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Dilli Adhikari

Last updated: 19 April 20262230 words

Dilli Adhikari is a Bhutanese-American businessman, nonprofit founder, and media producer based in the Columbus, Ohio, metropolitan area. Born in southern Bhutan and expelled to Nepal during the early-1990s Lhotshampa expulsions, he lived in exile at the Timai refugee camp in Jhapa district before being resettled in the United States under the third-country resettlement programme. He is the founder and president of the Intra-National Welfare and Support Foundation of America (INWSFA), which produces the reality television series Mero Voice Universe and Mero Dance Universe and organises the annual Intra Cup diaspora sports tournaments. Adhikari operates Intra-National Home Care LLC in Pennsylvania and Americare Healthcare Services LLC in Ohio; on 9 January 2025 the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio entered a judgment of US$14,957,641.58 against Americare for Fair Labour Standards Act overtime violations.

Dilli Adhikari (also reported as Dilli Ram Adhikari in some diaspora press) is a Bhutanese-American businessman, nonprofit founder, and media producer based in the Columbus, Ohio, metropolitan area. A Nepali-speaking Lhotshampa born in southern Bhutan, Adhikari was expelled to Nepal during the early-1990s Lhotshampa expulsions — when more than 100,000 ethnic Nepali Bhutanese were forced from southern Bhutan into the seven UNHCR-administered camps in Jhapa and Morang districts of eastern Nepal — and lived in exile at the Timai refugee camp in Jhapa before being resettled in the United States through the third-country resettlement programme.[3]

Adhikari is the founder and president of the Intra-National Welfare and Support Foundation of America (INWSFA), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organisation registered in Columbus, Ohio, which produces the internationally broadcast reality television programmes Mero Voice Universe and Mero Dance Universe on Nepal Television and organises the Intra Cup annual diaspora sports tournaments. He also owns and operates home care businesses in Ohio and Pennsylvania, principally Americare Healthcare Services LLC and Intra-National Home Care LLC. INWSFA's cultural programmes have drawn participation from Nepali-speaking communities in more than 50 countries, and contestants have been received by Nepal's Prime Minister and President at official state functions.[1][2]

On 9 January 2025, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, in Department of Labour v. Americare Healthcare Services LLC, granted summary judgment in favour of the Department of Labour and ordered Americare to pay US$7,478,820.79 in back wages and an equal amount in liquidated damages, for a total judgment of US$14,957,641.58, in connection with overtime violations of the Fair Labour Standards Act (FLSA) between October 2018 and April 2024. The court rejected Americare's claims that its workers fell within the FLSA's "companionship" and "live-in" worker exemptions.[3][16]

Early life and refugee background

Adhikari was born in southern Bhutan, part of the Lhotshampa ethnic Nepali community whose presence in the country dated to the late nineteenth century. He was expelled to Nepal during the mass expulsions of southern Bhutanese between 1990 and 1993, when the Royal Government of Bhutan's enforcement of the 1985 Citizenship Act, the 1988 census reclassifications, and the Driglam Namzha "One Nation, One People" policy displaced more than 100,000 Lhotshampa from the southern districts of Samtse, Chirang (now Tsirang), Sarpang, Samdrup Jongkhar, and Dagana. Adhikari and his family lived in exile in eastern Nepal at the Timai refugee camp in Jhapa district — one of the seven UNHCR-administered camps that sheltered Lhotshampa refugees through the 1990s and 2000s — before the camps were gradually closed following the launch of large-scale third-country resettlement in 2007. He was among the resettled cohort that arrived in the United States under the US Refugee Admissions Program from 2008 onwards.[3]

Adhikari migrated from the camps to the United States under the resettlement programme. The year of his arrival is not stated in public sources. He settled in the Columbus, Ohio, metropolitan area, which by the mid-2010s had become home to one of the largest Bhutanese-Nepali diaspora communities in the country, estimated at more than 27,000 residents. His later business and philanthropic activity has been documented primarily through Nepali and Bhutanese diaspora press and, from 2025, through federal court filings.[3][4]

Business career

Adhikari's documented core business sector is non-medical home care for elderly clients, conducted through two linked limited liability companies: Americare Healthcare Services LLC in Ohio and Intra-National Home Care LLC in Pennsylvania.

