Chandy moots to discuss labourers' issue in PBD

Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy Friday mooted a separate one-day session from the next Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) to discuss issues related to labourers.

"We are here to discuss issues of NRIs (Non-Resident Indians). The ordinary NRIs who constitute not less than 75 percent of the total NRI population are not represented here. I propose that from next PBD, we must have separate one-day session for labourers to discuss their problems," Chandy said during the chief ministers' session at the PBD 2015 being held here.

"We are proud of our non-resident community as they are known for their intensive productivity. These people remit, on an average over Rs.60,000 crore per year to banks in Kerala which is three times of our annual plan budget," he said.

"But we have failed to channel this remittance into a real development needed for our state. We are trying our best to utilise this for the benefit of both the state and the NRIs. We know if properly channelled the remittances can make a significant impact on the investment scenario of the state," added Chandy.

Quoting the McKinsey report, Chandy said it has been found that there is an opportunity for companies to see Kerala as a production base as it is one of the high performing states based on Gross State Domestic Product, per capita income, productivity of workers, literacy rate and electrified households.