Parmar spoke about the importance of Republic Day for the Indian diaspora and said that such celebrations keep Indian culture alive in the UK…reports Asian Lite News
Indians in the UK celebrated the Republic Day in Slough on Tuesday evening with flag hosting, speeches and cultural performances with the Mayor of Slough, UK MP Lord Rami Ranger and MP Virendra Sharma attending the celebrations.
Harish Kumar—Second secretary from Indian High Commission, London; Dilbagh Singh Parmar, the councillor of Slough; the Mayoress of Slough and many British Indians attended the event at the Slough Hindu temple. The event ended with an evening aarti and dinner.
Parmar spoke about the importance of Republic Day for the Indian diaspora and said that such celebrations keep Indian culture alive in the UK.
Going back into the history of the sub-continent, Lord Ranger said that after the Partition in 1947, two nations were created–one based on religion (Pakistan) and the other one irrespective of religion (India). Applauding India for its progress, Lord Ranger said that India is now exporting top engineers, doctors, nurses, architects, lawyers, to the world and has even given the UK a Prime Minister.
Appreciating India’s rich culture and heritage, Lord Ranger said that people of Indian origin are running a large number of blue-chip companies across the world.
Indian-origin MP from the House of Commons, Virendra Sharma exhorted the British diaspora to come forward and join British politics, emphasising that the young generation can choose any party they like. He said that the Indian diaspora must be active in UK politics and promised to mentor and guide members of the diaspora interested in joining British politics.
The event was organised by charity organisation, IDUK Group (Indian Diaspora in the UK) which aims to bring the Indians together and strengthen their links with the rich Indian culture and heritage.
The event was attended by a number of children in their traditional ethnic wear.
Sankari Mridha’s Bharatanatyam performance on 21st November at Sutton, Benhilton, Community Centre brought to life Poet-Saint, Tulsidas’s, ardent devotion to Lord Rama, conveyed through exquisite abhinaya (Expression), fluid movements and poses and excellent storytelling. The audience were taken through an immersive experience of the life and qualities of Rama
The Indian Forum, Sangam, hosted a cultural event on 21st November at Sutton, Benhilton, Community Centre brought to celebrate its 25th Silver Jubilee anniversary in 2022. This event was graced by the Mayor of Sutton, Trish Fivey, as the chief guest. The gathering of art enthusiasts was treated to a Bharatanatyam tribute to Lord Rama by Sankari Mridha, an excellent and renowned artist accompanied by a live orchestra. This was the highlight of the evening.
Sankari is a Bharatanatyam dancer and teacher who trained originally under Guru Jayalaksmi Eswar in Delhi, and has since then given several performances in India, Bangladesh and the UK. She further trained under Nina Rajarani MBE in the UK and assisted in teaching students at Shristi School of dance, KCWA and Southend Malayali Dance schools.
Sankari Mridha performs at Sutton
Sankari performed to the well-known bhajan- ‘Sri Ramachandra Kripalu Bhajamana’ in Ragam Yaman Kalyan and Thalam Misrachapu narrating the personalities, stature and glories of Rama with grace and emotive power.
The verses of the hymn, depicted expertly by Mridha, describe Rama, who is the remover of worldly sorrows, he who is blessed with fresh lotus like eyes and feet, and his beauty is that of innumerable Cupids. An ideal son and man, Rama is valorous in his victories against demon dynasties and evil alike. Transporting the audience to a spiritual realm through the creation of Rasa (aesthetic experience), Sankari paints a picture of how Lord Rama was able to string Shiva’s Celestial bow, whilst so many other Kings, Gods and even Demons had failed, thus winning the hand in marriage to his consort Sita. Mridha brought to the stage the might, yet humbleness of Lord Rama through her expressions and devotion. The enactment of true friendship and love that Hanuman (The Great Monkey God) has towards Rama warms the heart of the audience.
Sankari Mridha performs at Sutton
The poem ends with reverence and humility – Tulsidas, or Sankari in this case, asks Rama to reside in the lotus of her heart, destroying all evil and desires. This emotion-packed, lighthearted performance leaves the audience wanting more.
