Raiz,
Many of you probably remember the presentation, which I did on behalf of Sanjoy Hazarika at the Rongali Bihu celebrations at the India Community Center in Milpitas, California. The presentation was to raise funds for the Center for North East Studies (C-NES) fellowship program to educate people on Assam and the rest of the North East region.
In an effort to bridge the information gap between the North East and the rest of India, I conceived and launched the North East Media Exchange Program in 1996 (through the National Foundation for India), which awards scholarships to media persons from the region and other parts of the country to study and report on issues which they may not, in the normal course, get a chance to research and write about.
Concept Note on proposed C-NES Media fellowships for Assam and NE: a call for support from NRAs and NRNEs
The topic may be slightly confusing for most people. These are the people who think that India is not developed because we don’t have money. But that is not even 10 percent of the truth. The truth is that Indians are becoming less civil, less tolerant, less kind-hearted, more corrupt and more money minded. With people like these one can hardly expect development to take place. The sad part is that the good things have to start from the people at the top and these are normally people with money.
Dr. Manmohan Singh
Hon’ble Prime Minister of India
South Block R
Raisin Hill
New Delhi – 110 011
Dated: 20th May, 2004
Dear Sir,
Please accept our heartfelt CONGRATULATIONS on your being elected to lead the country as the Prime Minister. The Assamese community living in North America is proud and overwhelmed to see a Hon’ble Member of Parliament from Assam being chosen to lead the largest democracy in the world.
Recently a few encouraging signs have been observed in Assam. In particular, I am very
excited by the initiative to encourage students for better performance on All India Civil
Services Examinations and to give government grants to schools that have shown good
results in examinations such as the HSLC. I have also observed activities of the Self-Help
Groups (SHG) in many parts of Assam. During the last two years, SHGs have contributed
significantly to Assam’s economy. They not only help generate employment, but also open many options to the educated youth.