Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Subsidy package sought for workers

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: B.A. Prakash, Head, Department of Economics, University of Kerala, suggests that the Central government should immediately come out with a subsidy package granting 10 per cent of their annual remittance at least to the low-wage earning migrant workers.

For example, the migrant workers sending Rs.60,000 every year to their families in India through the official channels should be given Rs.6,000 as annual assistance. Those who are sending slightly higher amounts should also be supported proportionately, Prof. Prakash says.

Many, including Finance Minister T.M. Thomas Isaac, S. Irudaya Rajan of CDS here and Canara Bank general manager P Mohanan, also emphasise the need for sanctioning some relief package for the poor migrant workers. They suggest that such relief amounts could be disbursed to the migrants just like the relief funds that were distributed to the tsunami victims recently. K.K. George, chairman, Centre for Socio-Economic Studies (CSES), Kochi, suggests that the Centre consider introducing a differential exchange rate system to help the poorer sections of the migrant workers. — T.R.

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