Intra-National Home Care LLC

Adhikari founded and serves as CEO of Intra-National Home Care LLC, a non-medical home care services company. The company is headquartered at 1279 E Dublin Granville Rd, Columbus, OH 43229 — the same address as the INWSFA nonprofit — and provides companionship, homemaking, and consumer chore services. Intra-National Home Care operates across multiple states, with offices in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Michigan.[5][6]

A 2018 investigation by the Pennsylvania Department of Labour into Intra-National Home Care's payroll records identified potential Fair Labour Standards Act wage violations. That inquiry subsequently led federal authorities to examine Adhikari's affiliated Ohio business, Americare Healthcare Services LLC.[7]

Americare Healthcare Services LLC

In November 2016, Adhikari purchased Americare Healthcare Services LLC, a third-party home care agency operating in Ohio. The company provides personal care, hygiene, and mobility assistance to elderly clients in the Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Akron metropolitan areas, and uses Electronic Visit Verification platforms to track worker hours. The business is registered at the same Columbus address as the INWSFA nonprofit and Intra-National Home Care.[3][8]

Department of Labour enforcement action (2021–2025)

In October 2021, the U.S. Department of Labour filed suit against Americare Healthcare Services LLC in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, in Department of Labour v. Americare Healthcare Services LLC, Case No. 2:2021-cv-05076. According to court filings and subsequent reporting, the federal action grew out of a 2018 Pennsylvania Department of Labour investigation into Intra-National Home Care's payroll records, which identified potential Fair Labour Standards Act (FLSA) overtime violations and prompted federal authorities to examine Americare's operations in Ohio.[7][16]

The Department of Labour alleged that from October 2018 to April 2024, Americare operated a wage structure under which employees' regular hourly rates were reduced as their weekly hours increased, effectively eliminating the overtime premium required by the FLSA. Court documents cited the example of an employee earning US$12.50 per hour when working 77 hours per week whose regular rate fell to US$11.45 per hour when working 96 hours per week. Americare also argued that its workers fell within the FLSA's "companionship services" and "live-in domestic service" exemptions, which would have relieved the company of the overtime obligation; the court rejected both exemption claims.[7][3]

Adhikari argued in the company's defence that he had received legal advice that home care aides were not entitled to overtime. The court found that the company failed to provide documentary evidence of such advice or to identify the attorneys who had allegedly provided it, and concluded that Americare "could have hired additional aides or declined overtime work" but instead "continued the unlawful practices."[7]

On 9 January 2025, the Hon. Edmund A. Sargus Jr. denied Americare's motion for summary judgment and granted the Department of Labour's cross-motion. The court ordered Americare to pay US$7,478,820.79 in back wages and an equal amount of US$7,478,820.79 in liquidated damages, for a total judgment of US$14,957,641.58. On 14 February 2025, the Department of Labour filed a compliance update confirming that its review of Americare's updated payroll records had identified no further FLSA violations after April 2024. The action was a civil enforcement matter, not a criminal prosecution, and as of 2026 it remains the most prominent legal matter involving Adhikari's business interests in the US public record.[3][7]

Nonprofit and cultural work

INWSFA

Adhikari founded the Intra-National Welfare and Support Foundation of America (INWSFA), an Ohio-registered nonprofit that received its 501(c)(3) tax-exempt designation in December 2019. The foundation is registered under Employer Identification Number 83-2926128 (filed with the Internal Revenue Service as "Intra National Wellfare And Support Foundation Of America", with the original typographical error preserved in federal records) and is classified under NTEE code A26 (Arts, Culture and Humanities — Arts Council/Agency). According to Adhikari, the foundation was conceived as a platform to reconnect scattered Nepali-speaking communities worldwide through sports, music, and dance.[8]

