Sikh elected mayor of California city
Indian-American businessman Harry Singh Sidhu has been elected as mayor of Anaheim, one of the largest cities in the state of California.
Sidhu, who served as member of the Anaheim City Council for eight years from 2002 to 2012, defeated Ashleigh Aitken in the November 6 mid-term elections. He would be the first Sikh mayor of the city.
“I am honoured and thrilled to lead the charge in unifying our city once again,” said Sidhu after his electoral victory.
Born in India, Sidhu moved to the US along with his parents in 1974 as a permanent resident and settled in Philadelphia.
Once sworn in, mayor-elect Sidhu will be one of the few Sikh mayors in the US, which includes mayor Ravinder Singh Bhalla of Hoboken and mayor Preet Didbal of Yuba City.
“It is incredibly exciting to see Sidhu, a Sikh, become mayor of such a large and diverse city. I look forward to engaging with him on issues that impact Sikhs in Anaheim, and the larger Orange County region,” said Jas Sajjan, director of public policy for the National Sikh Campaign.
Two hundred and thirty-two One Stop Centres (OSCs) intended to support women affected by violence, proposed under the Nirbhaya Fund, have been set up till date under the scheme since April 2015.
The government plans to set them up in all districts of the country, officials familiar with the development, said.
Establishment of the OSCs was a key component of the Nirbhaya Fund. OSCs facilitate services like police assistance, psycho-social counselling and provide temporary stay for five days for violence-hit women.
“We are trying to ensure that we set up OSCs in all 718 districts in the country. Right now, 232 have been established and 536 are approved to be set up. ANISHA DUTTA