People of Indian-origin in the United States have formed a new public affairs committee that has launched a nationwide awareness campaign to highlight how people of Indian-origin have been an intrinsic part of the American fabric. The campaign has been started in an effort to prevent hate crimes against the Indian community.

One of the founding members of the Indian-American Public Affairs Committee (IAPAC), Ashwani Dhall said that “There is a need to bring understanding about the people of Indian-origin and represent their interests."

Through a series of events and town halls in several cities across the United States, the committee will ask state and city governments to announce Indian-American awareness month.

According to a statement by IAPAC will organize events in San Francisco, New York, New Jersey, Chicago, Dallas and Seattle as part of the campaign. The committee wants to ensure that correct information, not rumors, on existing policies is disseminated to the people.

The purpose of the IAPAC is to spread to the world about how Indian-Americans have been an inherent part of the American fabric for more than a century, said in the statement.

"By bringing together elected officials, local and business leaders and the media, the aim is to assure the Indian-American community that incidents like the hate-crime in Kansas City are not tolerated or repeated," the statement said.

"It was heartening to hear (President Donald Trump) denounce the Kansas City incident right at the start of his address to the Congress," said Vinesh Virani, president of IAPAC. "We have hope that the current administration will work to bring everyone together."

The committee said that it is a bipartisan and grassroots organization of Indian-origin people to advocate and safeguard the Indo-American relationship and the interests of people of Indian-origin.

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