NRI appeal day to be observed on January 2

To draw the attention of the government to the problems faced by NRIs, members of more than 30 NRI Kannadigas and pro-Kannada organisations will launch a Twitter and email campaign.

The Twitter campaign will begin at 4 pm on January 2.

The NRIs said the government had set up an NRI Forum over 12 years ago. The forum had the chief minister as its chairperson.

As the chief minister would be engaged in various works, a deputy chairman was also appointed to the forum in the past. The NRI Forum has no deputy chairman for the past three years, they added.

National Kannadigas Federation convener Hidayath Addur urged the government to appoint a vice-chairman to the NRI Forum.

An NRI Kannadiga should be appointed as vice-chairman to the forum, he said.

In order to highlight the problems of NRI Kannadigas, a Twitter and email campaign will be launched. Accordingly, NRI appeal day will be observed on January 2. Hundreds of pro-Kannadiga organisations from abroad will take part in it, he added.

"We represent Kannada and Karnataka outside the country. We are proud of it. But there are none to listen to our woes due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The NRI Forum of Karnataka government has no vice chairman to respond to our woes," said Italy Kannada Sangha president Heme Gowda Madhu.

"NRIs working in gulf countries have no intention of availing permanent citizenship. We work hard here and send back the money to our motherland," Qatar Tulu Koota former president Ravi Shetty said and urged the government not to neglect the demands of NRIs.