India: Indian Origined U.S. Businessman receives Pravasi Bharatiya Samman award

India: Pravasi Bharatiya Samman award, the highest honour conferred by the Indian government on NRIs and PIOs, went to Darshan Singh Dhaliwal, an American businessman of Indian origin who owned more than 100 gas stations across six states in The U.S.

Dhaliwal was deported from Delhi airport for providing protestors with food and necessary supplies during the protest organised by farmers of Punjab in opposition to the new agriculture laws imposed by the Indian government in 2021; now he has been recognised with the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman award.

During the 17th edition of Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas, held in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, on Tuesday, President Droupadi Murmu presented the award to Dhaliwal. In the US, Dhaliwal resides in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He received recognition for his contributions to local welfare and business.

Former Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal wrote a note to Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking him to personally manage the situation after Dhaliwal was refused to enter India.

Dhaliwal responded that Prime Minister Modi personally spoke to him when he was invited to join a Sikh delegation in April 2022. He was deported in 2021 for organising langar and supporting the farmers’ protest, and the Modi government decided to felicitate him in April 2022.

In front of 150 people, Dhaliwal said Prime Minister Modi apologised to him for being deported at the Delhi airport. Furthermore, he applauded Dhaliwal for agreeing to their invitation and coming back to India in April 2022.

Dhaliwal emphasised, “Things Changed; they didn’t remain the same”, in response to why he had previously been denied entry to the nation but had since been awarded the highest accolade. Because this was what his religion taught him to do, he provided food to the protesters. I was putting up Lungar (Food), a part of my religion, neither in opposition to nor in favour of the laws, claimed Dhaliwal.

Additionally, he brought up the 2005 Tamilnadu floods, during which Dhaliwal returned to India. He began residing in the U.S. in 1972. Dhaliwal said he had spent his entire life working in social services. He left Punjab aboard a train loaded with supplies and spent two months in Tamil Nadu aiding the region’s flood-affected residents.

Dhaliwal also expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Modi and Indian President Draupadi Murmu for granting him the highest honour, describing it as one of his most memorable experiences. He thanked PM Modi for his efforts to assist Punjabi farmers.

The Indian government has developed a number of programmes that provide financial gain support to all farmers, regardless of the size of their land holdings susceptible to the exclusion issue, showing how seriously they are taking the development of agriculture in Punjab.