US House lauds NRIs, India

The House of Representatives has passed a resolution lauding the contribution of Americans of Indian origin in the US and the importance of working together with India to 8216;8216;promote peace, prosperity and freedom among all countries of the world8217;8217;. It cleared the resolution with an overwhelming margin of 412 to 2.

The two members voting against were Ron Paul and Sam Johnson, both Texas Republicans. Another Congressman, Peter Defazio D-Or, while a member of the India Caucus, abstained. He was of the view that the broad message of the resolution was unbalanced in presenting a picture of Indo-US relations, especially in view of the concerns on account of US 8216;8216;job exports8217;8217; to India and consequent unemployment problems here.

Congressman Douglas Bereuter, who moved the resolution, said 8216;8216;India is the largest democratic country in the world and enjoys a close and mutual friendship with the United States based on common values and common interests.8217;8217; The resolution noted that 8216;8216;people of Indian origin who have for decades immigrated to the US have made extraordinary contributions to the US, helping to make the United States a more efficient and prosperous country.8217;8217; India has also been a key partner in the war against terrorism, the resolution said. 8212;PTI