Donald Trump signs into law Gandhi-King Scholarly Exchange Initiative

Donald Trump signs into law Gandhi-King Scholarly Exchange Initiative

Subject : International Relations

Context : American Congressman and civil rights leader John Lewis  recently  introduced a Bill in the US House of Representatives that aims to promote the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Junior.

Concept :

• The House Bill (HR 5517) has been moved to mark the 150th birth anniversary of Gandhi and affirms the friendship between the US and India.
• Lewis had introduced a similar Bill (HR 3056) in 2011. It was called the, “Gandhi-King Scholarly Exchange Initiative Act of 2011” and it focussed on using peaceful and non-violent methods in global conflict resolution.

Purpose:

• The aim of this Bill is to affirm the friendships of the governments of the US and India and to establish a bilateral partnership, “for collaboration to advance development and shared values, and for other purposes”.
• The Bill also proposes the establishment of a Gandhi-King Scholarly Exchange initiative with an allocation of over million for five years until 2025.
• It also authorises USD 2 million for just FY 2021 for the Gandhi-King Global Academy, and USD30 million for 2021 for the US-India Gandhi-King Development Foundation.
• The new law also authorises the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to establish a US-India development foundation that would leverage the Indian private sector to address development priorities in India.

Who is John Lewis?

• In 1963, Lewis was 23-years-old when he was being dubbed one of the Big Six leaders of the Civil Rights Movement, during the years when the movement had reached its peak.
• He decided to become a part of the Civil Rights Movement and since then has been a proponent of progressive social movements and a crucial defender of human rights in the US.