Congressional Statements
Pallone to receive prestigious Indian
Civilian Award at ceremony in New Delhi
Press Release
March 21, 2002
U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) will travel to New Delhi, India on
Sunday, March 24th to be awarded the Padma Bhushan, one of India's highest
civilian awards recognizing his work to better relations between the U.S.
and India. The New Jersey Congressman will become only the second Member
of the United States Congress to receive this prestigious award.
"I am extremely honored to be receiving this award," Pallone
said. "Since coming to Congress 14 years ago, I have worked to build
a stronger >relationship between the United States and India. Through
the creation and growth of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian-Americans,
the issues and concerns of India, the world's largest democracy, have
become more important in the House of Representatives. This is an achievement
that I am quite proud of, and to be recognized by the Indian government
for this work over the years is an honor. I look forward to returning
to India to receive this award."
Indian President K.R. Narayanan will present the Padma Bhushan award
to Pallone at a ceremony to be held Tuesday, March 26th at Rashrapati
Bhavan, the president's residence in New Delhi. Indian Prime Minister
Atal Behari Vajpayee is also expected to be in attendance.
Pallone founded the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian-Americans
in 1993, and served as co-chair from 1993-98. He continues to serve as
a member of the Executive Committee of the Caucus, a bipartisan Congressional
Member Organization (CMO) whose mission is to promote better Indo-U.S.
ties and to be a voice for more than 1.6 million Americans of Indian descent.
With more than 100 members, the Caucus seeks to identify issues of concern
to the growing Indo-U.S. relationship, to advocate policies to strengthen
that relationship, and to serve as an informational resource for Members
of Congress and their staffs about a wide range of diplomatic, security
and economic issues.
Over the last couple of years, Pallone strongly urged both the Clinton
Administration and the Bush Administration to lift economic and military
sanctions against India. These sanctions were finally lifted last October
allowing the two nations to finally forge ahead with stronger economic
and military cooperation. The New Jersey Congressman believes that improved
diplomatic, political and strategic relations between the two nations,
as well as enhanced opportunities for trade and investment in the
private sector will only strengthen our bilateral relationship.
Under Pallone's chairmanship, the Caucus established a regular series
of briefings for Members of Congress and their staffs on a wide range
of issues affecting U.S.-India relations and the Indian-American community.
The Caucus frequently plays host for visiting delegations from India's
government and private sector - visits, which became more common with
the growing bilateral relationship between the world's two largest democracies.
Pallone, who represents a large Indian-American community, is also a
strong proponent of greater involvement on the part of ethnic communities
in the U.S. on behalf of foreign policy goals and objectives. The New
Jersey Congressman says the Indian-American community, which has achieved
one of the highest levels of education and affluence of any ethnic group
in the nation, can serve as an important human "bridge" between
the world's two largest democracies.
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