Sankari’s mastery in the Bharatanatyam form of classical dance, intricate movements and emotional narrative impressed even Mayor Trish Frivey, who wants to continue to watch her dances in the future.
Sankari Mridha with Sutton Mayor Trish Fivey Sankari Mridha with the guests at Sutton
International migrants have contributed positively to local labour market and the growth of the Egyptian economy, the IOM noted…reports Asian Lite News
More than 9 million international migrants from about 130 countries currently live in Egypt, according to the latest figures released by the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
In a statement, the IOM said the number of international migrants residing in Egypt is 9,012,582, which constitutes 8.7 per cent of the country’s population, reports Xinhua news agency.
There has been a noticeable increase in the number of international migrants since 2019, because the prolonged instability in Egypt’s neighbouring countries prompted Sudanese, South Sudanese, Syrians, Ethiopians, Iraqis and Yemenis to seek refuge in the North African country, according to the statement.
Among the international migrants are 4 million Sudanese, 1.5 million Syrians, 1 million Yemenis and 1 million Libyans. Migrants from the four countries account for about 80 per cent of the migrants residing in Egypt.
International migrants have contributed positively to local labour market and the growth of the Egyptian economy, the IOM noted.
Egypt has been generous in enrolling migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers in its national education and health systems on an equal basis with Egyptians, despite challenges in the two sectors and the heavy economic costs, the UN agency added.
India has the largest diaspora population in the world and under the current BJP regime, they occupy a very important place in the positioning of the country’s image globally…reports Asian Lite News
The first of its kind NRI Festival had a gala launch in Delhi with many foreign delegations being associated with the six-month long event.
NRI committees from the US, the UK and the Middle East are enthusiastic about the festival being dedicated to the diaspora community and expressed confidence that there would be a large influx of people, particularly from these three regions, which together holds more than 70 per cent of the total Indian diaspora population.
Special committee members have been appointed to coordinate with the Indian diaspora population world over for the various events being organised till December 2022.
The festival is being organised by Rejoice Health Foundation in association with Power Sportz TV, and is being held to celebrate 75 years of India’s Independence, commemorating it in the form of ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ celebrations.
The function saw the display of logos of various ministries associated with the festival, along with the logo of the NRI Festival, which was launched recently by Minister of State for Tourism, Shripad Naik.
India has the largest diaspora population in the world and under the current BJP regime, they occupy a very important place in the positioning of the country’s image globally.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently addressed a mega diaspora event in Munich, Germany, on his visit for the G7 Summit, where he hailed the power of Indian democracy. He has often referred to the Indian diaspora population as the country’s ‘Cultural Ambassadors’.
The Munich meeting was the largest meeting of the Indian community post the pandemic and was held at the Audi Dome venue.
But the clamour here seems to be more around sponsorship for the events. A large number of sports events are being organised by Power Sportz and the finalised ones are women’s kabaddi, cricket and marathon. These events are ensuring NRI participation along with marquee international players alongside large NRI in-stadia spectatorship.
Special stands are being erected in the pavilion areas for the NRI community coming to watch these events. With the apparel partners, fantasy partners, and most team and on-ground sponsors having already been sold out, the competition seems intense for the title cponsor.
Two large conglomerates, both in the retail segment, operating in the Indian subcontinent and the Middle Eastern region seem to be in the fray for the title sponsorship of all the events, though no confirmation has been announced by the organisers as yet.
Other large infrastructure groups down south, particularly from the Telangana region, also seem to be showing interest.
On an average from 2014 to 2020, around six million NRIs have visited India every year. But in 2020, the global Covid-19 pandemic disrupted travel across the globe and the numbers fell significantly with only around 3.6 million NRIs arriving in India.
The months from July to December have always seen the maximum inflow of NRIs in India. The festival is being held in the same period and with the pandemic in a controllable level now, the NRI Festival is expecting a large diaspora influx for the various events that are being organised.
