The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : NoRKA plans company to facilitate investment

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Sep 01, 2007
ePaper

Kerala

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

NoRKA plans company to facilitate investment

Special Correspondent

Photo identity cards for Malayalis working abroad: Chief Minister

Achuthanandan says the Government will implement a welfare scheme for the NRKs

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Non-Resident Keralites’ Affairs Department (NoRKA) has decided to float a company to facilitate structured investment by Non-Resident Keralites in the State and to work for their welfare.

Briefing mediapersons after a meeting of the NoRKA-ROOTS director board here on Friday, Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan said the company would work as a subsidiary of NoRKA-ROOTS and ensure greater investment by Malayalis working abroad in various upcoming projects. He refused to divulge details of the areas of investment proposed.

Mr. Achuthanandan said it had also been decided to implement a welfare scheme for Non-Resident Keralites and issue photo identity cards to Malayalis working abroad.

The multi-purpose cards would be issued by NoRKA. Applications for the identity cards would be received by the panchayats from where the person concerned hailed. NoRKA would create a data bank of Malayalis working abroad and issue them PIN numbers.

The director board meeting of NoRKA-ROOTS decided to increase the Government’s equity from 26 per cent to 51, co-opt five new members and organise a convention of Non-Resident Keralites in Kochi on January 2 and 3 next year, he said.

Mr. Achuthanandan said the Government also decided to give an ex gratia of Rs.50,000 to next of kin of poor non-resident Malayalis. The assistance would be available only to those having income below a certain level. The income ceiling would be decided later by the Government, the Chief Minister said.

Mr. Achuthanandan said the Government was in dialogue with airlines to operate more services between Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Kozhikode and connect the State directly with Mumbai, Delhi and various destinations abroad including the U.S. “We have been pleading with the Centre for all this and we are tired. We are now trying to deal directly with the airlines,” he said.

Non-resident Malayali businessmen M.A. Yusuffali and C.K. Menon, Manjalamkuzhi Ali, MLA, V.K.C. Mammed Koya and Alexander Vadakkedom, among others, attended the meeting.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Kerala