Ker CM writes to PM on arrange spl flights to bring back stranded Keralites in Gulf

: The Kerala government on Monday requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to arrange special flights to the Gulf to bring back Non Resident Keralites (NRKs)stranded there due to the lockdown.

In a letter to Modi, Chief Minister Pinaryi Vijayan said many Keralites who had gone on visit visas and in search of employment were finding it difficult to continue there without jobs.

While admitting that there were constraints in allowing international travel as the threat of Covid-19 had not yet receded, Vijayan requested that "special consideration" be shown to the needs of the gulf keralites at the earliest.

The Union government should consider arranging special flights to bring these people back, Vijayan said, adding that all International health protocols can be followed while extending this facility.

The Chief Minister said the state government would take care of the testing and quarantine needs of the Keralites after they return.

At the video conferencing Prime Minister had with chief ministers of April 11, this matter had been brought to Modi's notice, he said.

Expressing concern about the stranded NRKs, he told reporters that the government wants to bring them back as soon as possible