US house Panel passes Bill to promote Legacies of Gandhi and Martin L. King Jr

News: United States congressional committee has passed the Gandhi-King Scholarly Exchange Initiative Act to promote the legacies of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr.

Facts:

• Aim: To establish an exchange initiative between India and the United States to study the work and legacies of Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi.
• Components: The bill seeks to authorize the US Administration in cooperation with the Indian government to establish the following:
  • Annual Education Forum: It will include scholars from both countries to focus on the legacies of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr.
  • Professional development training initiative on conflict resolution which is based on the principles of non-violence.
  • United States-India Gandhi-King Development Foundation: It will oversee grants to private nongovernmental entities to address health priorities in India such as Tuberculosis(TB), Pollution, Water, Sanitation and Health(WASH).
  • Gandhi-King Global Academy: It will be a training initiative that will train representatives from governments, nongovernmental organizations in countries with ongoing political, social or ethnic conflict on the success of nonviolent movements, inclusion, and representation in conflict resolution among others.