Biden understands how much Indian-Americans have to offer: Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval
The Hindu
Aftab Pureval is the first Indian-American, Tibetan-American and Asian-American to be elected as the mayor of Cincinnati
U.S. President Joe Biden, whose administration has the largest number of India-Americans, understands how much the community has to offer in public service to the country and how special it is, Cincinnati City Mayor Aftab Pureval said.
He was speaking on the sidelines of the U.S. Conference of Mayors Winter Meeting at the White House on Friday.
"It (appointing so many Indian-Americans and South Asians in key administration positions) means that President Biden doesn't take the community for granted. He understands how special we are and how much we have to offer in public service to the country," Mr. Pureval told PTI in an interview.
Mr. Pureval is the first Indian-American, Tibetan-American and Asian-American to be elected as the mayor of Cincinnati —the third largest city in Ohio. He was sworn in as the city mayor on January 4.
"I am here along with mayors from across the country to give President Biden an update on how the bipartisan infrastructure bill and ARP (American Rescue Plan) have not only sustained cities and saved them during the pandemic crisis but also enabled them to grow equitably. It's been a huge success for Cincinnati, and I can't wait to share those stories with him," Mr. Pureval said.
The mayor had met India's Ambassador to the U.S. Taranjit Singh Sandhu in Cincinnati last week. Both come from Punjab.
"We talked about my family history. My father is from Punjab. He (Taranjit Singh Sandhu) is also from Punjab. We talked a lot about that. I had just recently visited the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala. I gave him an update on the trip," he said.
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