[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 115 (Tuesday, July 10, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E985-E986]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  RECOGNIZING THE RECIPIENTS OF THE GLOBAL ORGANIZATION OF PEOPLE OF 
                   INDIAN ORIGIN AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. GERALD E. CONNOLLY

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 10, 2018

  Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the Global 
Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) and to congratulate the 
recipients of its Annual Awards of Excellence. Founded in 1989, the 
mission of GOPIO was battling human rights violations committed against 
persons of Indian origin. Today, while that mission continues, GOPIO 
has also broadened its mission to include pooling resources of persons 
of Indian origin for the benefit of not only themselves and their 
Indian homeland, but also the communities they currently reside in.
  Indian-Americans have made countless contributions to the United 
States in the fields of business, education, medicine, science, 
technology, and public service while preserving and sharing their 
culture in a manner that promotes tolerance and mutual understanding.
  Many of our awardees tonight have been at the forefront of those 
efforts. It is my honor to include in the Record the names of the 
following individuals:

[[Page E986]]

  Dr. Ravi Chaudary--Science and Technology
  Dr. Ram Reddy--Entrepreneur
  Dr. Prashanth N. Bharadwaj--Education
  Mr. Jay Mandal--Journalism
  Dr. Rajesh Mehra--Medicine
  Ms. Swati Sharma--Arts and Culture
  Northern Virginia, which I am proud to represent in Congress, is 
blessed by its diversity. We are home to more than 40,000 people of 
Indian descent and (one of) the largest number of Asian-American, 
including Indian-American owned small businesses and tech firms in the 
nation. This diversity enriches our entire community and contributes to 
our region being considered one of the best places in the country in 
which to live, work, raise a family, and start a business.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating all of 
the recipients of the GOPIO Awards of Excellence on their 
accomplishments. I commend them for their service to their communities 
and to our nation, and I wish them success in all their future 
endeavors

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