Indian Social Forum Saudi Arabia urges Congress Party to consider Gulf NRIs in Election Manifesto
Dammam, (KSA), April 29: ‘Karnataka Ruling Party Congress’s election manifesto for the upcoming Karnataka assembly election is disappointing for many Gulf Kannadiga NRIs in the GCC country as the congress party failed to address issues of an influential community. After several promises made by the ruling party, Gulf NRI community was expecting substantial Gulf NRI welfare programs to be added on party’s Manifesto’ officials from Indian Social Forum Saudi Arabia said in a press release in Dammam.
After thoroughly scrutinizing the Congress election manifesto, Indian Social Forum issued a statement today citing Ruling party Congress must consider wellbeing of Gulf NRI community, there were numerous appeals and recommendations from NRI communities to Chief Minister, other Government representatives and officials in the recent past about Gulf Crisis.
Recent World bank report confirms, India topped the highest recipient of remittance overseas in 2017 and particularly 50% of remittance made from Indian diaspora in GCC countries; however Karnataka is also beneficiary of this remittance.
Notably NRI community from Karnataka coastal belt has been an influential community back home as there are many families, institutions dependent on Gulf NRIs remittance. In light of Gulf Job market crisis, Indian Social Forum Saudi Arabia is requesting the Congress party to revise the manifesto to include realistic welfare programs to protect the Gulf NRIs & their family’s interest. We hope such move would fetch the Congress party to gain positive impact among influential Gulf NRI community and would also be beneficial for the country’s development.
Indian Social Forum appeal The Congress party to include following points on
Election manifesto:
1- NRI Help Desk to open in Coastal Districts, Mysore, Bangalore and Gulbarga
2- Educational Quota for Gulf NRI students
3- NRI Data Bank – Statistical survey of NRI population, remittance and other statistics
4- Create online platform to raise NRI individual concerns and issues
5- Free Medical aid for Gulf Returnee
6- Assurance of Fund allocation for Gulf NRIs welfare
7- Grant Bank Loan for the aspiring Gulf returnee entrepreneurs
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SGPC writes to Mann, seeks ban on 'Emergency' in Punjab a day before release
Amritsar, Jan 16 (PTI): The SGPC on Thursday wrote to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, seeking a ban on the release of Kangana Ranaut's movie 'Emergency' saying it "tarnishes" the image of Sikhs and "misrepresents" history.
Actor and BJP MP Ranaut's 'Emergency' is slated to release in cinemas on January 17.
In the letter to Mann, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee chief Harjinder Singh Dhami expressed strong objection to Ranaut's film.
Dhami said that if the film is released in Punjab, it will spark "outrage and anger" in the Sikh community and therefore it is the responsibility of the government to ban its release in the state.
The SGPC, an apex gurdwara body, had earlier also protested the film.
"It has come to our attention that the movie 'Emergency' produced by BJP MP Kangana Ranaut is going to be released on 17th January 2025 in cinemas in different cities of Punjab and the tickets have also started to be booked," its letter to Mann read.
Dhami said the SGPC had also protested the release of the movie in a letter to the Punjab Chief Secretary on November 14 last year.
"But it is sad that the Punjab government has not taken any step till now. If this film is released on January 17, 2025, then it is natural to create outrage and anger in the Sikh world," the current letter read.
Dhami said the SGPC will submit a letter also to all the deputy commissioners in Punjab, seeking a ban on the film in the state.
The SGPC denounced the "character assassination" of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, the Khalistani militant killed in 1984 in a military operation.
"If this film is released in Punjab, we will be forced to strongly oppose it at the state level," Dhami said.
In August last year, the SGPC sent a legal notice to the producers of the 'Emergency' film, alleging that it "misrepresented" the character and history of Sikhs, and asked them to remove the objectionable scenes depicting "anti-Sikh" sentiments.
In the notice, the producers of the film, including Kangana Ranaut, were asked to remove the trailer released on August 14 from all public and social media platforms and tender a written apology to the Sikh community.
The SGPC objected to film writing separate letters to the Minister of Information and Broadcasting and the Central Board of Film Certification.
