Kerala offers rehab package to returnees

Kerala, a south Indian state that has deployed an estimated 750,000 workers in Saudi Arabia, is all set to launch a “broad rehabilitation package” for Indian expatriates returning from Saudi Arabia following the strict implementation of the new Nitaqat labor policy. This was revealed by K.C. Joseph, minister for nonresident Keralite affairs, at a press conference here yesterday.
Joseph said: “The rehabilitation package for Keralite workers returning from Saudi Arabia would be rolled out soon.” Indian Ambassador Hamid Ali Rao, Deputy Chief of the Mission Sibi George and other senior Indian diplomats were present at the luncheon press briefing. Joseph also spoke about a pilot survey being conducted by his government to ascertain the number and the conditions of Keralites working overseas.
Minister Joseph, who holds additional portfolios of rural development, planning, culture and dairy development in the Kerala state government, held talks with Rao and met with a cross-section of workers here yesterday. He commended the role of the embassy and the way it handled the rush of the Nitaqat-affected workers. He said the “Riyadh-based Indian diplomatic mission has become a role model for our other missions abroad.”
The minister said the Saudi authorities must also be thanked for their “kind and humanitarian approach” to the issue. Saudi Arabia has given expat workers until July 3 to comply with the new obligations, with an amnesty on illegal workers until then. Asked to share features of the proposed rehabilitation package, he said the Kerala government is working on the modalities to launch the scheme.
India’s External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid, who held bilateral talks in Saudi Arabia recently, had urged all Indian states, including Kerala, to come up with a viable rehabilitation scheme. He said the department of NORKA, the state government and some banks including State Bank of Travancore have come forward to offer the rehabilitation package.
Asked to explain the details of the state-funded survey for nonresident Keralites, Joseph said an online facility is in place to participate in the survey. “Also, a door-to-door survey to collect the basic details about NRKs in the state began last month,” said the minister, adding that the survey will be completed this month. He noted that his government is working on several infrastructure projects including a project to boost air links between the Gulf and Kerala.
“As the Congress-led United Democratic Front government in Kerala completed two years in office last month, the emphasis is now on the infrastructure sector, where the government hopes to make a palpable difference,” said Joseph. He further explained his government’s plans for the infrastructure sector, including the realization of two new airports, a metro rail project, an IT park and a major port in the state.
He said the proposed Vizhinjam port project in the southern tip of the state was expected to get environmental clearance soon. Two new airports have been the talk of the state which already boasts three international airports at Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Kozhikode. Joseph said the Kerala government was committed to both the proposed airports, at Aranmula and Kannur.
Meanwhile, the Indian Embassy announced a meeting of volunteers today (June 9) in the chancery premises at the Diplomatic Quarters.