Patna, (Bihar Times): A delegation of NRIs under the banner of the American India Foundation (AIF) will be visiting Patna on January 21. The primary purpose of the visit is to see if funds could be pumped into the state for welfare works. The Bihar-bound delegation consists of NRIs who had attended the Pravasi Bhartiya meet in Delhi recently.

The AIF came into existence in 2001 and it has raised over $ 45 million ever since then. It needs to be mentioned that the visit is coming exactly a year after the three-day Global Meet held between January 19 and 21, 2007.

The Foundation  is working on projects related to health care, women empowerment, livelihood and education. It will provide computers to schools, which lacked wherewithal. It has already been funding some NGOs and has shown interest in expanding its activities in Bihar.

The delegation will be led by AIF’s president Lata Kishnan. Its executive director Pradeep Kashyap will also accompany the delegation, which will also consist of NRIs who head corporate institutions in the US like Ravi Akhaury and Ram P Tukkaram.

The delegation is expected to meet chief minister Nitish Kumar and senior state officials. It will also have an interactive session with social activists of the state.

It needs to be seen what impact this visit will have on the state. The NRI meet of 1995 and the Global Meet of last year failed to yield any desired result.