The Indian Panorama

Tag: Scott M. Stringer

  • Association of Indians in America (AIA) Executive Committee 2017-18 Inaugurated

    Association of Indians in America (AIA) Executive Committee 2017-18 Inaugurated

    A former IALI President Gobind Munjal is sworn in as President

    The Association of Indians in America (AIA), New York Chapter held an Inauguration / Oath Ceremony of the Newly Elected 2017-2018 Executive Committee at the Consulate General of India here.

    Presidents all. Past presidents of AIA. Also seen areConsul General Riva Ganguly Das (5th from right), and Regional Manager of Air India Vandana Sharma (6th from right).
    Presidents all. Past presidents of AIA. Also seen areConsul General Riva Ganguly Das (5th from right), and Regional Manager of Air India Vandana Sharma (6th from right).

    The ceremony was attended by the Chief Guest Consul General of India, Ambassador Riva Ganguly Das, Deputy Consul General Dr. Mohapatra, NYC Comptroller Mr. Scott Stringer, Manhattan Borough President Mrs. Gale Brewer, Past Presidents of AIA National & Chapter Presidents, community leaders, Media and prominent guests from tristate area.

    Ceremony was invoked with the Ganesh Vandana performed by Melana Krishna ofNritya Saagaram Dance Academy and an energizing performance by students of Nartan Rang Dance Academy of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, after the renditions of national anthems of USA and India by Gita Setia, ITV Host.

    Immediate Past President Mr Sunil Modi, introduced by Asmita Bhatia, talked about accomplishments of his 4-year Presidency. Mr. Modi expressed his full confidence that AIA’s future under the new leadership of Mr Gobind Munjal is bright and that the NY Chapter will further flourish.

    The Newly Elected President Gobind Munjal and the following Executive Committee was sworn in:

    President: Gobind Munjal; Vice Presidents: Harish Thakkar, Dr Bal Gilja, Gitanjli Anand, Dr Jagdish GuptaMembers-At-Large: Gobind Bathija, Asmita Bhatia, Vinod Chand, Indu Gajwani, Jyoti Gupta, Usha Kapoor, Beena Kothari, Deepika Modi, Sudeep Jay Modi, Beenu Sabharwal, Nina Sahani, Shyam Gajwani, Divya Shah, Pushpa Shah, Avinash Suri, Hargovind Gupta, Anita Thakkar, Swati Vaishnav

    The Executive Committee members with New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer (holding a commendation)
    The Executive Committee members with New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer (holding a commendation)

    NYC Comptroller, Mr. Scott Stringer saluted contributions of the Indian Immigrant community to the City of New York, and emphasised the importance of the diversity, while presenting the commendation certificate to AIA. Manhattan Borough President Mrs. Gail Brewer, a long-term friend of AIA, congratulated the team, and reinforced her support to the Indian community, citing examples of her support for the suspension of parking during Deepavali.

    AIA National President Dr. Shashi Shah proudly shared AIA’s achievement such as obtaining the minority status and the inclusion in the census.

    Mr. Munjal laid down his vision for expanding the youth programs and stressed the need for membership drive for the youths and get them involved. He expressed his commitment to upholding AIA’s objective of “Indian Heritage, American Commitment” thru expanded program such as Desi Next, a forum for the younger generation, commitment to local Philanthropic projects to serve the Indian community, in addition to the continued commitment to Deepavali Festival. AIA proudly celebrates its 50th year, and the program concluded with a vote of thanks by the Secretary Mr. Vimal Goyal.

    The new President Gobind Munjal has for long been associated with many social and cultural organizations. He has been President of India Association of Long Island (IALI), a 39 year old organization of over 2,000 members and he successfully led a highly successful India Fest attended by an overwhelming crowd of over 10,000 people, which showcased the rich Indian Culture & traditions, Arts & Crafts, Fashion shows, Shopping, Mehndi, children games, and food stalls with different types of Indian cuisine.

    In 2012, As Convener of the very first highly successful India Day Parade in Hicksville, Long Island, he raised substantial funds and help in bringing all the community based organizations together.

