Welfare fund for NRKs on anvil

Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 18 (UNI) Kerala Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan today informed the state Assembly that the government was planning to enact a new legislation for constituting a Welfare Fund, including a pension scheme for the Non-resident Keralites.

Replying to questions from Mr Thomas Chandy (NCP) and others, he said the government would examine all possibilities on how such a welfare fund could be constituted for the Malayalees returning back to their native place from abroad.

Mr Achuthanadan said the government would also provide educational assistance to the children of those, who died in foreign countries.

The Chief Minister, who is holding the charge of Non-Resident Keralites Affairs, said NORKA-Roots, functioning under the NORKA Department had received license for recruiting job aspirants to foreign countries.

Stating that the government had noted that Malayalees were being cheated by the illegal recruitment agencies, he said a special police system would be introduced in the state to check such agencies.

It would also urge the Centre to facilitate the state to make direct contact with the Embassies in foreign countries to protect the Keralites from being cheated by the recruiting agencies, he said and added that steps were being taken to register criminal cases against them.

On the shortage of Malayalee staff in the Embassies and NORKA department, he said the government would take the issue very seriously.

Mr Achuthanandam said the government would give equal consideration to all the three airports in the state and would urge the airline companies to operate more flights from Kozhikode to Gulf destinations.

UNI