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."
Bumper discounts on Xiaomi to Samsung Galaxy, deals are such that you will buy the phone immediately
Prime Phones Party: Amazon has brought a new sale event on its platform. The company has named it
SC's obligation to protect women, churches and religious freedom
New Delhi, March 20 (IANS) The Supreme Court will hear a plea seeking security for women and fr
The impact of the reforms made by the government in GST rates can be seen in the festive shopping
This time 20 teams are participating in the T-20 World Cup to be held in America and We
Coronavirus cases have increased again in the country. Two days later, the cases of corona in the
Tomorrow South's much-awaited film RRR is releasing. Since Bahubali, many South films have been
Ali Larijani, Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, has categorically dismissed
The Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected the request for an immediate hearing on the demand to dir
COVID 19 Testing Advisory: ICMR has issued a new advisory for the testing of Covid-19 in India, i
The uproar over the Hijab episode in Karnataka is now visible across the country. The controversy
