First Asian American Affairs Commission: Nebraska Governor Appoints Two Indian Americans

June 20 :
Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen has announced the selection of the first members of the state's Commission on Asian American Affairs.
Two Indian Americans, Dr. Deepak M. Gangahar and Arunkumar Pondicherry, are among the thirteen members. The governor, Pillen, spoke highly of this panel, saying it will do great work advocating for Asian Americans' rights and well-being in the state. The 14-person commission will soon have its last member selected.

The committee benefits from Gangahar's vast medical background; he is a thoracic surgeon from Elkhorn. His affiliations include Lincoln Surgical Hospital and CHI Health Nebraska Heart. He has been practicing medicine for almost twenty years and received his medical degree from a government medical college in Punjab, India. The commission's efforts to address challenges within Nebraska's Asian-American community have been enhanced by the appointment of prominent individuals.

Nebraska Library Commission member and Lincoln native Arunkumar Pondicherry is also president of the India Association of Lincoln. Improving the needs of the community is his primary goal as he joins the commission.

In April, state lawmakers unanimously approved LB1300, which established the Commission on Asian American Affairs. Similar to the state committees that deal with Latino-American, African-American, and Indian affairs, this commission was also formed to reflect those communities.

The law, passed in Legislative Bill 1300, states that the commission's purpose is to bring together Asian American representatives in Nebraska to do whatever the commission thinks is necessary to advance the cause of Asian American rights and find solutions to issues that all Asian Americans in Nebraska face.

The purpose of the commission's quarterly meetings is to coordinate efforts aimed at helping the Asian-American community in Nebraska. In exchange for their four years of duty, members will get compensation for expenditures incurred while serving and $50 per diem.
Maureen Brase, Weysan Dun, Maorong Jiang, Tram Kieu, Joanne Li, Yunwoo Nam, Rebecca Reinhardt, Ryo Suzuki, Hiep Vu, and Carol Wang are among the other appointees.