6-month-long NRI festival to be held from July, tourism minister launches logo https://t.co/fyB2MsxIgP
The venues have been finalised for the events in the first three months, focusing primarily on Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana in the North and Goa towards the South.
A press conference is likely to be held shortly to brief about the various events, but confirmed sources indicate that a women’s kabaddi league would be the first event which would see most ‘A’ category women kabaddi players participate in it. Most probably, it is going to held in the National Capital Region.
New venues are likely to be added on, as the festival and the events under it run till December 2022. All the sports events are going to be streamed live on Power Sportz, and there would be simultaneous content sharing across various broadcast platforms, both in India and globally.
In many cases, they make significant donations to charities, which greatly help uplift the poor and marginal areas back in their home countries…reports Asian Lite News
Many talented brains from developing nations like India, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Pakistan have been immigrating to economically progressive and highly developed nations for many years.
They migrate in search of a good quality of life, world-class education for their children, and social security perks, including disability and maternity benefits, unemployment allowance, employment insurance, and other attractive benefits.
This is primarily why many choose to become permanent residents of developed nations such as Canada, the USA, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. But the youth and skilled professionals who have moved to these nations have also brought in foreign remittances and a good deal of foreign exchange that helps boost the economy and development of a country that is still wanting and in its development stage. Contributing back home
Many immigrants with well-paying jobs in these overseas nations help their relatives, parents, and near and dear ones by sending them money for assistance. Even students who study in developed nations return home with great knowledge and expertise. They even impart their expertise and aid in medicine, engineering, technology, and other professions.
Immigrants in other nations make it up to their home nations by keeping the foreign remittances flowing. Many of these remittances help ease the constraints of credit in rural areas. It helps accelerate human capital with improved health and educational facilities besides a good lifestyle. Many immigrants who return to their nations build hotels, hospitals, schools, and places of public worship or institution.
In many cases, they make significant donations to charities, which greatly help uplift the poor and marginal areas back in their home countries. Because of their contribution, many needy and underprivileged people find a vehicle and means to make their dreams come true. Immigration has been an excellent life-changer for many people who cannot find adequate help, but through the financial assistance from these immigrants, they find a way to live the life they deserve.
Minister Dr. Ashwath Narayan's Meet & Greet with community
Dr. Ashwath Narayan highlighted how Karnataka, in particular Bengaluru, is leading on different fronts, attracting the country’s best talent and domestic & foreign direct investments, reports Ragasudha Vinjamuri
A community Meet and Greet was organised by KannadigaruUK recently with Dr. C. N. Ashwath Narayan- ex-Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka, and current Minister for Higher Education & IT-BT, and Nikhil Kamath-Co-founder of Zerodha and True Beacon. The event took place at The Bhavan in West Kensington and was attended by prominent members of the Indian Diaspora.
Minister Dr. Ashwath Narayan delivering his note
At the outset, Vanishree Hegde has extended a welcome to all and has invited Ganapati Bhat to further outline the work of the organisation, especially initiatives such as teaching the Kannada language. Kishen Shastry then briefly spoke about establishing the Kannada Student Society at Cambridge University, which is a milestone for the diaspora segment. Dr. Nandakumara has spoken about the importance of Vidya and knowledge.
Addressing the members of the diaspora, Dr. Ashwath Narayan highlighted how Karnataka, in particular Bengaluru, is leading on different fronts, attracting the country’s best talent and domestic & foreign direct investments. He has highlighted how the state is working in tandem with the central government’s goals and ambitions in improving governance to become the best leader in the world.
Nikhil Kamath spoke of the qualities of the Kannada people that enabled the rise of the city and the state and opined that the reverse migration and expertise of Kannadigas may further enhance and enrich the state.
Both the minister and Nikhil Kamath were felicitated by Kannada Balaga U.K. and KanandigaruUK. The event was supported by Scrumconnect Consulting.