INWSFA reports a US footprint across Columbus, Akron, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, and Scranton — cities that broadly overlap with the major Bhutanese-American resettlement clusters in Ohio and Pennsylvania. In its Form 990 filing for 2020, the foundation reported total revenue of US$447,849. Beyond its US programming, INWSFA states that it supports initiatives for Bhutanese refugees remaining in Nepal, including senior citizen allowances, education, drinking water projects, and sports.[8][9]

Intra Cup Sports Tournaments

Through INWSFA, Adhikari organises the Intra Cup, an annual series of soccer and volleyball tournaments drawing teams from the Bhutanese and Nepali diaspora across the United States. The 2nd Intra Cup, held on 15-16 October 2022 at Big Run Athletic Complex in Columbus, Ohio, attracted 29 teams (21 men's, 8 women's) from nine U.S. states. Ohio State Representative Mark Johnson and Adhikari jointly inaugurated the tournament. The men's volleyball division was won by Far Western Nepalese Society (Texas, $8,500 prize), and the women's division was won by Bhutanese Youth Sports Club (Minnesota, $3,500 prize).[10][11]

The 3rd Intra Cup was held in Rochester, New York, in 2023, with expanded prize pools. In the men's soccer division, Timai Squad won $15,000, whilst Shinning Stars won $10,000 in the women's division. In volleyball, Belmont won the women's title ($8,000) and Rukum A won the men's title. The 4th Intra Cup was held in 2024.[9][12]

Reality Television Programmes

Adhikari created and produces Mero Voice Universe and Mero Dance Universe, two internationally broadcast reality television programmes on Nepal Television. According to Adhikari, the shows were conceived as "a way to pass on Nepal's rich cultural heritage to future generations through music and dance" and to "strengthen unity among the global Nepali community." The programmes are directed by Aleen Shrestha and offer a grand prize of NPR 1 crore (10 million Nepalese rupees, approximately US$75,000) each — the highest cash prize in the history of Nepali reality television.[1][13]

INWSFA launched a global audition campaign in late 2022, with virtual and physical auditions held in over a dozen countries including the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, Thailand, Dubai, Portugal, India, and Myanmar. A total of 240 participants (120 per show) were selected from more than 52 countries across six continents for Season 1. Mero Voice Universe premiered on 3 May 2023 on Nepal Television. Season 1 was won by Pritam (Prithviraj) Rai from Sikkim, India (voice) and Khushi Karki from Thailand (dance).[13]

Season 2 auditions commenced in Columbus, Ohio, on 25-26 January 2025, spanning 14 cities across 12 countries on five continents. The foundation covers all travel and accommodation expenses for selected participants. The Season 2 grand finale was held at Sunrise Conference Centre, Godavari, Lalitpur, on 24 August 2025, with Pratham Gurung winning Mero Voice Universe and Rista Gurung winning Mero Dance Universe. Both winners received NPR 10 million, life insurance worth NPR 2.5 million, and additional prizes.[1][14]

State Recognition in Nepal

The programmes have attracted attention from Nepal's highest political figures. In 2025, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli met with Season 2 contestants from 23 countries and praised the initiative for preserving Nepali cultural expressions abroad. Separately, President Ram Chandra Paudel welcomed the contestants at a ceremony at the presidential residence, Sheetal Niwas. At the Sheetal Niwas event, Adhikari told attendees that the programmes were organised "to connect Nepali people with their ancestral country through Nepali art and culture."[2][15]

Philanthropy in Nepal

INWSFA reports operating relief and welfare activities for Bhutanese refugees remaining in the eastern Nepal camps, including distributions documented in Bhutanese and Nepali diaspora press in 2021. The foundation's stated programme areas in Nepal include senior citizen allowances, education support, drinking water projects, and sports. Specific project budgets, beneficiary counts, and financial controls for the Nepal work are not disclosed in the publicly available sources. INWSFA programming has also facilitated visits to the camps by Nepali-American cultural figures in conjunction with the foundation's media projects.[8]

