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."
Government can go ahead with 2G spectrum auction: SC
New Delhi, Feb 26 (IANS) The Supreme Court Thursday said even as it has found inconsistencies i
Chinese President Xi Jinping said global conflict can have dire consequences
Chinese President Xi Jinping warned at a meeting of the Davos World Economic Forum on Monday that
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has made an absurd demand to remove official language Hindi f
New Delhi, for the last few days, there were reports that Bollywood actor Ajay Devgan is ready fo
The Sangharsh Samiti has called for a Katra shutdown on Wednesday against the ropeway being const
ONGC starts Supplying Gas to Tripura Power Project
Agartala, Feb 2 (IANS) The state-owned ONGC has started s
73-year-old died in Udaipur, the report of being corona negative came a day earlier
A 73-year-old elderly man admitted to Rajasthan's Udaipur MB Hospital succumbed to post-Covid ear
Aditya Dhar's directorial venture 'Dhurandhar' is currently making waves everywhere. The film is
Vijay Nair sent on five-day CBI remand, arrested in excise policy case
A Delhi court has sent Vijay Nair to CBI remand for five days. CBI had sought seven days remand.
AAP ahead of BJP, Congress in Delhi
New Delhi, Feb 10 (IANS) The AAP led in five seats and the BJP and the Congress in one seat eac
