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WASHINGTON: The Sikh community in the US has welcomed the announcement of the Obama administration to provide financial help for those affected by the Oak Creek gurdwara shooting.

They also appreciated the decision by the US to initiate a mechanism for tracking of the hate crimes in the US.

"This gesture means a lot to Sikhs across America. The community is grateful for all the support and assistance by the US Government and it sends an important signal that Sikhs are considered an integral part of America," Sikh Council on Religion and Education (SCORE) chairman Rajwant Singh said.

On Friday, US attorney general Eric Holder announced a grant of USD 5,12,000 to the Wisconsin state government to pay for mental health and trauma services for those affected by the shootings, including relatives of victims, witnesses and first responders.

On August 5 last year, Michael Wade Page, a white supremacist, walked into the Milwaukee Sikh gurdwara and fired 19 shots, killing six worshippers and wounded five others.

After being fatally wounded in the parking lot by a police sniper, Page then shot and killed himself.

Ahead of the first anniversary of the incident, Holder announced that the FBI had added Sikhs to the list of groups they track hate crimes against and the Justice Department also will now record statistics on hate crimes committed against Sikhs and six other groups -- Hindus, Arabs, Buddhists, Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses and Orthodox Christians.

Singh said a lot more needs to be done to create awareness about the presence of the Sikhs and their contribution to America.

"We have been here for the last one hundred years and yet people still have misunderstandings about our faith and its observances," he said.

"The presence of Sikhs in high profile positions in the government, having more education regarding diversity in the school books and extensive awareness about Sikhs at the local levels are the necessary steps which could avert any further violence against Sikhs.

The media has an important role to play in creating this understanding about diverse cultures like Sikhs in the American society," Singh said.