NRI takes up cudgels against addiction
Saturday, July 02, 2011http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/NRI-takes-up-cudgels-against-addiction/articleshow/9093765.cms
Gurminder Singh Thind, who has been making all out efforts to turn his nondescript Bishangarh village into a model one, has now set up a social group against drug addiction. Thind, a British NRI, has pumped in more than two and half crore for village development in the last few years. Thind, who retired as mechanical engineer, has constructed a school and has set up a water treatment and sewerage plant.
Now, 50-year-old Thind, who retired from the British Airways as fleet maintenance engineer, has set up a social group "Change India" to involve himself totally in the social sector. "The group has been set up to make people aware of it, environmental degradation, taking care of sanitation", said Thind.
Thind had migrated to England at the tender age of 11 when he was studying in class 4. Earlier, a year ago his father subedar major (retired from Indian army) shifted to England. Gurminder studied mechanical engineering and worked for about 30 years, lastly with British Airways. Though, he remained abroad but never lost contact with his village and kept visiting it, every time with some project and cash in hand, said villager Jarnail Singh Bishangarh.
Gurminder said, after migrating to England his love for the motherland increased and he thought of doing something for the place to return into the debt of motherland. He said Change India has associated local people, philanthropist Parveen Bhardwaj from Chandigarh and now his mission is to work for the area till his last breath along with taking care of his family back home in London. He said seeing ailments with the likes of Hepatitis C spreading its tentacles in villages, he has decided to indulge in cleanliness and water treatment plant is first such endeavour.
Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda's brother Inder Singh AICC member Gulchain Singh Charak appreciating the efforts being made single-handedly by Gurminder to turn the place into a model village, said Gurminder.