    In 2014, as Chairman of the IALI India Center Committee, Mr. Munjal achieved the goal of owning the IALI India Center, a long-cherished dream of the Indian Community.

    His spirit and passion for community service is never ending. He has been involved in various organizations; as a Secretary of the GOPIO, LI Chapter and Co-Chairperson of Indian American Night, which started Kite Festival. He has also been helping almost all other organizations like RANA, NFIA, India Home, Vegetarian Vision, etc. in whatever way he can.

    The Indian Panorama sought views of Mr. Munjal on a couple of issues. We are glad he was good enough to respond promptly.

    Here are the questions and their answers.

    • What is your future Vision?

    Mr. Munjal: My vision is to expand the youth programs and to stress the need for membership drive for the youths and get them involved. Desi Next has been launched to provide platform for the young Adults encouragement. He expressed his expanded program such as Desi Next, a forum for the younger generation, commitment to various local Philanthropic projects to serve the Indian community, the Children Diwali program in schools & Museums, recognition of Diwali holiday in Public Schools, in addition to the continued commitment to Deepavali Festival celebrations at the Iconic South Street Seaport in Manhattan.

    • At the moment, AIA is known more for its cultural work of organizing the signature Diwali Mela. What will you do to make AIA socially more relevant?

    Mr. Munjal: We are planning to add a few socially active programs like networking events, senior health information related seminars and TV interviews on latest community related topics of common interest to increase awareness, picnic and cruises etc. We would also look into helping in any way we can for the senior adult housing.

    • Any plans to make it a political arm of the community, because all around we hear of ‘get involved’ and ’empower’ yourself.

    Mr. Munjal: Although we are not a political organization, but we will try to bring the issues of the Indian Community to the forefront, especially issues of hate crime and discrimination etc. and help in any way we can to increase awareness and write to the appropriate authorities to take the strict steps to stop discrimination and the nonsense killings of the innocent people

    About AIA

    The New York Chapter of AIA was established in 1968 and is well known for its social, cultural and educational activities. Among its various activities, celebrating Diwali at South Street Seaport in New York City has become one of its major functions since 1987. AIA organizes Diwali celebrations on a grand scale, where more than 100,000 New Yorkers from all walks of life turn up to watch the splendor and glory of a showcase of Indian culture, arts and crafts, jewelry, Indian traditional clothes and a taste of Indian dishes from various regions of India. Political Dignitaries, senators, members of US Congress and Indian Diplomats are invited as Guest of honor at this function to promote better understanding between US and India. Topping it all, the program closes with a spectacular display of fireworks in the east river leading to a grand finale, watched by over a million New Yorkers.

  • Comptroller Stringer Debars Contractor that Cheated Immigrant Workers out of $1.7 million in Prevailing Wages and Benefits

    Comptroller Stringer Debars Contractor that Cheated Immigrant Workers out of $1.7 million in Prevailing Wages and Benefits

    (New York, NY) – New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer today assessed $3.2 million in fines against K.S. Contracting Corporation and its owner, Paresh Shah, for cheating dozens of workers out of the prevailing wages and benefits they were owed under the New York State Labor Law. In addition to being assessed $3.2 million in unpaid wages, interest, and civil penalties, K.S Contracting and Mr. Shah will be barred from working on New York City and State contracts for five years.

    K.S. Contracting was named as one of the worst wage theft violators in New York in a report by the Center for Popular Democracy in 2015.

    “With President Trump taking clear aim at immigrants across the country, we need to stand up and protect the foreign-born New Yorkers who keep our City running. Every New Yorker has rights, and my office won’t back down in defending them,” New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer said. “Contractors might think they can take advantage of immigrants, but today we’re sending a strong message: my office will fight for every worker in New York City. This is about basic fairness and accountability.”

    K.S. Contracting was awarded more than $21 million in contracts by the City Departments of Design and Construction, Parks and Recreation, and Sanitation between 2007 and 2010. Projects included the Morrisania Health Center in the Bronx, the 122 Community Center in Manhattan, the Barbara S. Kleinman Men’s Residence in Brooklyn, the North Infirmary Command Building on Rikers Island, Bronx River Park, the District 15 Sanitation Garage in Brooklyn, and various City sidewalks in Queens.

