As 12.5 lakh Malayali NRIs returned to Kerala citing job losses during Covid-19, the Kerala government is set to propose a Rs 2,000 crore rehabilitation package for returnees to the Centre, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan informed the state Assembly on Wednesday.
Replying to a calling attention motion in the house, Vijayan said that the state government has already extended assistance like loans for entrepreneurship at subsidised rates to NRIs who returned during Covid-19. A total of 1.33 lakh returnees were given financial assistance of Rs 5,000 each.
Around 17.5 lakh Malayali NRIs returned by registering on Covid Jagratha portal of the state of which 12.67 lakh had cited job loss as the reason and many of them have already returned.
"In addition to the various schemes implemented by the state government, a detailed Rs 2000 crore-worth proposal will be submitted to the Centre soon for the implementation of a comprehensive rehabilitation package for the expatriates," Vijayan said.
However, as per the information received from the Airport Authority of India, a total of 39,55,230 passengers travelled abroad through the state airports between May, 2020 and October 2021, he said.
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(Published 27 October 2021, 09:51 IST)
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