JEDDAH – A minister from the southern Indian state of Kerala said that the government of Kerala will meet the travel expense of the stranded Keralites who wish to return home by taking advantage of the grace period. Speaking to Saudi Gazette, Manjalamkuzhi Ali, Minister of Urban Development and Minority Affairs, said that the modus operandi for this was being finalized by the government. “As most of those unregulated expatriates who approach the Indian Embassy and the consulate for an emergency certificate (EC) belong to the low income group, we are keen to facilitate their smooth return. In case of those who return home after purchasing a ticket, the government will consider refunding them,” he said on the eve of the second anniversary of the Congress-led United Democratic Front government of Kerala that falls on Saturday. Ali, who is also a prominent Gulf-based businessman, thanked Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah for granting a three-month grace period to regularize the residency and work status of undocumented foreigners. “We all support the Saudi drive to regulate its employment market, which is dominated by some eight million foreigners. As guest workers, Indians and other nationals must respect the law of their host country,” he said. Earlier, addressing a Meet the Press program organized by the Jeddah chapter of Indian Media Forum Friday evening, the minister said his government has prepared a rehabilitation package for those returning from the Kingdom. “First of all, we will examine the status of those coming back, and then arrange packages that are suitable and viable for them. The government will extend financial support to them with a low interest rate,” he said while stressing that the government is keen not to make such packages a financial burden for the returnees. “Even though expatriates are the backbone of the state's economy, the government has still not any figures of their exact number.” Ali announced the launch of a new scheme called Municipal Asset Creation Program for Expatriates. He said the scheme, which will be under the Ministry of Urban Development, will kick-start on August 17. “The land for the scheme will be allotted by the government. Under the scheme, investors will be exclusively expatriates and they can initiate any commercial ventures that are suitable and feasible in major cities where there is an ample scope for such projects,” he said, adding that this scheme will benefit the returning expatriates. As part of tackling the waste management problem facing the state, the minister unveiled plans to introduce the plasma gasification in six major cities, including Trivandrum, Cochin and Calicut. “The government plans to cash in on the Gulf model of advanced waste management by introducing this system.” Referring to the measures taken to improve the condition of minorities in the state, Ali said that Kerala stands as a role model for many other Indian states in implementing schemes and programs for the minorities. “In a recent national-level meeting of ministers and officials, India's Minority Affairs Minister K. Rahman Khan called on the participants to make Kerala a role-model. We have set up a state-level minority commission and a minority financial corporation,” he said adding that the coaching centers are one of the best examples of his ministry's initiative to help members of the minority communities and other backward sections to sit for competitive public exams both at the national and state levels. The minister also announced plans to establish a residential school campus for the children of expatriates for whom the expensive education at most Gulf schools is unaffordable. Ali, who has been in the Gulf since 1971, claims that he still likes to be called as an ‘expatriate.' He represents the Indian Union Muslim League party in the state legislative assembly after winning two times earlier on the ticket of the opposition Left Democratic Front.