    The Comptroller’s Office began investigating the company after an employee filed a complaint with the office in May 2010. The multi-year investigation used subpoenas, video evidence, union records, and City agency data to uncover a kickback scheme that preyed on immigrant workers.

    After a four-day administrative trial in May 2016, the Comptroller found that K.S. Contracting routinely issued paychecks to just half of its workforce and then required those employees to cash the checks and surrender the money to company supervisors. Those supervisors would then redistribute the cash to all of the employees on a jobsite, paying them at rates significantly below prevailing wages. K.S. Contracting, however, falsely reported to City agencies that all employees on the jobsite who received checks were paid the prevailing wage.

    Between August 2008 and November 2011, the company cheated at least 36 workers out of $1.7 million in wages and benefits on seven New York City public works projects. K.S. Contracting reported that it paid its workers combined wage and benefit rates starting at $50 per hour but actually paid daily cash salaries starting at $90 per day. The majority of the workers impacted were immigrants of Latino, South Asian, or West Indian descent.

    The New York City Comptroller’s office enforces state and local laws which require private contractors working on New York City public works projects or those with service contracts with City agencies to pay no less than the prevailing wage or living wage rate to their employees.


    When workers are underpaid, the New York City Comptroller’s office works to recoup the amount of the underpayment plus interest.

    Examples of Paysheets Used by K.S. Contracting
    https://gallery.mailchimp.com/bf606302e0aec6b092c87b850/images/f4826601-549b-4809-8a26-16fe4084040d.png

    https://gallery.mailchimp.com/bf606302e0aec6b092c87b850/images/9156f4d5-3926-4145-892f-5c399adaaf17.png
    https://gallery.mailchimp.com/bf606302e0aec6b092c87b850/images/5eb1841c-56b9-4363-b17c-9d47fba13364.pngSince taking office in 2014, Comptroller Scott M. Stringer’s Bureau of Labor Law has assessed over $20 million and barred 40 contractors from state and City contracts due to prevailing wage violations, both record amounts. The assessed violation number includes underpayment of wages and benefits with interest payable to workers, and civil penalties payable to the City treasury.

    “We applaud the Comptroller for standing up for the rights of immigrant workers and debarring bad actors like K.S. Contracting – a company identified by the Center for Popular Democracy as one of the worst violators of wage theft laws in New York. The Comptroller’s aggressive enforcement of prevailing wage law is a perfect example of what is needed to effectively combat wage theft throughout the city and state,” said Kate Hamaji, Center for Popular Democracy.

    “We commend Comptroller Stringer for defending the rights of immigrant workers and ensure that they receive the wages and benefits that they deserve,” said Steven Choi, executive director of the New York Immigration Coalition. “In a time when immigrant communities are worried for their future in this country, it is essential that we have strong city advocates who will ensure that their rights are protected.”

    “At a time when exploitative employers are feeling increasingly emboldened by Trump’s hateful rhetoric, it is imperative that our City’s leaders are taking a strong stance in defense of immigrant workers. Wage theft is a persistent and pervasive problem in New York, with employers like Paresh Shah cheating their immigrant workers out of millions of dollars in lawful wages and benefits each year. We commend the Comptroller for fighting to recuperate wages for the workers at KS Contracting and for showing employers like Paresh Shah that their behavior will not be tolerated by the City of New York,” said Deborah Axt, Executive Director, Make the Road New York.

    “I want to thank New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer for taking the lead in fighting wage theft. Unfortunately wage theft is a crime that is running rampart throughout the construction industry. Hard working men and women, who expect nothing more than a fair day’s pay for a fair’s day’s work are constantly seeing their hard earned wages stolen by dishonest, criminal employers. By debarring KS Contracting for five years, Comptroller Stringer and his office have sent a message loud and clear – stealing workers’ wages will not be tolerated in New York.” said Robert Bonanza, Business Manager, Mason Tenders District Council of Greater New York, LiUNA!.

