US President-elect Biden to induct 20 PIOs in high positions |
Just a few days ahead of his historic inauguration, US President-elect Joe Biden has either nominated or named at least 20 Indian Americans, including 13 women, to key positions in his administration. This sets a record in itself for this small ethnic community that constitutes one percent of the US population. As many as 17 of them would be part of the powerful White House complex. The January 20th inauguration, wherein Biden would be sworn in as the 46th President of the United States is already historic as for the first time ever a woman, Kamala Harris, would be sworn as the vice president of the country. Harris, 56, is also the first-ever Indian-origin and African American to be sworn in as the vice president of the United States. It is also for the first time ever that so many Indian-Americans have been roped into a presidential administration ever before the inauguration. Biden is still quite far away from filling all the positions in his administration. Topping the list is Neera Tanden, who has been nominated as Director of the White House Office of Management and Budget and Dr Vivek Murthy, who has been nominated as the US Surgeon General. The list further includes Vanita Gupta as Associate Attorney General Department of Justice, Uzra Zeya as the Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights. During the campaign, Biden had indicated that he would rope in a large number of Indian Americans. Biden in his address to the Indian-American community during a virtual celebration of India`s Independence Day on August 15, 2020, had said, As President, I`ll also continue to rely on the Indian-American diaspora that keeps our two nations together, as I have throughout my career.
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