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."
RBI: Foreign investors made big-selling, there was a fall of $ 91 lakh, investors lost crores
Foreign Exchange Reserves: The country's foreign exchange reserves declined by $ 90.8 million to
On the occasion of International Women's Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given a big gift t
India started withdrawing itself from Afghanistan, consulates closing one by one
Amidst the growing influence of the Taliban in Afghanistan, India seems to be withdrawing itself
'Don't give a gun license to Salman Khan', Bishnoi community put forward demand in front of police
Bollywood star Salman Khan's troubles do not seem to end. Now the Bishnoi community has requested
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who came to Gorakhpur on a four-day tour, wished for public welfa
Rashid Khan told why he is not able to take more wickets in IPL 2022
Afghanistan's star spinner Rashid Khan is playing for the Gujarat Titans franchise team in the In
Pakistan needs to treat all terror groups as pariah: India
New Delhi, Jan 23 (IANS) Pakistan has to treat all terror groups as pariah if it is serious abo
Amidst the ongoing military escalation from China, India is deploying a new drone unit, increasin
215 cases in 24 hours in cyber city for the first time
The corona infection in Gurugram, called Medical Hub and Cyber City, is becoming uncontroll
Lockdown: Parliamentary committee functioning stalled for 2 months, likely to resume from June 1
New Delhi: Due to Coronavirus epidemic, lockdown has been going on in the entire country for almo