    “I would like to thank Comptroller Stringer and his team in the Bureau of Labor Law for bringing justice to the workers at K.S. Contracting. Unfortunately the Comptroller’s task is made more difficult by the fact that many City agencies do not put top priority on monitoring projects for labor violations. Too many employers in New York City exploit minority and immigrant workers. And it’s no secret that many immigrant workers are fearful of retaliation for standing up for their rights, especially in an environment where they are afraid of being deported. This undercuts labor standards for all workers, and safe, educated workers are our City’s most valuable resource. We need more responsible and proactive leaders like Comptroller Stringer to protect that resource,” said Lowell Barton, Vice President/Organizing Director, Laborers Local 1010, LiUNA!.

    “In a city where diversity is our greatest strength, we will not let anyone target our immigrant workers for abuse. Undermining labor standards for immigrants it’s an attack on all workers. I commend Comptroller Stringer for standing up for immigrant workers and against wage theft at a time when our immigrant communities are under attack,” said Renata Pumarol, Communications Director, New York Communities for Change.

    “We at the Alliance of South Asian American Labor (ASAAL) are extremely conscious of the rights of every human being who lives in this great nation no matter what their immigration status. Many hard working individuals are taken advantage of by unscrupulous employers. We greatly applaud Comptroller Scott Stringer’s aggressive approach to combat wage theft violations and in this way protect the rights of all workers. I applaud his historic record of debarring 40 contractors since taking office and assessing over $20 million in prevailing wage violations, including today’s order against K.S. Contracting,” said Maf Misbah Uddin, ASAAL National President.

    To read more about how the Comptroller’s Office sets and enforces prevailing wage and benefit rates on New York City public works projects, please click here.

  • New York City’s Economy shows fastest growth in nearly a year

    New York City’s Economy shows fastest growth in nearly a year

    NYC Growth Expected to Top National Rate in 2014, but Unemployment Remains Flat

    NEW YORK, NY (TIP):
    New York City’s economy grew more than three percent in the second quarter because of robust job growth and higher personal income, New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer found in his quarterly update on the City’s vital economic stats released today. The City’s Real Gross City Product (GCP) grew an estimated 3.1 percent and represented an estimated four percent of the nation’s total economic output.

    “As the weather heated up, so did the City’s economy,” said Comptroller Stringer. “Across the board the City has outperformed previous quarters. While unemployment remains stuck at 7.9 percent, the economy has added tens of thousands of jobs in the private sector, pointing to a firmer labor market, stronger tax revenues and a more stable economy.

    The “New York City Quarterly Economic Update” analysis summarizes economic results for the second quarter of 2014, including GCP, job growth, income growth, unemployment rates and inflation, among others. Findings include:

    ● The City’s private sector added 22,400 payroll jobs. Except for two quarters, the City’s private-sector job base has grown faster than the nation’s for the past eight years.
    ● Both New York City total jobs and private-sector jobs were up by 6.5 percent and 8.4 percent respectively, since August 2008 -the previous peak. The most significant gains this quarter were in leisure and hospitality and education and health services.
    ● The unemployment rate in the City stayed at 7.9 percent, the same as the previous quarter. This rate is deceiving however, as the City’s labor force increased by 37,100 in the second quarter – the largest increase in over 12 years as a result of more people reentering the labor force.
    ● Personal income tax withheld rose 6.6 percent in the second quarter to about $1.6 billion indicating positive income trends, job growth, salary increases and late bonuses.
    ● Shoppers woke up from their winter slumber, with general sales tax collections rising 5.2 percent to $1.7 billion.
    ● Transit ridership remained steady, with 1.5 percent more straphangers on New York City subways in April and May. Ridership fell 3.3 percent on buses, but the Long Island Railroad saw ridership gains of 4.3 percent.
    ● Manhattan apartment sales climbed 6.3 percent higher than the same time last year – up to 3,342. The Brooklyn housing market also continued to do well, though the Queens’ median sale price dipped 9 percent, while the number of sales fell 3.6 percent.
    ● The tourism industry is booming – with Manhattan hotel occupancy at 93.2 percent, the highest quarterly rate since records became available.
    ● Broadway also continued its showstopping year with ticket sales up 21.7 percent in the second quarter of 2014 and total attendance rising 21.7 percent during that same period. “We must remember these are not the boom-town years of the late 1990s or of the credit bubble years. There is mounting evidence that the national and local economies have settled into a prolonged period of steady but modest growth,” Comptroller Stringer said.

