India Association of Minnesota has been working with legislators from the Minnesota State House and Senate on a bill to designate August 15th as India Day. The bill recognizes the contributions of Indian Americans in Minnesota and provides an opportunity to celebrate the rich culture, heritage and traditions of Minnesotans of Indian American ancestry. Each year, the Governor would issue a proclamation honoring the observance and encouraging Minnesotans to take the opportunity to learn about and appreciate the Indian American community and their contributions to Minnesota.

The bill was heard at the House Government Operations Committee last year and at the Senate Finance and Policy and Elections Committee this year, but has not progressed through the next steps due to the focus on budget related affaPratt, John Hoffman, Steve Cwodzinski, Foung Hawj & Warren Limmer for authoring the bill and advancing it through the Senate committee.

IAM will continue to work with legislators, partner organizations and community members to advocate for the passage of this bill in the 2022 legislative session. We encourage our community members to read the 2020 House version and 2021 senate version and look for additional details, guidance and advocacy tools to be published soon on our website and social media. We will also discuss a coordinated effort on this bill with our partner organizations at the Connect India event.