Poland bizman who helped Indians escape Ukraine among Pravasi Bharatiya awardees this year

By Ayushi Agarwal

Indore (Madhya Pradesh) [India], January 8 (ANI): The Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards-2023 is due to take place here in Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday to honour the persons of Indian origin for their outstanding achievements both in India and abroad.

Poland-based businessman Amit Kailash Chandra Lath, who helped Indian students in Ukraine during 'Operation Ganga" last year, was chosen in the field of Business/Community Welfare.

Amit Lath, also the director of the Europe-India Chamber of Commerce, Central-East Europe chapter, played a leading and outstanding role in the government's Operation Ganga mission to rescue Indians stuck in Ukraine and helped them get back home safely via Poland.

After Russian president Vladimir Putin declared a "special military operation" in Ukraine on February 24, Amit Lath emerged as a beacon for thousands of Indian students trying to escape the conflict.

In an interview with ANI, Amit Lath said that he is privileged to receive the award from the President and that the relationship between Poland and India today is at a different level.

"It is a great honour and privilege not only for our family but for the entire Indian diaspora in Poland and in Europe because the Poland-India relationship is at a different level as of now and getting this award is like making India-Poland relations much closer and much intact", said Amit Lath.

Speaking further on how he took it upon himself to coordinate between the Indian Embassy in Ukraine, Poland, and with the students for their evacuation and temporary stay, Amit said that as an Indian diaspora, we need to get into this together and so we ensured to make this more successful.

"Operation Ganga was a great initiative by the government of India. As you know on the 24th of February when it all started, the Indian government decided to evacuate Indian students and when we were in deep search of places for them to stay, the Indian embassy approached me to ask for help and to look at various options of where we can accommodate these students and after two days and three days we realized that we as an Indian diaspora need to get into this together. So, we ensured to make this more successful," he said.

"Of course, the entire Indian diaspora, a lot of business people have left their businesses and got into this operation to help and to ensure the safety of those kids back home," he added.

Speaking further on the role of the Indian diaspora in various countries, Amit said that this operation was a very good example of how the Indians living abroad play an important role in every situation.

"Operation Ganga is a very good example of how the Indian diaspora played a very active role, whether it is a crisis or anything. They don't look at it as a state. They look at it as a country. We are all together and the Indian diaspora plays a very very crucial role. And I think it is a great opportunity. Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is the place where I feel is the right platform for the global Indians to meet and to express their views," he said.

The Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award (PBSA) is the highest honour conferred on overseas Indians. The awards will be conferred by the President of India at the PBD Convention in the valedictory session of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas celebrations. The awardees represent the excellence achieved by the diaspora in various fields. (ANI)