  • NYC Comptroller urges raising minimum wage to $13.13 per hour

    NYC Comptroller urges raising minimum wage to $13.13 per hour

    OVER ONE MILLION NEW YORK CITY RESIDENTS WOULD SEE WAGES RISE BY $100 A WEEK

    NEW YORK CITY (TIP): Raising the minimum wage to $13.13 in New York City would benefit nearly 1.2 million City residents by an average of $100 a week, according to an analysis released June 16, by Comptroller Scott M. Stringer. “New York City deserves the ability to set its own minimum wage,” Comptroller Stringer said. “We are falling behind other states and cities when it comes to the minimum wage, despite the fact that this is the most expensive city in which to live in the nation.

    There is no one size fits all when it comes to the minimum wage; raising it to $13.13 would make an enormous difference for more than one million New York City residents.” Currently, New York State’s minimum wage is $8.00/hour, and is set to rise to $8.75/hour in 2015 and $9.00/hour in 2016. These small increases are not sufficient to make a substantial impact on the lives of lowwage workers.

    Comptroller Stringer supports a State bill co-sponsored by Assemblymember Carl Heastie/Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and State Senator Adriano Espaillat/Senate Minority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins (A8343A/S6518A) which would raise the minimum wage in New York State to $10.10/hour by December 31, 2015 and allow cities and counties to establish local minimum wages of up to 30% above the state minimum, or $13.13. This local flexibility is particularly important for New York City, where the cost of living is 80% higher than in Buffalo, 70% higher than in Rochester, and 60% higher than in Albany. Not only is New York City’s cost of living the highest in the State, it is also the highest in the country.

    Because of this, low-wage workers rely on public programs to subsidize their incomes. The Comptroller’s estimate shows the greatest number of beneficiaries of a raised minimum wage would be in Brooklyn, with 376,000 people seeing a raise in their wages, followed by 348,000 in Queens, 220,000 in the Bronx, 194,000 in Manhattan and 31,000 on Staten Island. When adjusted for cost-of-living, the City’s current minimum wage is the lowest of any major city in the nation.

    Many cities across the country have recently increased their municipal minimum wages, helping millions of working families in the process. San Francisco’s is $10.74; San Jose’s is $10.15; Santa Fe’s is $10.51; and Washington D.C.’s is set to rise to $11.50 by 2016. And just this month, Seattle enacted the nation’s highest minimum wage of $15.00/hour. Many states have also hiked their minimum wages in recent months.

    In March, Connecticut enacted an increase up to $10.10/hour and in May, Maryland followed suit. In addition, Vermont enacted a $10.50/hour wage and the Massachusetts Senate voted to raise the Commonwealth’s minimum wage to $11 by 2017. “New York City should be a leader, not a follower, when it comes to raising the minimum wage. The time has come for the Big Apple to pay its workers a wage that works for employees and employers,” Stringer said.

  • January, the month of Inaugurations

    January, the month of Inaugurations

    NEW YORK (TIP): November, 2013 was a month of elections. December, 2013 was a month of celebrations. And January 2014 is a month of Inaugurations. The Indian Panorama brings alive for our readers some of the more important inaugurations that took place in the first week of January.

    Inauguration of Bill de Blasio as Mayor of New York City
    Bill de Blasio was elected 109th Mayor of New York City in November elections. In his landslide victory, he defeated his Republican rival Joe Lhota by a colossal margin. Blasio was earlier Public Advocate of New York. In the beginning of the race for a Democratic nomination, he was considered an underdog, trailing almost behind everyone (there were three other contenders) but he came on top.


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    Early on in his campaign he established a huge lead over his Republican rival who was no match for him. In his inauguration speech , January 1, in front of City Hall, Bill de Blasio laid out a mayoralty that emphasized social and economic justice. Also inaugurated were Letitia James as Public Advocate and Scott M. Stringer as City Comptroller. Letitia has been a Councilwoman while Scott has been the Manhattan borough president.