Kochi: Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi made it clear yesterday that the government was willing to go to any extent to help Indians to return from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) under the amnesty offer of the UAE government.
“We do not want any Indian to suffer because they don’t have money to pay for their fare. We will make all arrangements for them,” Ravi told reporters at the 11th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas being held here. “We will use the India Community Welfare Fund for the repatriation of Indians,” said Ravi.
Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said they are baffled by the poor response ever since the amnesty offer started on December 4.
“So far just 300 Keralites have registered for it. We will find out why there has been such a poor response,” said Chandy. According to reports from the UAE, 800 Indian’s have registered for the amnesty, which ends on February 3. “We want to ensure that our people can continue to work legally in the UAE. But as a government we will be able to do little in that respect because the laws of that country have to be respected,” said Chandy.
State Minister for Diaspora K C Joseph said that the state government will lend a helping hand to those who return.“We can link up with commercial banks in the state to provide soft loans to the returnees to help them start a business,” said Joseph. The Kerala government had earlier announced that they would set apart `2.5m to meet repatriation expenses of Keralites who wish to return. The last time the UAE offered an amnesty was in 2007 and 40,000 Indians made use of it and returned. Another 37,000 used the offer to legalise their stay in the UAE by paying reduced penalties.
Earlier, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh praised the southern state of Kerala on the occasion of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas. In his address, Dr Singh said: “Kerala is blessed by the generosity of nature, the hospitality of its people and the richness of its culture. This gives it a well-deserved right to claim that Kerala is ‘God’s own country’.”
The shores of Kerala have been part of the global currents of commerce, culture and religion since ancient times. This state was one of the first to come into contact with Judaism, Christianity and Islam. It had a strong tradition of maritime trade, extending from the Gulf and Europe in the West to China in the East, he said..Agencies