Nikhil Kamath speaking at Meet & Greet Minister Dr. Ashwath Narayan felicitatedVanishree Hegde welcoming the audiencesDr Nandakumara speaking at the Meet & GreetKishen Shastry speaking about Student Society at Cambridge Ganapati Bhat rendering Vote of Thanks
Indians accounted for 74.9 per cent of the approved petitions in 2020…reports Asian Lite News
Indians cornered nearly three-fourths of H-1B visas issued by the US to speciality foreign workers in 2021, continuing their stranglehold on this highly sought after professional ticket to work, live and, finally, settle down in America.
The US approved 407,071 H-1B petitions in 2021 and 301,616 of them 74.1 per cent were for Indian workers, according to the latest report on this topic released recently by the Department of Homeland Security, the government agency that oversees immigration.
Indians accounted for 74.9 per cent of the approved petitions in 2020.
The US allows American employers to hire speciality foreign workers on H-1B for positions they are unable to fill with local Americans. Top American companies such as Microsoft, Amazon, Google, and Facebook are among leading users of this visa programme as are US subsidiaries of Indian IT companies such as Infosys, TCS and Wipro.
These foreign workers are hired either from their countries of birth or residence or from US colleges and universities Sundar Pichai, the Google CEO, was hired on H-1B when he was studying in the US. They can live and work here for three years and, if approved, another three years. A large number of them go on to Green Cards ‘permanent residency’ sponsored by their employers.
Indians have had a tight grip on the H-B visa programme for years, at that three-fourths mark. People from China have been a distant second with 12.1 per cent. The next three were Canada with 0.9 per cent, South Korea also with 0.9 per cent and Philippines with 0.7 per cent. The line-up was the same in 2020, with almost the same numbers.
Welcoming Mr Devani to the organisation, Yuvraj Singh said: “I welcome Mr Kishan Devani BEM to the YouWeCan Foundation and the Yuvraj Singh Group as a Senior Advisor. With him on board, I am sure that we will accelerate our endeavours towards empowering the underprivileged cancer patients in India as well as giving financial and strategic support to the budding entrepreneurs of our country”
MrKishan Devani BEM, who is a Public Figure in the UK, engaged in many diverse segments of society, from politics to education to the charitable sector, has been appointed Senior Advisor of cricketing icon Yuvraj Singh’s company Yuvraj Singh Group. His responsibilities in this new role would be to provide strategic advice to Yuvraj Singh for the philanthropic activities that he undertakes through his non-profit organization YouWeCan Foundation. Mr Devani will also be a strategic advisor for Yuvraj Singh’s investment company YouWeCan Ventures.
Welcoming him to the organization, Yuvraj Singh said,“I welcome Mr Kishan Devani BEM to the YouWeCan Foundation and the Yuvraj Singh Group as a Senior Advisor. With him on board, I am sure that we will accelerate our endeavours towards empowering the underprivileged cancer patients in India as well as giving financial and strategic support to the budding entrepreneurs of our country. I am looking forward to our Group achieving incredible feats in the future with the support and advice from a brilliant strategist like him.”
Regarding his collaboration with Yuvraj Singh Group, Mr Kishan Devani BEM said,“I feel privileged to be appointed Senior Advisor to Yuvraj Singh Group and Yuvraj Singh’s Cancer NGO YouWeCan Foundation. I have seen first-hand the immensely life-changing work Yuvraj Singh personally does globally through his Foundation and Business Ventures. It truly is a privilege to be a part of Yuvi’s journey and playing my small part in changing the lives of millions across the globe, which he desires to achieve. Yuvi is a personal friend, an elder brother like figure to me and somebody I have got to know well personally over many years; he cares for the society, the world we live in and wants to see a world that is better for all of us to live in. Hence, becoming a Senior Advisor to his Group and Foundation is a matter of great pride for me, although first and foremost he shall always be a mate and brother to me!”
Prior to joining Yuvraj Singh Group, Kishan Devani BEM has had advisory roles within various sectors from Governance, Fundraising, Business to Education. He has carried out consultancy work for various Asian organisations, Forums and Societies in promoting youth engagement within politics matters of education and the youth.
