PATNA:
The head of the US Consulate General at Kolkata, Consul General Melinda Pavek, who was on a two- day visit to Patna, said the joint statement issued by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden on Thursday reflects strong relations between the two countries.
“PM Narendra Modi is on a state visit to the US, which reflects a wonderful and meaningful collaboration between the US and India. The joint statement made by PM Modi and President Biden has 58 paragraphs and every paragraph holds deep significance. It talks about critical and emerging technologies, defence cooperation, educational ties, space explorations and combating global health issues, among others. India also signed the Artemis Accords, which brings like-minded countries together on civil space exploration,” Pavek said on Friday.
On being asked about her views on the meeting of the opposition parties in Patna and PM Modi is in the United States, the US Consul General said it was a sign of flourishing democracy.
“I see Bihar as the birthplace of democracy and, the US and India are the largest democracies in the world. The reality of democracy lies in different ideas of people about the direction that the country and its policies should go. By having the parties get together, whether it is the opposition or ruling parties, to sit around and talk about the direction for the country and what are the policies and how are they going to tell their story to the voters, is a sign of a flourishing democracy,” Pavek said.
She added: “It’s just like the United States. In between the election cycle, the political parties try to explain to the people why they should be the next party and person in- charge. It’s very important for democracy.”
On being asked about the two-day meeting of the labour engagement group of G20 at Patna in the context of high labour migration ratio in Bihar, Pavek said: “Labour migration has different perspectives. If people migrate willingly and the conditions are supportive of human existence, then it is a positive thing. However, issues like human trafficking also happen at times due to migration.”
She added that the US Consulate has worked on anti- trafficking over the last 10 years. “The Consulate has been working with different stakeholders, including the state governments’ officials, NGOs, law-enforcement agencies, educators and public relations executives to make people aware of human trafficking,” Pavek said.
She further said, “India has undertaken some commendable measures in this area; especially the Railways Police Force is doing great work by averting trafficking.”
On being asked about her observations about Bihar, the Consul General said, “Bihar is a culturally rich and historically significant place. With world heritage sites like Nalanda and Bodhgaya, there are a lot of opportunities for people from around the world to come here and learn more about the birthplace of democracy. Places like Bihar Museum are adding to the historical significance of the state.”
Pavek inaugurates restaurant run by LGBTQI+
The Consul General of the US at Kolkata, Melinda Pavek on Friday inaugurated ‘Satrangi Dostana Restro’, a restaurant at Patna run by people from LGBTQI+ (Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex) community.
“I was invited by the NGO Dostana Safar for the inauguration of the first LGBTQI+ restaurant in Bihar. It was a wonderful opportunity as it also coincided with the Pride month observed in the US in the month of June. It was a great opportunity to support the community. This restaurant will provide employment to 40 people and act as a gallery for the LGBTQ+ people to talk about the challenges they are facing, coming up with new ideas, change social acceptance, so that their rights are more acknowledged and protected,” Pavek said.
Patna Mayor Sita Sahu, deputy mayor Reshmi Kumari, Arvind Kumar Paswan, deputy director, urban development and housing department were among the dignitaries present on the occasion. Reshma Prasad, secretary of Dostana Safar, was the moderator of the event. The status of the transgender community in the sustainable development goals was discussed on the occasion.