--- title: HR 1780. Lakshmanan, Shri Ramesh Babu; Consul General of India; distinguished diplomatic service and extraordinary contributions to the State of Georgia and the Indian-American community; honor collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr1780 cite_as: HR 1780, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1780 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1780.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1780/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74243 date: 2026-03-18 status: passed corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13 license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1779.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1781.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 131 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1780.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 1780 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2026-03-18 last_action: House Read and Adopted sponsors: - Arlene Beckles - Carolyn Hugley - Terry Cummings - Robert Dawson - Tangie Herring - Segun Adeyina text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR1780/2025 upstream_id: 2135878 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - ceremonial resolution - India-Georgia relations - Indian-American community - diplomatic honors --- # HR 1780. Lakshmanan, Shri Ramesh Babu; Consul General of India; distinguished diplomatic service and extraordinary contributions to the State of Georgia and the Indian-American community; honor ## Text House Resolution 1780 By: Representatives Beckles of the 96th, Hugley of the 141st, Cummings of the 39th, Dawson of the 65th, Herring of the 145th, and others A RESOLUTION Recognizing and honoring Shri Ramesh Babu Lakshmanan, Consul General of India, Atlanta, United States of America, for his distinguished diplomatic service and extraordinary contributions to the State of Georgia and the Indian-American community; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, Shri Ramesh Babu Lakshmanan is a distinguished career diplomat who joined the Indian Foreign Service in 2005 and served with great distinction as the Consul General of India, Atlanta, representing the interests of the Republic of India across the southeastern United States; and WHEREAS, Consul General Lakshmanan brought to his Atlanta posting a wealth of international experience, having served in various capacities at Indian Missions in Moscow, Russia; Dushanbe, Tajikistan; Paris, France; and Colombo, Sri Lanka, where he skillfully handled political, commercial, and cultural dimensions of bilateral relations; and WHEREAS, throughout his tenure in Atlanta, Consul General Lakshmanan worked tirelessly to strengthen the bonds of friendship, trade, and cultural exchange between the Republic of India and the State of Georgia, recognizing that more than 140,000 Indian-Americans call Georgia home, making them an integral part of the state's diverse and vibrant community; and WHEREAS, Consul General Lakshmanan actively partnered with Georgia's business leaders, academic institutions, government officials, and community organizations to deepen economic ties between the southeastern United States and India, a nation that ranks among Georgia's fastest-growing top ten export destinations; and WHEREAS, under his leadership, the Consulate General of India in Atlanta expanded its outreach to universities, facilitated educational exchanges, and advocated for Indian students and professionals in the region, supporting initiatives that advanced science, technology, healthcare, and innovation; and WHEREAS, Consul General Lakshmanan engaged warmly and consistently with Georgia's Indian-American diaspora through consular camps, cultural celebrations, community forums, and digital initiatives to modernize consular services, making the consulate more accessible to all constituents; and WHEREAS, Georgia's fintech corridor-known as 'Transaction Alley'-and the state's broader technology sector benefited from his efforts to foster collaboration between Indian entrepreneurs, investors, and innovators and their Georgia counterparts; and WHEREAS, Consul General Lakshmanan's service has left a lasting legacy of strengthened India-U.S. relations, a more connected Indian-American community in the Southeast, and a deepened partnership between the Republic of India and the State of Georgia. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that the members of this body recognize and honor Shri Ramesh Babu Lakshmanan, Consul General of India, Atlanta, United States of America, for his outstanding diplomatic service, his profound commitment to the Indian-American community of Georgia, and his exemplary contributions to strengthening the ties of friendship, commerce, culture, and goodwill between the Republic of India and the State of Georgia. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this body expresses its sincere gratitude to Consul General Lakshmanan for his dedicated service and extends their best wishes for continued success, and further expresses their hope that the enduring friendship between India and Georgia will continue to flourish for generations to come. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized and directed to make an appropriate copy of this resolution available for distribution to Shri Ramesh Babu Lakshmanan. ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the resolution. Quote the text, not the summary. A Georgia House resolution honors Shri Ramesh Babu Lakshmanan, outgoing Consul General of India in Atlanta, for his diplomatic service and work strengthening ties between India and Georgia. ### Plain-language summary This is a ceremonial resolution passed by the Georgia House of Representatives. It does not change any Georgia law. Instead, it formally recognizes Shri Ramesh Babu Lakshmanan, who served as Consul General of India in Atlanta, for his career in the Indian Foreign Service and his work building economic, educational, and cultural ties between the Republic of India and the State of Georgia. The resolution recounts his diplomatic postings in Moscow, Dushanbe, Paris, and Colombo before Atlanta, and credits him with strengthening trade, expanding university partnerships, and engaging Georgia's Indian-American community, which the text says numbers more than 140,000 people. The House directs its Clerk to prepare a copy of the resolution for presentation to him as a token of appreciation. ### What it does - Formally recognizes and honors Shri Ramesh Babu Lakshmanan for his service as Consul General of India in Atlanta. - States the House's gratitude for his work strengthening trade, cultural, and educational ties between India and Georgia. - Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to prepare a copy of the resolution for distribution to him. - Expresses the House's hope that the relationship between India and Georgia continues in the future. ### Who it affects The resolution directly names and honors Shri Ramesh Babu Lakshmanan. It also references Georgia's Indian-American community, described as more than 140,000 residents, along with Georgia business leaders, universities, and government officials who interacted with the consulate during his tenure. ### Why it matters The resolution carries no legal or funding effect; it is a symbolic gesture of appreciation. Its practical impact is limited to publicly recognizing a diplomat's service and formally documenting the House's acknowledgment of ties between Georgia and India. ### Key provisions - The resolving clauses recognize and honor Lakshmanan for his diplomatic service and contributions to the Indian-American community in Georgia. - A further resolution clause expresses the House's gratitude and best wishes for his continued success. - A final clause directs the Clerk of the House to prepare and distribute a copy of the resolution to Lakshmanan. ## Status - Status: Passed (2026-03-18) - Last action: House Read and Adopted (2026-03-18) - Sponsors: Arlene Beckles, Carolyn Hugley, Terry Cummings, Robert Dawson, Tangie Herring, Segun Adeyina - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74243 > The history, votes, and amendments (131 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1780.md?full=1