Kerala has accused the federal government of doing nothing to help NRI returnees who have been laid off as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s approach paper, delivered before the third Loka Kerala Sabha, lamented the lack of a national migration policy and the Central government’s alleged refusal to disclose migration statistics.
Loka Kerala Sabha, the conclave of Malayalees living across the world, was held from 16-18 June at Thiruvananthapuram.
At the inaugural session of the biennial event at the Assembly complex on Friday, Industries Minister P. Rajeev read the paper on behalf of the Chief Minister, who is ill.
The approach paper claimed that almost 17 lakh non-resident Keralites returned during the epidemic and charged the Centre with neglecting to ensure the welfare of the returnees.
The state administration has requested a 2,000-crore reconstruction fund for the displaced from the Union government. The program contained provisions for skill training centres, self-employment, educational help for returnee children, housing assistance, and a medical insurance fund. The plan, however, was rejected.
Two years after its debut, the Centre’s SWADES (Skilled Workers Arrival Database for Employment Support) skill card initiative, which was supposed to help NRI returns, has failed to make an effect. The goal of the skill-mapping effort was to create a database of competent individuals to tap into their skill sets and connect them with various businesses.
The State also opposes the planned Emigration Bill of 2021, which ostensibly aims to shift the responsibility of migrant rehabilitation to state governments. Aside from a number of inconsistencies, such as the exclusion of emigrants’ family members and students from the category of emigrants, the draught Act includes no reference to migration data. The absence of such data has impeded the development of rehabilitation programs for returnees.
While the State administration recommends abolishing the Labour Ministry and placing all migrant matters under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of External Affairs, it also demands the creation of a new ministry to deal with NRI issues.
