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."
Hanumankind: Viral rapper Hanumankind performed in the program 'Modi and US', and will also be seen in films
Rapper Hanumankind has become quite popular in India and other countries these days. A few weeks ago, he released one of his songs 'Big Dawgs' on YouTube, which was liked by the audience. This song of
Security Audit every Four Months to improve CISF: Rajnath Singh
Ghaziabad, March 10 (IANS) Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said a security audit of the CISF should take place every four months in order to detect the "faults" of the force and help in its
Toolkit case: Government objected Twitter saying 'manipulated media', said - do not interfere in the investigation process
The Indian government objected to Twitter using the "manipulated media" tag for tweets on the toolkit to discredit efforts against Corona. According to sources, Twitter has been asked to remove the
PAK vs AUS: Australian cricketer who grew up copying Shane Warne will debut against Pakistan, Pat Cummins announces playing XI
The second match of the three-Test series between Pakistan and Australia is to be played in Karachi. A day before the match, Australian captain Pat Cummins has announced his playing XI for the second
Delhi Kanjhawala Death: Sixth accused also arrested, after crushing Anjali, he told the way to escape
Delhi Police has arrested the sixth accused in the Kanjhawala case of the Sultanpuri police station area. According to the police, the car belonged to Ashutosh, through which the entire incident was
'I will come on your birthday...', the TCS manager had promised this; sister revealed big secrets about her sister-in-law.
The family is in shock due to the suicide of Agra's TCS recruitment manager Manav Sharma (28). Sister Akanksha's tears are not stopping. March 3, i.e. today is his birthday. When the brother came to
Delhi Chunav 2025: BJP increased Arvind Kejriwal's tension, laid siege to New Delhi seat
This time, along with campaigning for the candidates on other seats in the assembly elections (Delhi Election 2025), Aam Aadmi Party's National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal is also paying more attention
Remains of ancient temple found during excavation of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi in Ayodhya, see picture
Remains of an ancient temple have been found during excavation at Shri Ram Janmabhoomi. Which includes many statues and pillars. This information was given by Champat Rai, General Secretary of Shri
Trinamool slams union budget, calls assistance to Bengal a 'bluff'
New Delhi/Kolkata, Feb 28 (IANS) West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress Saturday slammed the union budget, saying it was "not for the people". The party also termed as "bluff" the special
DC vs RR: Sanju Samson was out controversially, then BCCI imposed a heavy fine; Know what mistake the RR captain made
The match against Delhi Capitals on Tuesday did not go well for Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson. Sanju Samson was out controversially in the 56th match of IPL