He was honoured by Her Majesty the Queen in Her New Year’s Honours List 2020 with the British Empire Medal (BEM). He was also made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and was honoured with the Freedom of the City of London, which made him one of the youngest BAME Freemans of London. Kishan is also Associate Lecturer of Politics & International Relations, Diplomacy, Advocacy at London Metropolitan University. At the beginning of this year, Kishan Devani BEM was appointed Senior Advisor to the Danny Faure Foundation by the Former President of the Seychelles, Danny Faure. More recently he was appointed President (International Relations) of the prestigious Commonwealth Entrepreneurs Club.
Kishan Devani BEM was recently appointed Vice-President of the Green Liberal Democrats. In 2018, he was appointed Vice-President of the Liberal Democrats Campaign for Race Equality (LDCRE) & was elected Vice-Chairman of Liberal Democrats in Business. He was also the Liberal Democrats Parliamentary Candidate for Montgomeryshire in the 2019 General Election.
Yuvraj Singh, who is himself a cancer survivor, founded the YouWeCan Foundation as a non-profit organization that works to empower all people to fight cancer through Cancer Screening Programmes, Cancer Awareness Programmes, YouWeCan Cancer Treatment Fund and YWC Scholarship for Cancer Survivors. Till date, 1,50,000 people have been screened by the Foundation for different types of cancer, 1,25,000 students have been sensitized in anti-tobacco workshops, 30,000 women have been sensitized on self breast examination and 24,000 men have been counselled for tobacco cessation.
Moreover, 150 cancer survivor students have been supported through the YouWeCan Scholarship. In October 2021, YouWeCan Foundation launched the ‘Swasth Mahila, Swasth Goa’ initiative in partnership with the SBI Foundation and the Government of Goa. Under this initiative, free breast cancer screening will be done for 1 lakh women in Goa, thereby ensuring that 50% of the age eligible female population in the state is screened.
The ace cricketer launched YouWeCan Ventures in 2015 as an early age fund for startups. Through YouWeCan Ventures, Yuvraj Singh provides seed funding and angel funding capital to promising startups to help them scale up. Over the years, YouWeCan Ventures has invested in a range of startups from diverse sectors such as healthcare, wellness, edtech, beauty, sports, logistics, travel and more. The company is especially interested in partnering with and promoting tech startups that affect the society and the environment positively.
With a seasoned strategist like Kishan Devani BEM joining the Group, Yuvraj Singh’s vision of helping people across India in their fight against cancer as well as giving a boost to the start-up ecosystem of the country is going to pick up pace and many exciting developments are in the pipeline in the near future.
Guest of Honour, Mr Sanjay Kumar Second Secretary Coordination High Commission of India UK graced the occasion on both days…reports Asian Lite News
As India was sleeping after a great celebration of the 73rd Republic Day marked by a historic flag hoisting atop Lal Chowk at Srinagar, the Indian diaspora in England began their evening of celebrations, past midnight IST.
As the Iron man Sardar Patel said once, “Every Indian should now forget that he is a Rajput, a Sikh or a Jat. He must remember that he is an Indian.” IIW also celebrated Indian Republic Day 2022 bringing almost 40 kids and nearly 33 performances infusing the patriotic fervour in the atmosphere in the British land.
The remarkable event was hosted by the fascinating Team of IIW [Inspiring Indian Women], online on two days: 26th Jan 2022, 7.00 pm GMT, and 29th Jan, 4.00 pm GMT. A number of cultural performances of dance and songs marked the gaiety and splendour of the Show aptly titled as – ‘Maa Tujhe Pranaam ‘!
Padmashri Bob Blackman, Honourable Member of the British Parliament was the Chief Guest on 26th. He recalled the yeoman services of the Indian community in the United Kingdom across all walks of life and wished everyone a healthy passage through the pandemic period. Lord Meghnad Desai was the Chief Guest on 29th January. He spoke about the supreme sacrifices made by Kasturba Gandhi.
Guest of Honour, Party Venkataramana, noted international Lawyer, award-winning Poet – Philanthropist who famously won many court-battles to safeguard the national wealth and treasures of India gracefully recited a patriotic song in Hindi and pointed out that variety, not diversity, formed the secret of India which is an ancient civilization with sacred principles of Santana Dharma forming the core of the Constitution which was adopted on this day in 1950.
