Among the several Indian-Americans nominated for the Biden-Harris administration are Neera Tanden, Vivek Murthy, Gautam Raghavan, Vinay Reddy, Sameera Fazili and Vedant Patel.
Sanjhi Soch Beauro –US President-elect Joe Biden is set to take office on January 20. While Kamala Harris became the first woman of Indian and African descent to win as vice president, the Harris-Biden administration has nominated several Indian-Americans in key positions in their administration.
Biden’s picks for key roles have been hailed for being culturally diverse. India has reason to be proud as many of them are of Indian descent. Several of these nominations will have to be confirmed by the US Congress to take office.Here’s a look at who’s who of Indian-Americans chose for important roles.
1. NEERA TANDEN, DIRECTOR OF WHITE HOUSE OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET
Tanden was born to immigrant Indian parents in Bedford, Massachusetts. She is the president of the progressive Center for American Progress think tank that helped create Obamacare. After being nominated, she said on Twitter, “After my parents were divorced when I was young, my mother relied on public food and housing programs to get by. Now, I’m being nominated to help ensure those programs are secure, and ensure families like mine can live with dignity. I am beyond honored.”
2. DR VIVEK MURTHY AS US SURGEON GENERAL
The 43-year-old Murthy was born in Huddersfield, Yorkshire to parents who originated from Karnataka. If elected, Murthy will be one of the people heading Biden’s Covid-19 task force. He has already been the surgeon general of the US under the Obama administration when he was confirmed for the position in December 2014. After being picked by Biden, Murthy said, “I never dreamed I’d have the honor to once again serve as Surgeon General. In this moment of crisis, I’m grateful for the opportunity to help end this pandemic, be a voice for science, and support our nation on its path to rebuilding and healing.”
Zeya is an Indian-American diplomat who had quit foreign service in 2018, to register protest against the policies of US President Donald Trump. Zeya has been the CEO of The Alliance for Peacebuilding, a collective of several organisations, to end violence and conflict in different countries. On her nomination, Zeya said, “In my 25+years as a diplomat, I learned that America’s greatest strength is the power of our example, diversity & democratic ideals. I will uphold & defend these values, if confirmed, as Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights.”
4. MALA ADIGA AS POLICY DIRECTOR TO FIRST LADY JILL BIDEN
Adiga worked with Jill Biden during the 2020 campaign to the US Presidential elections. She also worked for the Biden Foundation as director for higher education and military families. Before that, during Obama’s administration, she was deputy assistant secretary of state for academic programmes at the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and worked in the State Department’s Office of Global Women’s Issues as chief of staff and senior adviser to the ambassador-at-large. Adiga has served as Jill Biden’s senior advisor and a senior policy advisor on the Biden-Harris campaign. She is a lawyer by profession.
Adiga has roots in the Kakkunje village in Kundapur taluk of Udupi district in Karnataka. She belongs to the family of K Suryanarayana Adiga, founder of the erstwhile undivided Dakshina Kannada districts private sector Karnataka Bank Limited, and author Aravind Adiga.
