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."
BSF trooper killed in Pakistani shelling
Jammu, Jan 5 (IANS) A BSF trooper was Monday killed in mortar shelling by Pakistan on the inter
PM Modi Gujarat Visit: PM Modi said - India's steel industry is now the world's largest
Arcelor Mittal Nippon Steel Plant: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday (October 28) laid the f
Indian team's middle order batsman Shreyas Iyer has been ruled out of the current Ahmedabad Test
The second consignment of 2.5 million doses of Corona vaccine Covaxin of Hyderabad-based company
Ukraine's war and inflation pose a threat to the global economy. The International Monetary Fund
Bigg Boss 19: Chaos over dal, housemates clashed with Gaurav Khanna; Basir Ali also showed anger
It has not been long since the reality show 'Bigg Boss 19' started, but the atmosphere of debate
104 companies set to manufacture one lakh PPE kits every day in India
India is taking various measures including lockdown to fight the corona virus. People are being a
Things can change after the death of Sushant Singh Rajput
The news of the death of film star Sushant Singh Rajput has once again made public the discussion
Snowfall hits power, air links in Jammu and Kashmir
Srinagar, March 9 (IANS) Heavy snowfall threw normal life out of gear in Jammu and Kashmir on M
The two-day Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is underway in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Pakista