Thiruvananthapuram:
The Kerala government is gearing itself to face the
challenge of receiving an estimated 20,000 Malayali expatriates
from the United Arab Emirates, who have to leave the West-Asian
nation before April 2003 under a general amnesty announced
by the administration there.
A
meeting of the state cabinet yesterday discussed the issue
and constituted a cabinet subcommittee to attend to their
problems and to provide facilities for their return to
Kerala, which accounts for the largest number of expatriates
being sent out of the UAE.
Chief
Minister A K Antony says the subcommittee will make efforts
to do whatever is possible to those returning from the
Gulf at the state government level, besides coordinating
with the central ministries concerned, to reduce their
hardships. The emphasis will mainly be on making
proper travel arrangements to cope with the massive evacuation
exercise.
The
Kerala government views with anxiety the UAEs decision
to send back 40,000 Indians working in the Emirates, says
Antony. Out of the 40,000 returnees, Malayalis constitute
the majority.
The
inflow is to begin from February 2003. Sources
say the situation will become complicated this time in
the context of the UAE governments decision not
to allow change of sponsorship to remain there again.
The
cabinet subcommittee constituted comprises Finance Minister
K Sankaranarayanan, Industries Minister P K Kunhalikutty,
Non-resident Keralites Affairs Minister M M Hassan, Revenue
Minister K M Mani and Transport Minister K B Ganesh Kumar.
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