Absence of databank hurdle for expatriate welfare programmes: Kerala CM

Kerala Chief Minister on Saturday said the absence of a comprehensive databank was a hurdle to implementing various welfare programmes for non-resident-Keralites (NRKs) and his government would initiate a global registration campaign to include all expatriates from the state in the data bank proposed to be expanded by the southern state.

Addressing the Loka Kerala Sabha, a two-day conference of the non-resident Keralites conducted by the government here, he said the plan is to expand the existing data bank by conducting a migration survey during the year 2022-23.

He also criticized opposition Congress-UDF for boycotting the conference and said they skipped the conclave of expatriates as the community always stands for the development of the southern state.

A total of 351 delegates, including over 180 representatives from 65 foreign countries, took part in the third edition of the Loka Kerala Sabha, an ambitious initiative of the Vijayan government envisaged as a convention of non-resident Keralites.

”A comprehensive databank, comprising detailed information regarding expatriates, is not available right now. It is causing hurdles to the welfare initiatives for them in a large scale. No such data is available with the Centre as well,” Vijayan said.

He pointed out that a comprehensive data collection of people who migrated to other parts of the globe had been conducted in the state till 2018 as part of the Kerala Migration Survey.

”Now, we are planning to expand this database by conducting a migration survey during the year 2022-23. A comprehensive global registration campaign can be conducted to make all the expatriates a part of the data bank,” he said.

With the compilation of the comprehensive data bank, all welfare programmes including the health insurance scheme for them can be made part of it, the CM added. The Loka Kerala Sabha aims to integrate the welfare of the expatriates and the development activities of the state, by bringing together the expatriates, including the Malayalee community.