Kerala to seek centre's help to resolve diaspora woes: Minister


Posted on 3rd Jan 2015 05:14 pm by ram kishor

Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 2 (IANS) Kerala will present its progress card on what it has done for the diaspora and then ask for the centre's help for its plans, Diaspora Minister K.C.Joseph said Friday.

Joseph will be part of a Kerala delegation at the Pravasti Bhartiya Divas (PBD) to be held in Gujarat capital Gandhinagar from January 7 to 9.

Joseph Chief Minister Oommen Chandy would lead the delegation and there would be a Kerala Pavilion at the three-day event which will showcase "our advantages to the visiting diaspora".

"See, Kerala is probably the only state that has led from the front to support its diaspora, whenever there arose an occasion. There are limitations for a state and currently we have launched a rehabilitation package for those who have returned from the Middle-East. It's here we seek the Centre to support us financially when we draw up special schemes," the minister told IANS.

Of the 23.63 lakh Keralites who went abroad, 90 percent are in various Middle-East countries. Close to 13 lakhs have returned from these countries.

According to the latest figures from the State Level Bankers Committee, the total remittances made by the Kerala diaspora to the banks here has crossed Rs.1 lakh crores.

"The chief minister will be speaking on January 9 at the chief minister's session. He will touch upon the issue of giving necessary sanction for our proposal to start our own airline- Air Kerala and also on the hefty air fares being charged by airlines operating to the Middle-East," Joseph said.

According to the minister, the Kerala government is perhaps the only state government which recently has come out with a financial assistance package for the members of diaspora who have returned.

"We along with two public sector banks have launched a self employment scheme and by now more than 20,000 people have applied for it. The maximum cap on loans would be Rs. two million and the Kerala government would offer a 10 percent subsidy to all those who begin an enterprise in the agriculture, trading, manufacturing or the service sectors," he said.

Joseph, who would present Kerala's progress card in the Gulf Session, scheduled for January 9, also said: "The Kerala Pavilion will showcase investment opportunities for the visitors and tourism, IT would be the key areas."

Did you know?Explore Trending and Topic pages for more stories like this.
0 Like 0 Dislike
Previous news Next news
Other news

'This is death Kumbh', after Lalu Yadav, Mamata Banerjee's harsh words on Maha Kumbh, know what she said.

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee has given a controversial statement on Mahakumbh 2025. She said, "

Court allows CBI plea for adding stringent section in Saradha case

Kolkata, Feb 9 (IANS) A court in West Bengal Monday allowed the CBI plea for adding a stringent

Labour Party becoming 'Too Nervous', says Amartya Sen

Kolkata, Feb 8 (IANS) Britain's Labour Party has become "too nervous" in its approach, Nobel la

The US Shooting: Firing again in America, two killed in firing outside the church; shooter also stacked

The incident of shooting has once again come to the fore in America. Two people were killed in a

Farmer Protest: Not only in Delhi but also in these parts of the world, farmers came out on the roads with tractors, read what are their demands.

Indian farmers are once again on the streets with their demands. Farmers want to talk to the gove

Cristiano Ronaldo created a big record as soon as he launched his YouTube channel, got more than a million subscribers within 90 minutes

Portugal football team legend Cristiano Ronaldo launched his YouTube channel on 21 August. As soo

United Nations warns, locust party may attack again in July

India may have to face the locust attack once again in July. The Food and Agriculture Organizatio

Active case drops for 42nd day in a row, now more than 55% of patients in only 5 states

There has been a steady decline in the number of patients being treated for corona in the country

UK virus reaches India: 6 patients infected with new strain found, corona spreads 70% faster

A new strain of coronavirus has also reached India. Here six viruses have been found in this viru

Drishyam 3: After Akshay Khanna's exit, an update has emerged regarding 'Drishyam 3'; shooting will resume on this date.

The third installment of Bollywood's highly anticipated thriller franchise, 'Drishyam', has been

Sign up to write
Sign up now if you have flare of writing..
Login   |   Register
Follow Us
Indyaspeak @ Facebook Indyaspeak @ Twitter Indyaspeak @ Pinterest RSS



Play Free Quiz and Win Cash