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

Tata cars will be made at Ford's plant: Tata will take over Ford Motors' Gujarat plant, gets cabinet approval

Tata Motors has got permission to take over the passenger car manufacturing plant of Ford Motor l

Indian Railways News: Will trains start from May 4? Know the railway's future strategy

The country has a lockdown from April 15 to May 3 to prevent the outbreak of Corona virus. During

Telangana, Andhra celebrate New Year with pomp

Hyderabad, Jan 1 (IANS) Telugu states Telangana and Andhra Pradesh Thursday celebrated the New Y

Mohammed Siraj made a sensational disclosure, the man had contacted the fast bowler to give 'inside information

Indian team fast bowler Mohammad Siraj has reported 'corrupt thinking' to BCCI's anti-corruption

Raja Raghuvanshi: Who attacked Raja first as soon as Sonam signaled? Many revelations were made in the crime scene recreation.

Meghalaya Police recreated the crime scene of Raja Raghuvanshi's murder in Sohra. Police took Vis

Delhi Weather: Strong storm, rain and hail changed the mood of the weather... When will it rain now, what will be the speed of the wind?

The sun rained fire from the sky throughout the day in the capital on Wednesday, and people were

PM Narendra Modi said in New Urban Conclave – I am very happy that 80 percent of the beneficiaries of PM Awas Yojana are women

Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached Lucknow on Tuesday after a long time. Prime Minister Narendr

Petroleum ministry leak: Fresh arrest exposes new espionage racket

New Delhi, Feb 23 (IANS) The Delhi Police Monday confirmed the arrest of another person in the

Will not back down from nuclear attack if needed, a statement from Russia raised concern

Russia has made it clear that if necessary, it will not back down from carrying out a nuclear att

World's Most Polluted City: Delhi on top in terms of pollution for the fourth consecutive time, this district of Bihar came into discussion

Delhi has once again become the most polluted capital of the world. This news is very bad for the

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