He also opined that under Biden administration, India will face less pressure over ties with Iran and renewable energy cooperation will be highlighted.
However, he said, that trade tensions between the countries will persist.
According to Ashley J Tellis, Tata Chair for Strategic Affairs at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace think tank, "Without a doubt, Joe Biden will continue strengthening the US-India relationship."
"He will have his hands full...overcoming problems at home and restoring American leadership abroad. Everything else comes second," Tellis told PTI.
North Carolina-based Swadesh Chatterjee, who is an old friend of the President-elect, said Biden really wants India to be the greatest friend of the United States its best ally in the 21st century.
"That's what he believes in," he told PTI.
Underlining that India-US relationship does not depend on individuals anymore, Chatterjee said it is deep and will get better.
Biden, he said, has always India supported the cause of India-US relationship.
But for the role played by Biden, then as Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the historic civil nuclear deal would never have been passed by the US Congress, Chatterjee said.
At a time when it was a Republican administration, Biden as a Democrat played a key role in its Congressional passage, because he strongly believes in India-US relationship, he said.
The India-US nuclear deal was initiated in 2005, after nearly 30 years of US-imposed sanctions since India tested its first nuclear weapon in 1974.
The landmark agreement, signed during the Bush administration, saw an implicit recognition -- for the first time -- of India as a nuclear weapons power.
Under the deal, India agreed to separate its civil and military nuclear facilities and to place all its civil nuclear facilities under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards and, in exchange, the US agreed to work toward full civil nuclear cooperation with India.
According to Ajay Jain Bhutoria, a Biden supporter, the President-elect will bring US and India more closer.
Biden understands the issues impacting India -- cross border terrorism, issues related to Indo Pacific region with China -- and supports the rise of India, he said.
"India-US relationship thrived under Obama administration and it will thrive again under a Biden-Harris administration," Bhutoria said.
Biden will continue strengthening India-US ties: Experts
'A Biden administration will be mostly positive for India,' said Rick Rossow from the Centre for Strategic and International Studies think tank. 'I expect most positive areas of cooperation -- notably defence -- to be maintained,' he said.
- The Biden administration will support family-based immigration and preserve family unification as a core principle of the US' immigration system
- Joe Biden will also restore and defend the naturalisation process for green card holders, the policy document said
WASHINGTON : US President-elect Joe Biden will work towards providing a roadmap to American citizenship for nearly 11 million undocumented immigrants, including over 500,000 from India, and will also establish a minimum admission number of 95,000 refugees annually.
As a largely immigrant community, but in some cases with American roots reaching back generations, Indian-Americans know firsthand the strength and resilience that immigrants bring to the United States of America, according to a policy document issued by the Biden campaign.
"He (Biden) will immediately begin working with Congress to pass legislative immigration reform that modernises our system, with a priority on keeping families together by providing a roadmap to citizenship for nearly 11 million undocumented immigrants -- including more than 500,000 from India," it said.
The Biden administration will support family-based immigration and preserve family unification as a core principle of the US' immigration system, which includes reducing the family visa backlog, it said.
"And, he will increase the number of refugees we welcome into this country by setting the annual global refugee admissions target to 125,000 and seek to raise it over time commensurate with our responsibility, our values, and the unprecedented global need. He will also work with Congress to establish a minimum admissions number of 95,000 refugees annually," the policy document said.
Biden will remove the uncertainty for Dreamers by reinstating the DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) programme and explore all legal options to protect their families from inhumane separation. And, he will end workplace raids and protect other sensitive locations from immigration enforcement actions, it said.
Launched by the Obama administration, the DACA is an immigration policy that allows some individuals with unlawful presence in the US after being brought to the country as children to receive a renewable two-year period of deferred action from deportation and become eligible for a work permit in the US. DACA recipients are often referred to as Dreamers. To be eligible for the programme, recipients cannot have felonies or serious misdemeanours on their records.
The Trump administration moved to end the DACA programme in 2017 and was ultimately blocked by the Supreme Court from doing so this year. Even so, his administration scaled back the programme and pledged to end it, leaving thousands of the programme's beneficiaries in limbo.
Biden will also restore and defend the naturalisation process for green card holders, the policy document said.
Employment-based visas, also known as green cards, allow migrants to gain lawful permanent residence in the US in order to engage in skilled work.
"He (Biden) will increase the number of visas offered for permanent, work-based immigration based on macroeconomic conditions and exempt from any cap recent graduates of PhD programmes in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields," it said.
"He will support first reforming the temporary visa system for high-skill, specialty jobs to protect wages and workers, then expanding the number of visas offered and eliminating the limits on employment-based green cards by country, which have kept so many Indian families in waiting for too long," the document stated.
The Biden administration, it said, will also repeal President Donald Trump's "Muslim ban".
President Trump had imposed a controversial travel ban, often referred to by critics as a "Muslim ban", on several Muslim majority countries, including Iran and Syria, through a series of executive orders.
“Biden will rescind Trump’s “Muslim ban" on day one and reverse the detrimental asylum policies that are causing chaos and a humanitarian crisis at our border," the policy document said.
Biden administration likely to provide US citizenship to over 500,000 Indians
The Biden administration will support family-based immigration and preserve family unification as a core principle of the US' immigration system.Joe Biden will also restore and defend the naturalisation process for green card holders, the policy document said
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