RIYADH, 28 April 2007 — Kerala State Minister for Food and Civil Supplies C. Divakaran said there were better investment opportunities in the state now than ever before. He spoke of the rapid development taking place in the IT sector and said, “Very soon, Kerala will become the IT hub in South Asia.”
Speaking at a function held to mark the 50 years of the establishment of Kerela at the Indian International School in Riyadh on Thursday, Divakaran said that a major agreement would be signed between a Dubai-based company and the state government in a few weeks to establish a Smart City in Kochi.
The project is expected to provide jobs to a large number of local people in the IT sector, he said.
Indian Ambassador to the Kingdom M.O.H. Farook in his speech called on the members of the Kerala community in Saudi Arabia not to indulge in politics here. “Keep your politics in Kerala,” he said adding the embassy had a lot of problems to deal with concerning its nationals.
“Your politics should be confined to Kerala. Keep it there. Here there are lots of things to do,” he told the members of the Kerala community. “This is the first function I am attending in two and a half years. And I told these people when I came here that they should unite their voices. If they do that they can do wonders,” he added.
Ambassador Farook spoke of the problems of the Indian expatriates the embassy was trying to solve such as nonpayment of salaries, the burial of non-Muslims and medical treatment for those denied that right by their sponsors. He said the embassy receive numerous complaints from Keralites concerning nonpayment of wages by Saudi employers.
The ambassador noted it was difficult to resolve the issues without putting a proper recruitment system in place in Kerala that can oversee the employment of Keralite overseas workers. He cited the example of Filipino overseas workers, saying there were agencies in Philippines that supervise the recruitment, make sure the agreement is signed by both sides and follow the procedures.
The Indian community is the largest in Saudi Arabia among the expatriate communities with over 1.2 million nationals. Among them the largest number of Indians come from Kerala.
“The problem for us is that there is no recruitment agency there,” he said. The ambassador gave the example of some Keralites hired to work in the Kingdom without having any signed contracts. Such people if cheated by their employers have no proof to fight their case, he said.
“I appeal to the minister, let there be a system first. Please see that a recruitment system is put in place in India,” he stressed.
The ambassador lauded the Kerala community for organizing the ceremony.
The function was also attended by representatives of the Indian International School, as well as community leaders and a large number of Keralites.