<p>Three distinguished Indian-origin Singaporeans have been named among the nine people who will be appointed as Nominated Members of Parliament (NMPs) and sworn in next month.</p>.<p>Chairman of the Singapore Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and a council member of the Singapore Business Federation, Neil Parekh Nimil Rajnikant, Chandradas Usha Ranee, co-founder of Plural Art Magazine and course coordinator at the Nanyang Business School, and lawyer Raj Joshua Thomas are among the nine appointees announced on Monday.</p>.<p>The nine nominated MPs were selected by a Special Select Committee of Parliament, chaired by then-Speaker Tan Chuan-Jin, out of a total of 30 names put up for consideration for NMP positions, The Straits Times newspaper reported.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/world-news-politics/singapore-parliament-speaker-resigns-on-using-profanity-against-opposition-lawmaker-1237780.html">Singapore Parliament speaker resigns on using profanity against Opposition lawmaker</a></strong></p>.<p>They will be appointed for a two-and-a-half-year term by President Halimah Yacob on July 24 and sworn in when Parliament sits in August.</p>.<p>The 60-year-old Parekh is also the partner and head of Asia, Australia and New Zealand at Tikehau Capital and the chief executive of Pegasus Asia, a special-purpose acquisition company listed on the Singapore Exchange.</p>.<p>He has initiated programmes that focus on helping to increase financial literacy in Singapore.</p>.<p>Parekh currently serves as a board director of Elevandi, a set up by the Monetary Authority of Singapore to foster an open dialogue between the public and private sectors to advance FinTech in the digital economy.</p>.<p>As a member of the Advisory Council of James Cook University (Singapore), he has initiated programmes that focus on helping to increase financial literacy in Singapore. Parekh has been a Singaporean citizen for 10 years and living here for 17 years.</p>.<p>Meanwhile, Chandradas, 42, who is the first time serving MP and worked as a tax lawyer for 12 years, said she hoped to address issues relating to the promotion and sustainability of the arts sector as a whole.</p>.<p>“This is a multilayered concern which should be addressed from different perspectives – in terms of legal awareness, financial sustainability, freedom of expression, education and good working conditions for artists and other creatives,” The Singapore Daily quoted her as saying.</p>.<p>Thomas, 43, is the only one serving his second term as an NMP.</p>.<p>He is currently the President of the Security Association Singapore (SAS) and has been involved as a volunteer lawyer under the Law Society’s Criminal Legal Aid Scheme.</p>
<p>Three distinguished Indian-origin Singaporeans have been named among the nine people who will be appointed as Nominated Members of Parliament (NMPs) and sworn in next month.</p>.<p>Chairman of the Singapore Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and a council member of the Singapore Business Federation, Neil Parekh Nimil Rajnikant, Chandradas Usha Ranee, co-founder of Plural Art Magazine and course coordinator at the Nanyang Business School, and lawyer Raj Joshua Thomas are among the nine appointees announced on Monday.</p>.<p>The nine nominated MPs were selected by a Special Select Committee of Parliament, chaired by then-Speaker Tan Chuan-Jin, out of a total of 30 names put up for consideration for NMP positions, The Straits Times newspaper reported.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/world-news-politics/singapore-parliament-speaker-resigns-on-using-profanity-against-opposition-lawmaker-1237780.html">Singapore Parliament speaker resigns on using profanity against Opposition lawmaker</a></strong></p>.<p>They will be appointed for a two-and-a-half-year term by President Halimah Yacob on July 24 and sworn in when Parliament sits in August.</p>.<p>The 60-year-old Parekh is also the partner and head of Asia, Australia and New Zealand at Tikehau Capital and the chief executive of Pegasus Asia, a special-purpose acquisition company listed on the Singapore Exchange.</p>.<p>He has initiated programmes that focus on helping to increase financial literacy in Singapore.</p>.<p>Parekh currently serves as a board director of Elevandi, a set up by the Monetary Authority of Singapore to foster an open dialogue between the public and private sectors to advance FinTech in the digital economy.</p>.<p>As a member of the Advisory Council of James Cook University (Singapore), he has initiated programmes that focus on helping to increase financial literacy in Singapore. Parekh has been a Singaporean citizen for 10 years and living here for 17 years.</p>.<p>Meanwhile, Chandradas, 42, who is the first time serving MP and worked as a tax lawyer for 12 years, said she hoped to address issues relating to the promotion and sustainability of the arts sector as a whole.</p>.<p>“This is a multilayered concern which should be addressed from different perspectives – in terms of legal awareness, financial sustainability, freedom of expression, education and good working conditions for artists and other creatives,” The Singapore Daily quoted her as saying.</p>.<p>Thomas, 43, is the only one serving his second term as an NMP.</p>.<p>He is currently the President of the Security Association Singapore (SAS) and has been involved as a volunteer lawyer under the Law Society’s Criminal Legal Aid Scheme.</p>