The Sikh Council UK �is recognised as a pre-eminent democratic organisation, for representing the interest of the Sikh community in Britain and you have achieved a great deal in the short time that you have been in operation� Rt Hon Theresa May � Home Secretary
:dateline:The Sikh Council UK hosted a visit by the Home Secretary, Rt Hon Theresa May MP at their General Assembly on Saturday 5th October 2013 at Amrit Parchar Dharmik Diwan Gurdwara in Oldbury, West Midlands.
Over 200 delegates and the Board of Jathedars were present to hear the Home Secretary praise and recognize the Sikh Council Uk as a leading democratically organised and inclusive Sikh organisation in the UK.
Sikh Council UK Head of Political Engagement, Gurinder Singh Josan said, For the Sikh Council UK to be praised in such glowing terms by Theresa May MP shows the impact the Sikh Council UK is making on behalf of our affiliated member organisations, the visit by the Home Secretary is a first for the Sikh Council and is part of our �Building the Sikh Vote and Influence� programme.
Sikh Council UK Spokesman, Kulwant Singh Dhesi said, �This was a truly historic visit by such a senior Government Minister. We were particularly pleased Theresa May MP payed respects to Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji in the Gurdwara prayer hall before joining the General Assembly.�
During her visit, the Home Secretary Theresa May MP announced that the Sikh Council UK has been awarded a �60,000 grant for an outreach programme to help Panjabi�s who have arrived in the UK in the hope of a new life, only to find themselves destitute, sleeping rough or working for less than the minimum wage.
Sikh Council UK Community Safety Committee Chair, Parminder Singh Birdi said, �We have worked hard to raise awareness of the plight of destitute Panjabi�s and to seek a more sympathetic approach to assisting those who want to voluntarily return home to the Panjab. The award of this grant will enable us to build and expand on the good work many of our affiliated member Gurdwaras� are already carrying out on this issue.”
Home Secretary Theresa May MP said, �This project will help people return home with dignity and I believe it will make a real difference to those who have been cruelly exploited and need our help. I would like to thank the Sikh Council and look forward to working with them in this way.�
During her visit the Home Secretary addressed a number of issues including the issue of grooming of young girls for sexual exploitation and expressed her desire for the Sikh Council UK to work with the national task group established by government to deal with this issue.
Theresa May also outlined on going work to review �stop and searches� by Police and committed to look into cases involving the Kirpan. Other issues discussed included the proposed �3000 bond for visitors to the UK, issues faced by Gurdwaras with visas for religious workers, and human trafficking amongst other issues. Delegates raised many issues and concerns.
Sikh Council UK Secretary General, Gurmel Singh said �I was pleased that the Home Secretary not only recognised The Sikh Council as the leading pre-eminent Sikh organisation engaging with the Government but also took on board the issues raised by the delegates and more importantly wanted to work with the Sikh Council on an on-going basis.
