America
Obama taps Indian Americans to fix things at home and abroad (Diaspora Feature)
By
By Arun Kumar President Barack Obama,
with the largest number of Indian Americans in his administration, keeps
dipping into the expanding talent pool of the three million-strong
Indian American community, to take care of issues ranging from combating
terrorist propaganda abroad to nation's health at home.
Last
week, after an international conference on terrorism, Obama named Rashad
Hussain, a Muslim of Indian heritage, as US Special Envoy and
Coordinator for Strategic Counter-Terrorism Communications. Son of
immigrant parents from India, Hussain had since 2010 served as US
Special Envoy to the 57-member Organisation for Islamic Cooperation
(OIC), to build partnerships with Muslim communities around the world.
Also
last week, the White House named Dhanurjay 'DJ' Patil as its first
chief data scientist to help shape policies and practices to help the US
remain a leader in technology and innovation.
Rajiv Shah,
another son of immigrant Indian parents, Friday left the US Agency for
International Development (USAID) after five years at the helm of the
agency engaged in a mission of ending extreme poverty and promoting
resilient, democratic societies.
At a little over three million,
Americans of Indian ancestry make up about one percent of the US
population, the country's third largest Asian ancestry group after
Chinese Americans and Filipino Americans. But they are America's best
educated and the richest lot gaining prominence in every field from
academia to science and technology.
They run various businesses,
own about 80,000 convenience stores and manage over 20,000 motels -- or
Potels as they have come to be known as most of these are run by the
Patel community from Gujarat.
Over 100,000 physicians of Indian
origin take care of the nation's health. Many head America's top
educational institutions, including the prestigious Harvard Business
School. Now they are gaining a foothold in government and politics too.
With
over a score direct Obama appointees in high places, two governors, a
House member, a state attorney general and eight state legislators,
Indian Americans have over the years gained power and influence far
beyond their numbers. And their power keeps growing.
Among the
recent Obama nominees was Arun Majumdar, an Indian Institute of
Technology (Bombay) alumnus who began serving as one of four US science
envoys Last month.
Earlier in December, Vivek Murthy created
history as the youngest US Surgeon General and the first of Indian
descent after cooling his heels for more than a year for Senate
confirmation as 'America's doctor' in the face of strong opposition by
the powerful gun lobby.
But unlike Murthy, Richard Rahul Verma
sailed through the Senate to take up his position as Washington's first
Indian American envoy in New Delhi ahead of Obama's historic visit to
become the first US president to be the guest of honour at India's
Republic Day.
With Verma in New Delhi and Nisha Desai Biswal
heading the State Department's South Asia bureau, Indian Americans are
now watching US interests in both capitals.
Biswal is assisted by
Atul Keshap, another Indian American, while Puneet Talwar as assistant
secretary for political-military affairs serves as a bridge between the
State and Defence departments. And Arun Madhavan Kumar as assistant
secretary of commerce and director general of the US and Foreign
Commercial Service is charged with boosting US trade.
Amid
growing protests over the treatment of blacks, Obama chose Vanita Gupta
to lead the US justice department's civil rights division charged with
enforcing laws that prevent discrimination.
Another Indian
American Anita M. Singh was picked up for a key job in the Justice
Department's National Security Division (NSD) to counter state-sponsored
economic espionage and proliferation, including through cyberspace.
Indira Talwani and Manish Shah became the first Asian American federal
judges in Massachusetts and Obama's home state of Illinois,
respectively.
To clean up the Wall Street, Obama picked up Preet
Bharara as New York's US attorney. Known in India for his dogged
prosecution of Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade, Bharara tasted his
first defeat in July after winning 85 insider trading cases.
Earlier
in his first term, Obama chose Aneesh Paul Chopra as America's first
chief technology officer and Vivek Kundra as the first US chief
information officer.
Rohit "Ro" Khanna served as deputy assistant
secretary in the US Commerce department before making an unsuccessful
bid for the US House seat last November.
And Neel Tushar
Kashkari, who made a failed run for California governor in November,
earned the nickname of "700 billion-dollar man" for leading the federal
bank bailout plan from October 2008 to May 2009.