Guest of Honour, Mr Sanjay Kumar Second Secretary Coordination High Commission of India UK graced the occasion on both days.
IIW acknowledged many individuals who gave their time to spread love for Bharat Mata. The Special Guests who attended on 26th and 29th Jan were Shri Amarjeet Singh Bhamra (Secretariat All-Party Parliamentary Group on Indian Traditional Sciences, Smt Sandhya Gandecha (Executive Committee member Lohana Community United Kingdom (LCUK)Lohana Community North London (LCNL) Senior Ladies Secretary), Smt Minal Jaiswal (Founder Indians in London organization), Smt Harsha Trivedi (BSNL) and Smt Sarita Rahul Kannada Organization ( Kaho ). Dr Arpita Ray (Founder trustee of Essex Indians charity and the United Kingdom Bengali Convention charity Director of Basildon Side by Side, a community interest company, founded Maitreya Bengali Club, teaches the Bengali language to the children), Smt Sulochana Sethi Founder Vedicca London Group for Senior Citizens, Smt Jai Verma (Chair Person of Kavya Rang, Director – Nottingham Asian Arts Council), Cllr Prabhakar Kaza (Banker and Labour Party Cllr representing Kenilworth South Borehamwood) and Shri Ambrish Agarwal (MD and CEO Esteema Capital Partner.
Community Leaders also acknowledged for devoting time for Bharat Ma on 29th includes, including Shalini Jain (Rajasthan Association UK), Vandana Jhingan (Midwest Bureau Chief TV ASIA; US Correspondent Hindi Khabar; Dy Treasurer Cook County IL, Chairperson of Media Council of GOPIO International (Global Organisation of People of India Origin), Anju Narang (Vice President Punjabi Society of British Isles), Raj Tiwari (Founder of Mangalam HCRG), Sheila Maharaj (Sheila Maharaj is a third-generation Hindu Girmitya woman. Born In Trinidad Sheila settled in the U.K. and lives in London where she worked until retirement with Children, Families, and Older People. She has been active on various platforms and places promoting Hindu Ekta. She is a student of Swamini Atmaprakasananda of Arsha Vidya U.K.), Geeta Shah (Founder of Women to women Diamond The group aims to entertain, engage, educate, empower and embrace women empathetically worldwide through its activities. ), Ambareesh Agarwal (MD and CEO Esteema Group)
Dr Vivek Kaul (Dr Kaul was named Vivek by Swami Ranganathan of Rama Krishna Mission. Vivek has been a keen student of Swami Vivekananda’s vision, working hard to understand the lack of Unity among fellow brethren), Nimit Shishodia, Founder Sohum Foundation
The programme on 26th started with National Anthem sung by 3 years old Riyaanshi.
Others who expressed their patriotism were Akhila Rao, Gaurav Chaturvedi, Angelique Parvez, Iravati Mulmule, Vini Kalia, Monidipa Seal ( Manika Veena) , Dharti Vasani, Aadya Academy of Fine Arts, Deshbhakti Quiz by Microsoft Trainer Raj Rawat, Anashmita Saha,, Raksha Jethwa, Shweta Dhall, Sonia Sharma, Yuvraj sinh Jadeja, Janaki Mehta, Harrow care plus, Pracheeti Dange, Yoga child Prodigy Ishwar sharma, Indira Sharma and the versatile Singer Anamika Agarwal.