Public profile in the diaspora

Adhikari is a recognised figure in the Bhutanese-American and Nepali-speaking diaspora press, where he appears frequently in connection with INWSFA events, the Intra Cup, and the Mero Voice Universe and Mero Dance Universe television programmes. Diaspora outlets including NepYork, Khabarhub, DCNepal, ShareSansar, ePardafas, Rising Nepal Daily, and Makalu Khabar have covered his work from 2022 onwards. Since the January 2025 federal court ruling, the same publications have also reported on the Department of Labour enforcement action, and coverage of his public profile now routinely references both his cultural initiatives and the FLSA judgment against Americare.[3]

See also

References

  1. Khabarhub. "Auditions begin for season two of Mero Voice Universe and Mero Dance Universe." 27 January 2025. https://english.khabarhub.com/2025/27/431617/
  2. Rising Nepal Daily. "PM meets contestants of Mero Dance and Voice Season 2." 2025. https://risingnepaldaily.com/news/60666
  3. NepYork. "Former Bhutanese Refugee Dilli Adhikari's Ohio-Based Company to Pay $15 Million in Unpaid Wages and Damages, Confirms DOL." 17 February 2025. https://nepyork.com/2025/02/17/former-bhutanese-refugee-dilli-adhikaris-ohio-based-company-to-pay-15-million-in-unpaid-wages-and-damages-confirms-dol/
  4. RocketReach. "Dilli Adhikari — Intra-National Home Care LLC CEO." https://rocketreach.co/dilli-adhikari-email_42842370
  5. Better Business Bureau. "Intra-National Home Care LLC." https://www.bbb.org/us/oh/columbus/profile/home-health-care/intra-national-home-care-llc-0302-70094577
  6. Intra-National Home Care LLC. Official website. https://www.intranationalhomecarellc.com/
  7. USA Herald. "DOL Wins $15M Judgment Against Home Care Agency." 2025. https://usaherald.com/dol-wins-15m-judgment-against-home-care-agency/
  8. ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer. "Intra-National Welfare and Support Foundation of America." https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/832926128
  9. ePardafas. "Intra National Welfare Foundation's 3rd Intra Cup 2023: Promoting Sportsmanship and Unity." 2023. https://english.pardafas.com/intra-national-welfare-foundations-3rd-intra-cup-2023-promoting-sportsmanship-and-unity/
  10. DCNepal. "Nepali speaking community celebrate their biggest 'Volleyball Festival' in USA." 18 October 2022. https://english.dcnepal.com/2022/10/18/nepali-speaking-community-volleyball-2022/
  11. Khabarhub. "Intra-Cup Volleyball tournament among 29 Nepali teams in US." 2022. https://english.khabarhub.com/2022/15/276701/
  12. ShareSansar. "Intra National Welfare and Support Foundation Hosts 3rd Intra Cup 2023." 29 September 2023. https://www.sharesansar.com/newsdetail/intra-national-welfare-and-support-foundation-hosts-3rd-intra-cup-2023-promoting-sportsmanship-and-community-unity-2023-09-29
  13. Wikipedia. "Mero Voice Universe." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mero_Voice_Universe
  14. Rising Nepal Daily. "Pratham declared winner of Mero Voice Universe, Rista Mero wins Dance Universe title." 24 August 2025. https://risingnepaldaily.com/news/67224
  15. English.MakaluKhabar.com. "President Paudel welcomes global Nepali talent at Sheetal Niwas." May 2025. https://english.makalukhabar.com/2025/05/253447/
  16. Justia. "Department of Labour v. Americare Healthcare Services LLC, Case No. 2:2021-cv-05076." https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/ohio/ohsdce/2:2021cv05076/261335/96/

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