Need amenities for families returning from Saudi

The NRIs working in Saudi Arabia are in distress due to ‘Saudization policy’ (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s new policy makes it mandatory for Saudi companies and enterprises to fill up their workforce with Saudi nationals).

The families returning to native villages should be rehabilitated by government, Indian Social Forum Karnataka State Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia, members stressed on Friday.

Forum’s Working Committee member Mohammed Sharief told media persons on Friday that the number of NRIs losing job in Saudi Arabia in the past three years is on the rise and the numbers will increase in the days to come.

He said 41 provinces have been included in this year’s Saudization.Those staying with the families have been asked to pay the expatriate dependent fee. As a result, the number of people who return to their native places will double in the future. Already, about 1,500 NRI families have returned after Saudization, he said.

Sharief said that the forum is compiling a report on Karnataka NRIs employment crisis in Gulf countries and its impact. The report will be submitted to Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy shortly, he added.

He urged state government to provide suitable package on the lines of Kerala model for the rehabilitation of NRI families which return to Karnataka. The NRI Forum is not working up to the mark in Karnataka, he said.

Sharief said those, who have lost their employment in Saudi, should be provided employment opportunities depending on their skills and expertise. Various welfare schemes of the government should be made available to the NRI Kannadigas, he urged.

Further, he urged the government to interfere when the schools and colleges demand hefty fee for the education of their children at their native places. Considering the expatriates as NRIs, the educational institutions have been demanding exorbitant fee, he claimed.

In the past, the about 5,000 to 10,000 youths from coastal belt were leaving for Gulf countries in search of employment. The government should take up various programmes to generate employment in the state now, he urged.

He said District In-charge Minister U T Khader has promised to open an NRI cell unit at the DC’s office to register the NRIs returning to native villages from Gulf countries. Unfortunately, no such facilities have been launched so far. The state government does not have any information on the NRIs from Karnataka working in different countries, he rued.