NEW YORK – To immediately address the India earthquake relief and restoration efforts, a group of prominent Indo-Americans announced today the formation of the American India Foundation (AIF).
Highlighting the urgency for rehabilitation, former U.S. President William Jefferson Clinton, has agreed to participate as a board member of the AIF.
“I am honored to serve on the American India Foundation Board. The Gujarat earthquake in India has brought about tremendous human suffering. It is important to harness the management skills, financial resources and entrepreneurship that resides in the Indian community in the U.S. and use these to benefit India in its hour of need,” said Mr. Clinton.
According to the Indian government, the country is receiving prompt relief assistance from various agencies, but long-term rehabilitation remains an inadequately addressed issue.
In response to this assessment, the AIF’s goal is to utilize U.S. private, corporate and academic resources to aid in the rehabilitation of 100 afflicted villages. The first phase will immediately focus on 40 villages in Gujarat. The Foundation plans to concentrate on Youth, Resource Planning and Management and Reconstruction.
“The idea for this foundation was fostered in the aftermath of the massive earthquake in Gujarat, and it is our strong desire to provide sustainable support for the future. AIF will survey regional priorities so that immediate and long-term projects are aligned to the national effort,” said Kailash Joshi, Trustee AIF.
While providing earthquake relief is the immediate priority, the AIF ultimately aims to facilitate the exchange of ideas, provide intellectual capital and financial resources that benefit the entire Indian community.
Prominent Indians who have agreed to join the Board of the Foundation are:
Anil Bhandari; Sabeer Bhatia; P.C. Chatterjee; Vikram Chatwal; Deepak Chopra; Dr. Suvas Desai; Rohit Desai; Vishaka Desai; Gururaj Deshpande; Naren Gupta; Rajat Gupta; Vinod Gupta; Amul Jhaveri; Kailash Joshi; Ramesh V. Kapur; Lata Krishnan; Kumar Malavalli; Dr. Navin Mehta; Shailesh Mehta; Victor Menezes; Mike Patel; Prof. C.K. Prahalad; Dr. C. Ranawat; Dr. Bhimsen Rao; Kanwal Rekhi; and Krishna Srinivasa.
