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www.newsindiatimes.com – that’s all you need to know News India Times (July 11, 2026 - July 17, 2026) July 17, 2026 18 India Community California Governor Appoints Indian American, And Another South Asian, To Housing And Homelessness Agency C alifornia Governor Gavin Newsom recently appointed Vishesh Anand, of Los Angeles, as Senior Advisor at the California Housing and Homelessness Agency. Another South Asian American, M. DhakshikeWickrema, possibly of Sri Lankan origin, was among the slew of appointments announced June 30, for the Agency. Anand has been Senior Advisor at the California Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency since 2025. Prior to that He was Deputy Director of Special Proj- ects at the Office of California Governor in 2025, where he was Deputy Regional Director of External Affairs from 2022 to 2025, a press release from the Governor’s office said. Anand was a Public Engagement Deputy for Inter- governmental and Legislative Affairs at the Office of Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti from 2021 to 2022. He was a Field Deputy at the Office of Los Angeles City Councilmember Mike Bonin from 2020 to 2021. Anand was a Client Engagement Representative at Aspiration in 2020, an Operations Manager at Kinetic Society LLC from 2019 to 2020, and a Business Analyst at Kinetic Society LLC from 2017 to 2019. Anand does not require Senate confirmation, and the compensation is $140,004. Anand, A graduate in Eco- nomics and Global Studies from University of Califor- nia, Los Angeles, is registered with no party preference. The Governor also appointed another person of South Asian origin, M. DhakshikeWickrema, of Los Angeles, as Deputy Secretary of Homelessness at the California Housing and Homelessness Agency. Wickrema has been Deputy Secretary of Homeless- ness at the Business, Consumer Services, and Housing Agency since 2022. She was Senior Deputy for Homelessness and Hous- ing at the Office of Councilmember Mark Ridley-Thom- as in the City of Los Angeles from 2020 to 2022. Wick- rema was Senior Deputy for Homelessness and Mental Health for the Office of Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas in the County of Los Angeles from 2015 to 2020. She was a Senior Project Manager at Shelter Partner- ship Inc. from 2007 to 2015. Wickrema has a Master of City Planning degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Bach- elor of Arts degree in English Literature from Illinois Wesleyan University. This position also does not require Senate confirma- tion and the compensation is $197,772. Wickrema is a Democrat, the press release said. PHOTO:LINKEDIN @VISHESHANAND PHOTO:@HOUSING.CA.GOV Vishesh Anand Dakshike Wickrema By a StaffWriter India, Australia Strike Deal On Uranium Exports During Modi Visit; Diaspora Gives Warm Welcome To Indian Leader A ustralia and India reached a deal on Thursday, July 9, to export Australian uranium to India for use in the nuclear energy industry, while agree- ing to deepen cooperation in renewables, critical minerals and green hydrogen. India has long eyed Australia’s uranium reserves to help meet a target of 100 gigawatts of nuclear energy ca- pacity by 2047, while Australia is looking to diversify trade beyond its reliance on China, its top partner. “Australia and India are close partners and even closer friends,” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters in Melbourne on Thursday, after finalising the deal with visiting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. People cheer as Australian Prime Minister Anthony Al- banese and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi attend the Melbourne Meets Modi community event at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, Australia, July 9, 2026. REUTERS/ Hollie Adams “The arrangement facilitates Australian uranium ex- ports to India to help increase the share of non-fossil fuel power capacity, providing an additional market for the Australian resources sector.” No details on the volume, value or timing of the ex- ports were immediately available. MODI SEEKS AUSTRALIAN INVESTMENT Though both nations agreed to a nuclear cooperation pact in 2014, uranium exports have been limited over concerns they could end up in India’s nuclear weapons program. The new agreement ensures nuclear fuel is used solely for peaceful purposes, such as energy generation. Modi said on Thursday India’s relationship with Aus- tralia presented “historic opportunities” for both coun- tries to cooperate across several areas. Australia’s technology, capital and resources could help accelerate India’s energy transition, Modi said. He also signaled possible cooperation in low-carbon aluminum projects. “We have historic opportunities to cooperate in this field,” Modi said, as he urged Australia’s business com- munity to invest long-term in India’s road, port, rail and urban infrastructure projects. “India provides a safe, stable and sustainable growth option for your funds,” he said. Australia’s largest pension fund, AustralianSuper, said on Thursday it would invest a further A$500 million ($347 million) in India’s National Investment and Infrastructure Fund. ‘LIVING BRIDGE’ After meeting Modi at the business event, Albanese called the Indian leader a “living bridge” between Austra- lia and India, saying Modi’s vision had helped reshape the roadmap for Australia’s economic engagement with India. India is Australia’s fifth-largest trading partner after China, Japan, the U.S. and South Korea, while around 1 million people in Australia claim Indian ancestry, out of a population of 28 million. On Thursday evening, there was heavy police pres- ence outside an indoor arena in Melbourne, where Modi addressed an estimated 30,000 expatriate Indians. A group of around two dozen far-right protesters shouted anti-immigration slogans and held banners call- ing for the expulsion of Indians from Australia, though they were heavily outnumbered by people waving Indian flags and beating drums. Modi noted that this was his third visit to Australia as prime minister, after trips in 2014 and 2023. His first visit ended a 28-year gap since the previous visit by an Indian prime minister, Rajiv Gandhi, in 1986. “It’s a hat-trick this time,” Modi said as the crowd chanted “Modi, Modi” and waved their mobile phone torchlights. “This shows the heights the India-Australia relationship has reached,” he said, adding that the Indian diaspora in Australia was the driving force behind his outreach. Speaking before Modi, Jacinta Allan, premier of Victoria state, said Victoria respects India and values its people. “We welcome your students, your businesses, your families, your ideas,” she told Modi. “India is not a coun- try we trade with, it is a country we trust.” The Indian leader has staged large events on his over- seas trips and has addressed packed stadiums in Britain, the U.S. and other countries that have large expatriate Indian populations. - Reuters By Melanie Burton and Hritam Mukherjee PHOTO:REUTERS/HOLLIE ADAMSMAIN DEDICATION Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi hold each other’s hands as they attend the Melbourne Meets Modi community event at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, Australia, July 9, 2026.