New York, October 2, 2026: Prominent Indian diaspora leader and Chairman of Jaipur Foot USA Prem Bhandari, along with Ankur Vaidya, Chairman, FIA (NY-NJ-CT-NE); Ajay Patel, President, BRUHUD New York Seniors; and Alok Kumar, Trustee, FIA, held a meeting in New York with Sripriya Ranganathan, Secretary (CPV & OIA), Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India. Binaya Srikanta Pradhan, Consul General of India in New York, was also present during the meeting.
Secretary Ranganathan is on an extensive U.S. outreach visit covering New York, Texas, San Francisco and Seattle, interacting with the Indian diaspora to listen to their concerns, understand challenges faced by overseas Indians and seek suggestions, including for the forthcoming Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD).
As part of this outreach, several separate meetings were also organized at the Consulate General of India in New York with diaspora leaders representing different community organizations, providing an opportunity for a broad cross-section of the Indian-American community to share their views and concerns. During the other stops on her U.S. visit, Secretary Ranganathan has also been engaging with diaspora leaders, community representatives, professionals and other stakeholders as part of this wider effort to strengthen direct engagement with overseas Indians.
Following the detailed interaction, Bhandari had high praise for Secretary Ranganathan’s effort to understand the problems and concerns of the Indian diaspora and her extensive outreach to the community abroad.
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Several longstanding issues affecting Indians overseas were raised, including simplification and greater consistency in passport renewal and re-issue procedures; improvement in VFS and consular services; and curbing unauthorized agents and middlemen who exploit applicants.
Also highlighted was the problem of NRI properties and land being allegedly illegally grabbed in India. Bhandari suggested fast-track mechanisms/courts for NRI property disputes, greater use of video conferencing for court and administrative hearings, and a national-level NRI coordination mechanism to assist overseas Indians facing property-related problems. Concerns regarding false FIRs and misuse of legal provisions against NRIs were also raised, along with the need to strengthen 24/7 emergency consular assistance for Indians in distress abroad.
Ankur Vaidya, who has attended 16 of the 18 Pravasi Bharatiya Divas conventions, shared suggestions based on his extensive experience on measures that could further strengthen diaspora participation and make the forthcoming PBD more meaningful and successful.
Recent Government initiatives, including e-OCI, chip-enabled passports and Fast Track Immigration, were also highlighted as measures aimed at making services for overseas Indians increasingly technology-enabled and convenient..
The community leaders appreciated Secretary Ranganathan’s initiative to engage directly and extensively with the diaspora and expressed hope that sustained dialogue between the Ministry of External Affairs and Indian community organizations across the United States would help address the practical concerns of overseas Indians and further strengthen the enduring bond between India and its global diaspora.