WASHINGTON August 1, 2011: Indian-American Mitul Desai, an expert in international finance law, has been appointed as Senior Advisor in the US State Department's South and Central Asia Bureau to cement ties with the Diaspora groups here.
"Mitul and I are working extremely hard to figure out ways where we can put together a coalition and an alliance of groups to make it easier for Indians in the Diaspora here and other Diaspora communities as well, to make contributions to development and all the other things that are important things we're working on," Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Robert Blake said at a public meeting recently.
Blake said the State Department is trying to develop tax deductible mechanisms that will allow for a lot of these people-to-people collaborations that they talk about.
"Once we get this in place I think it's going to be a really tremendous way to match and really publicise a lot of the terrific opportunities that are taking place in India.
"We will be able to do due diligence on them, to be able to assure donors in the United States that these are in fact worthy projects that they can contribute to and that they can be assured that the money is going to the right place without any fears of diversion of money or corruption or anything like that," Blake said.
In an interview to a news magazine, Desai said his appointment was an outgrowth of what Blake had seen "during his service here and in India -- the need for a position dedicated to engaging with the diaspora, NGO and private sector organisations, who are so central to the US-India relationship."
Desai's parents - Indirajit and Surekha Desai -- came to the US in the 1960s. He received his BA in Chemistry and Philosophy at Rudgers University and his JD from the Boston University School of Law.
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