Kerala diaspora availing amnesty scheme to be brought for free

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday said the Kerala diaspora opting for the amnesty scheme announced by the UAE government will be brought to India for free.

In a statement, Vijayan said the amnesty scheme starts from August 1 to October 31 and can be availed by all those who wish to return from UAE to Kerala.

"Those who wish to apply for it should get in touch with nine centres that will be opened there. The state-run Roots-Norka will coordinate for the smooth return and all will be brought for free and safely. The first batch of arrivals will take place in the middle of August," said Vijayan.

The study report published in 2014 by migration expert S. Irudayarajan of the Centre for Development Studies here points out that 90 per cent of Kerala's 23.63 lakh diaspora are in various Middle-East countries, of which UAE accounts for 38.7 per cent followed by Saudi Arabia with 25.2 per cent.

The amnesty scheme is for the benefit of all those who are in UAE but do not have valid papers and over the years, this scheme has come to the aid of several people who live "illegally" in the UAE, due to various reasons.

Vijayan also called upon the various Kerala organisations in the UAE to facilitate for those who wish to avail this amnesty.

--IANS

sg/pgh/vm