Ridgeland, MS: Dr. Sampat Shivangi took over as the president of the Indian American Forum for Political Education (IAFPE) on May 8. The IAFPE is a pioneering national association, which was founded in 1982 as bipartisan liaison with Democratic and Republican national committees.
Dr. Shivangi has been serving the Indian American community in various capacities for more than two decades. He recently served as advisor to the US Health and Human Services, appointed by the White House. He was first Asian American member of State Board of Health and now serving as member of the Board of Mental Health, one of the largest state agencies of state of Mississippi appointed by Governor Haley Barbour. Dr. Shivangi has served National American Association of Physicians of Indian origin and was the founding president of AAPI MS. Dr. Shivangi was instrumental in obtaining a first ever US Congress grant to study Diabetes Mellitus amongst Indian Americans. He is the prominent member of the community in his home state of Mississippi and was a delegate at National Republican Party Conventions at New York and Minneapolis.
Dr. Shivangi has been bestowed many distinguished awards and recognition including Ellis Island Medal of Honor. His objectives and goals as president of IAFPE, are manifold. They include:
(1) We the Indian Americans realize that US-India partnership has been oversold and we need to work earnestly for meaningful dialogue;
(2) Major challenge for Indian Americans is discriminatory quota system for Asian Americans in various universities, including Ivy League schools like Harvard, Yale and Princeton;
(3) Trade and visa disputes — many in US and India feel that President Obama administration is on its warpath to limit visas to Indian Information Technologists and IT firms, who employ thousands of people in US. Recent TV advertisements by President Obama in his Presidential campaign, singles out India as the problem for slow job growth in US and effects of outsourcing — we need to re-educate the administration and the American public. We are in a global economy not economy of a single economy;
(4) Civil Nuclear Treaty and UN Membership for India — the Nuclear Treaty was seen as the cornerstone of strategic partnership between two nations has stalled without much headway between two counties. President Obama had declared his support for UN Security Council membership, which has not moved much either. We need the same energy and spirits as was for US–India Nuclear Treaty.
These are the few agendas that Forum wishes to spearhead in the coming months. IAFPE is planning to have conventions in Tampa, Fl, and Mobile, Ala, in August and September.
