LONDON,August21,2012: Several prominent NRIs, including director general of the Commonwealth Business Council Dr Mohan Kaul, were honoured by the Indian Overseas Congress (London) at a function here to celebrate the 66th anniversary of India's Independence Day. Other recipients of the honour for their services to the community were Dr Onkar Sahota, member of the greater London assembly for Ealing & Hillingdon, R S Nangla, founder chairman of travel agency Brightsun, former councillor and former mayor of London Borough of Ealing Madhav Patil, publisher Neermal Suri, Gurnam Singh Sahni, Veerindra Rishi, Rajinder Singh Dhutt and Lord Sardar Singh. Speaking on the occasion, President of the Indian Overseas Congress (London) D L Kalhan said: "while we proudly share the joys of getting voting rights for Indians residing abroad, we are now advocating for getting representations for them in Indian Parliament." Labour MP Virendra Sharma lauded the progress made by NRIs in the UK and elsewhere because "they took their values with them wherever the went." "We should feel proud of our achievement," he said. Both prime minister of Britain David Cameron and leader of the opposition and Labour leader Ed Miliband sent messages congratulating India on its 66th Anniversary of Independence and growing India-UK relations in different spheres including science and technology, education and climate change. Councillor Jagdish Sharma noted that it was a matter of pride the vast strides made by India during the last 65 years. SS Sidhu, minister (coordination) in the Indian High Commission to the UK, said: "we are proud of Indians wherever they have gone and they have brought honour to our country. Onkar Sahota, GLA member, said India is poised to make great strides in the fields of science and technology, economy and population. Dr Kaul said India has achieved a lot and "there are many things which can happen only in India." He said there was tremendous scope for increasing trade, business and scientific exchanges in the fields of R&D and the education between India and the UK.
