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."

0 Like 0 Dislike
Previous news Next news
Other news

Karnataka: Allegations of voter ID scam in Karnataka, Congress complains about BJP ministers to the Election Commission

State Congress leaders today lodged a complaint with the State Election Commission in Bengaluru o

Arun Govil was left sweating to shoot this scene of 'Ramayan', narrated the story himself

New Delhi: At the start of the lockdown across the country, when 'Ramayan' was telecast again on

Rahul Gandhi left for Delhi from Hathras, during the meeting the victim's family said - neither did they get a house nor a job.

Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi has left Hathras after meeting the

Corona Update: The graph of Corona is increasing in the country, 283 new cases came to the fore; Active cases rise to 2,525

The world has been grappling with the Covid-19 pandemic for almost the last three years. Which ha

Paresh Rawal did not get the script of Hera Pheri 3, Akshay Kumar does not have the rights?

Hera Pheri 3 is one of the most anticipated films to date which has been in the news since its an

Punjab's rural residents to get flats

Chandigarh, March 26 (IANS) People in Punjab's rural areas will now get a city-like feel with t

Dalit student dies due to teacher's thrashing: The funeral took place in the morning after 10 hours of ruckus; FIR against the father of the deceased

A riot broke out on Monday after the death of a Dalit student in UP's Auraiya by beating up a tea

The big decision of Infosys: Tech giant to wrap up its business with Russia, also plans to recruit 50000 new

Indian tech giant Infosys made a big announcement on Wednesday. In a statement issued by the comp

Israel vs Hezbollah: Israel caused heavy destruction in Lebanon, and attacked 1600 locations simultaneously; 500 people died

Israel has opened a front against Hizbullah in Lebanon. The IDF has caused heavy havoc in Lebanon

After listening to the student's 'airplane feeling in Vande Bharat train', PM Modi also said - Oh wow!

PM Narendra Modi gave many gifts to the Keralites on Tuesday. Modi flagged off the Vande Bharat E

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