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NORTH AMERICAN Newsline JUNE 23, 2023 | The Indian Eye 22

Rep. Meng Issues statement on NY State Legislature

passing Lunar New Year and Diwali Holiday Bills

OUR BUREAU li so their importance will be recognized across
our country.
QUEENS, NY
.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-Queens), First The New York State Legislature’s approval
Vice Chair of the Congressional Asian Pa-
Ucific American Caucus, has issued the state- of these two measures is a wonderful re-
ment below following the passage of the Lunar minder and celebration of the great diversi-
New Year and Diwali holiday bills in the New York
State Legislature. ty that exists in our state, and underscores
“I applaud the State Legislature for passing how this diversity should be reflected in
the Lunar New Year and Diwali holiday bills,
and I am proud of the work that I have done to the holidays observed by our residents.
push these efforts along in my home state. I led
the Lunar New Year bill in 2009 when I served in “As we commemorate this moment, I will
the State Assembly, helping to make Lunar New continue shepherding my bills through Congress
Year a school holiday in New York City, and for that seek to ensure our federal holidays are days
years, I have urged that schools also be closed that are important to our communities of color.
for Diwali. I have continued that fight in Con- I am excited over the momentum and support
gress where I’ve authored legislation to create that we continue to see for these two celebra-
federal holidays for Lunar New Year and Diwa- tions,” she said.

Dr. Amit Samarth Cycles Coast to Coast in

‘Race Against Hunger’ for Akshaya Patra

OUR BUREAU
Oceanside, CA
kshaya Patra Foundation
USA has announced Dr. Amit
ASamarth’s Race against Hun-
ger at RAAM 2023. Dr. Samarth, a re-
nowned cyclist, and Ironman athlete,
has achieved remarkable milestones
in the international sports arena. He
gained recognition as the first Indian
rookie to conquer the challenging
Race Across America (RAAM) in
2017 and successfully completed the
unprecedented Red Bull Trans-Sibe-
rian Extreme, a 9,100 km stage race,
in 2018, a feat no Indian or Asian had
ever attempted before.
Within India, Dr. Samarth holds
multiple world records. In Febru-
ary 2021, he set a Guinness World
Record by completing the 6000 km
Golden Quadrilateral of India in 13 partner dedicated to providing mid- According to Dr. Samarth,” The
days and 9 hours. His recent achieve- day meals to 2 million underprivi- race must achieve a higher purpose,
ment includes the Race Across India leged children in classrooms in India and I race for the children of India
in March 2023, where he covered the daily. On 13th June, RAAM 2023, and their education”
entire stretch from the north to the he started racing against time while Akshaya Patra Foundation
south of India in 6 days, 23 hours, and raising funds for the “Race Against USA, a global leader in providing
39 minutes, making him the fastest cy- Hunger - A Mile, A Child chal- hot, unlimited mid-day meals to
clist in the history of Indian sports. lenge,” inviting individuals to donate over 2 million children every day
Dr. Samarth actively raises funds $20 per mile to provide meals for a in 22,000+ schools across 15 States
for Akshaya Patra USA, a charity child throughout the year. and 2 Union Territories in India.

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