Dr Thomas Abraham is the founder Chairman of the Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO), a worldwide organization founded in 1989 looking after the interests of people of Indian origin (PIO) living outside India.The first president of the Federation of Indian Associations (FIA) of New York from 1976-81,and the National Federation of Indian American Associations (NFIA) from 1980-’88, Dr Abraham is also a Founder Trustee of Indian American Kerala Center in New York. Two other groups initiated by Dr. Abraham are National Indian American Association for Senior Citizens (NIAASC) and South Asian Council for Social Services (SACSS).He was presented with Bharatvanshi Gaurav (Person of Indian Origin Pride) Award by former Vice President of India Bhairon Singh Sekhawat on January 4, 2008, and the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman (Overseas Indian Honor) Award (PBD) by Indian President Pratibha Patil at the 6th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas on January 9, 2008 for his outstanding service to the Indian communities worldwide and in India.
In an interview to Ramananda Sengupta, Dr Abraham says events like the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (being held in Chennai January 7-9 this year) helps Indians abroad connect with their motherland India, but much more needs to be done.
GOPIO Convention 2009 theme is “Critical Issues of Interest and Concern to NRIs and PIOs.” The program will start with GOPIO Regional Vice Presidents and Chapter Presidents providing reports from different regions of the world to alert the larger GOPIO crowd on important issues or concerns to that region. Four conference sessions will follow.These are NRI/PIO Parents Coping at Home and Abroad, NRI/PIO Contributions to Projects in Respective Homelands, Business and Investment Challenges and Opportunities in a Global Financial Crisis Scenario and finally Current Economic and Non-Economic Issues Confronting NRIs/PIOs. We will pass resolutions on issues NRIs/PIOs as well as those oflarger interest.
GOPIO cooperates with PBD in many ways,and speakers at various sessions to bring out the issues of NRIs/PIOs to the attention of Government of India and state governments.We also publicize PBD events to all its members. GOPIO holds its convention before the PBD so that we could discuss various issues before PBD starts. These issues keep in changing with time and GOPIO meeting every year provides a great platform for NRIs/PIOs to come together and discuss them in depth before the PBD. We present the resolutions passed at the GOPIO meeting to the government of India.
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