FIA hosts farewell for Indian Consulate’s Visa Officer Vijay Shankar Prasad

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The Indian Consulate in New York’s Consul (Visa & Attestation) Vijay Shankar Prasad, was recently given a warm farewell by Federation of Indian Associations, “to honor his exemplary service during his tenure in New York,” a press release from FIA said.

Held at the Akbar Restaurant in Edison, New Jersey, the event was attended by prominent Indian American community leaders, organizers said.

Present at the occasion were FIA Chairman Ankur Vaidya, TV ASIA Chairman H.R. Shah, Past President of FIA and Chairman of the Bihar Association Alok Kumar, FIA’s Executive Vice President Dr. Avinash Gupta, Jt. Vice President Smita Miki Patel, General Secretary Nishi Dhami, Past President and Member of the Board of Trustees Srujal Parikh, Bipin Patel, Jayesh Patel, Dipak Patel, and Kanubhai Chauhan.

Vaidya lauded Prasad and his team for their work during the COVID lockdown, when the Indian Consulate in New York was the only place in United States where emergency visas were issued, and especially the role they played during the Government of India’s Vande Bharat, initiative launched in May 2020 to repatriate Indian citizens stranded abroad due to the COVID-19 pandemic. During the height of the pandemic, Prasad was available in person at the airport for granting visas to travelers while sacrificing and risking his safety, Vaidya noted.

Alok Kumar said it is important to acknowledge the sacrifices and risks that the NY Consulate team, including Vijay Shankar, took during the pandemic to ensure that critical services to needy travelers continued.

The FIA has worked closely with the Indian Consulate and the press release noted how complimentary consular services were provided by the NY Indian Consulate and how Prasad and his team traveled on most weekends to all ten states that the Indian Consulate in New York covers on the East Coast to ensure that the communities there got services at their doorstep.