Some of the children who expressed their love for Bharat on 29th were-Pavaki Mahendroo, Khrivisha Manikandan, Charvi Roy, Varshith, Mayukhjit Chakraborty , Aarna Chaturvedi , Rohit Sowmy , Vedika Academy Students, Nakshatra, Niharika, Meenakshi, Meera and Harshini, Vedaanshi Srivastava, Prerna Vaideeswaran, Vikram Ashwath, Nia Prakash, Atreyee Debroy, Ryan Gupta & students of Piya’s Hindi Class – Shreeja, Biancaa, Atharva, Shreeja, Ali, Vedika, Annanya, Heena with kids, Shreya Ithape, Varshith Kokkonda, Nalan Thiyagarajan, Students of Deega Yoga, Keya Gohil, Parav Chatterjee, Babitha and her son Tanmay, Ananya, Jeshna & Prajna, Vedant, Sunny. B. Lalitchandra, Riyaanshi, Eesha, Praneel Shirish Kabade, Students of Aadya Dance Academy, Students of Abhinaya Fine Arts.
The event was hosted by Darshini Joshi, Deepika Ganesh and Dr Harpal Singh. The backend support was provided by Pavithra Venkatesh, Heena Zala and Raj Rawat.
Under #azaadikaamritmahotsav, IIW continued its celebrations by getting ladies especially led by Nivedita Singh, Cllr Pushpa Makwana, Divya Chari and Ruchita Brahmkshatriya to make huge Rangoli in various places like Croydon, Mahalakshmi Temple ( East London) and the Highlight being massive Rangoli at Trafalgar Square.
Nearly seventeen ladies sent Republic Day messages from IIW which were later tweeted by the High Commission of India in the UK. As the Azaadi Mahotsav continues giving a great sense of pride and value to the sacrifices made for this freedom, the famous poem by our beloved Shri Rabindra Nath Tagore rings in our ears,
“Where the mind is without fear
and the head is held high,
where knowledge is free.
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls.
PLAB2 is essential for ensuring that overseas qualified doctors can demonstrate competency to train in the NHS, and hence the 2,500 doctors who have arrived on the shores of the UK were expected to take the test and for the successful ones, to commence training, reports Asian Lite News
BAPIO has raised serious concerns with Sajid Javid, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, and Charlie Massey, the CEO of the General Medical Council about the cancellation of PLAB2 tests during January and February 2022.
The GMC announced on 22 December 2021 that it was cancelling all PLAB2 tests for overseas doctors during the months of January and February 2022. The announcement was made without any prior discussion with medical organisations who have worked closely with the GMC for some time but especially during the stressful times of the pandemic.
PLAB2 is essential for ensuring that overseas qualified doctors can demonstrate competency to train in the NHS, and hence the 2,500 doctors who have arrived on the shores of the UK were expected to take the test and for the successful ones, to commence training. The UK is facing significant shortages in medical manpower and so this news comes on the back of mounting pressures on NHS Trusts, made worse by the spread of Omicron.
Furthermore, the affected doctors are now without jobs, in a foreign country and without the financial means to support themselves for the extra months required. The GMC has indicated that the exams for this cohort of doctors will be held in later this year, which is an unacceptable delay. This is more so because it does not seem that the GMC has learned from the mistakes of the past, when the PLAB tests were cancelled during the first and second lockdowns. Many candidates from that cohort remain traumatised to this day.
BAPIO as well as other diaspora organisations have expressed concerns to the GMC as well as the Sajid Javid about this state of affairs. We have formed a network of support for these foreign doctors while this matter is being resolved.
Dr Ramesh Mehta, President of BAPIO said, “This cancellation of PLAB2 tests not only deprives us from timely recruitment of these valuable doctors, it also causes them significant hardship in a foreign country. I am very concerned about this state of affairs.”
Health Secy Sajid Javid during a visit at the Milton Keynes University Hospital (Source twitter@sajidjavid)
Dr JS Bamrah, Chair of BAPIO, is concerned about how doctors in this situation are treated. “Migrant doctors have formed an invaluable part of the NHS workforce. This sort of action by the GMC only serves to give the wrong perception to migrant doctors in this country as well as those who intend to come and serve the NHS”.
“The cancellation of GMC examinations is worrying.” states Dr Biju Simon, Joint Secretary, adding that “Many young doctors already sacrificed their time and money to be here in the UK, despite the uncertainties of the COVID pandemic. The cancellation of the PLAB tests amplifies the agony adding further psychological torment and financial deficit.”
