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Concluding his remarks, Chahal stated that any public institution that cannot demonstrate relevance, efficiency, and outcomes must either undergo serious structural reform or be dissolved altogether
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For the NRI Sabha to regain credibility, accountability and meaningful action must precede any electoral exercise
PRAVASISAMWAD.COM
The functioning and relevance of the NRI Sabha have come under sharp criticism from the North American Punjabi Association (NAPA), which has described the body as a “white elephant” that has failed to live up to its stated objectives. NAPA’s Executive Director, Satnam Singh Chahal, has questioned the very purpose of the Sabha, arguing that it has neither delivered tangible outcomes nor addressed the genuine concerns of the global Punjabi diaspora.
The NRI Sabha was originally conceived as a bridge between the Punjab government and non-resident Punjabis spread across the world. However, according to NAPA, the institution has remained largely symbolic and disconnected from the real challenges faced by NRIs. Issues such as property and land disputes, fraudulent transactions, harassment by local officials, and the lack of an effective grievance redressal mechanism continue to trouble overseas Punjabis, with little or no visible intervention from the Sabha.
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According to NAPA, the Sabha has gradually turned into a platform for political patronage and honorary positions, rather than functioning as an institution focused on service delivery
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Chahal noted that a large section of the NRI community is unaware of the Sabha’s mandate, structure, or role, which reflects its failure to engage with the very constituency it claims to represent
Chahal has strongly opposed calls for fresh elections to the NRI Sabha without first placing its past performance in the public domain. He argued that elections without accountability serve no meaningful purpose and merely create an illusion of activity. NRIs, he said, have a right to know how much public money has been spent on the Sabha, what concrete achievements it can claim, and how many genuine cases involving NRI grievances have been resolved during its tenure.
NAPA has called upon the Punjab government and the NRI Sabha leadership to immediately release a comprehensive performance and audit report. This report, Chahal said, should include details of grievances received and resolved, financial expenditures, policy recommendations made to the government, and the measurable impact of those recommendations. Without such transparency, he warned, proceeding with elections would only deepen mistrust among NRIs and reinforce the perception that the Sabha exists only on paper.
