Kerala budget may offer sops for jobless diaspora

July 17th, 2009 THIRUVANANTHAPURAM - Kerala will ask the central government to change electoral laws to enable NRIs to vote, state Finance Minister Thomas Isaac said in the state assembly Friday. The minister was responding to a query by Indian Union Muslim League leader P.K.

July 6th, 2009 THIRUVANANTHAPURAM - The union budget for 2009-10 presented in the Lok Sabha Monday offered nothing to the non-resident Keralites (NRKs), who were hit hard by the slowdown in the Middle East and other countries, Kerala Finance Minister Thomas Isaac said. "Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi and Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor are from Kerala.

June 12th, 2009 THIRUVANANTHAPURAM - Kerala Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan Friday lashed out at the central government for only making announcements and not doing anything to help the diaspora and those who have returned from abroad.

May 12th, 2009 THIRUVANANTHAPURAM - Kerala Tourism has tied up with private carrier Jet Airways to offer 'Jet2Kerala', a special scheme that offers low-cost air tickets to domestic tourists flying to the state. The Jet2Kerala scheme, which was launched in Mumbai Tuesday, will offer travellers tickets - from premium to business classes - and accommodation - in luxury properties as well as budget hotels - at discounted rates, a government statement released here said.

February 22nd, 2009 THIRUVANANTHAPURAM - Kerala's Finance Minister Thomas Isaac Saturday said that the state was the 'safest place' for the diaspora to invest their hard earned money. 'Already many in the Middle East are looking for safe places to invest their hard earned money.

February 21st, 2009 THIRUVANANTHAPURAM - Kerala Finance Minister Thomas Isaac, who tabled the state budget in the assembly Friday, has allocated Rs.100 million (Rs.10 crore) for the newly-floated Pravasi Welfare Fund, a scheme to help those non-resident Malayalis who have not completed two years of employment abroad but have to return on account of the global meltdown. 'This is basically for those who have spent a lot of money to go abroad, and as the first step, we will have a registry of those returning and the money will be allocated after studying their needs,' said Isaac.

February 21st, 2009 THIRUVANANTHAPURAM - No fresh tax has been proposed in the fourth budget that was presented by Kerala Finance Minister Thomas Isaac in the assembly Friday. In what appears to be a populist budget ahead of the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections, Isaac also announced several sops including providing rice at Rs.2 per kilogram to people living below the poverty line (BPL), a hike in the pension for the weaker sections from Rs.200 to Rs.250, and an additional Rs.100 for those above 65 years in the BPL category.

February 18th, 2009 THIRUVANANTHAPURAM - The number of unemployed people in Kerala was a little over four million in June 2008 and included about 158,000 professional and technical job seekers, according to the 2008 Economic Review that was tabled in the state assembly Thursday. The figure was below the four-million mark in 2007.

February 15th, 2009 THIRUVANANTHAPURAM - The first reactions from Kerala to the interim budget presented in Parliament Monday by Minister for External Affairs Pranab Mukherjee have been those of disappointment. Mukherjee, presenting the interim budget on behalf of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who is recovering from heart bypass surgery, said additional steps would have to be considered in the regular budget to be presented by the next government, after the ensuing general elections in a month or two.

February 6th, 2009 THIRUVANANTHAPURAM - The Pravasi Malayalee Welfare Association Saturday urged both the state and central governments to come to the aid of the large number of NRIs who are returning to Kerala after losing their jobs due to the global economic recession. 'On an average, every day close to 300 people are returning to the state from abroad.

February 4th, 2009 THALASSERY - Beleaguered Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) Kerala state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan Thursday lashed out at the Planning Commission for failing to support the state government in helping the large number of the Kerala diaspora likely to be affected by the economic meltdown. Speaking to reporters here on the third day of his state wide march, Vijayan said the state government has recently launched the Pravasi Welfare Fund, meant for the rehabilitation of the diaspora who are now in trouble as a large number of jobs in the Middle East are being cut.

February 3rd, 2009 THIRUVANANTHAPURAM - Chief executives of Technopark companies here Wednesday asked the Kerala government to announce a stimulus package for the state's IT industry, which has been hit hard by the economic slowdown. The Group of Technopark Companies (GTECH), a body representing the CEOs of the companies in Technopark, expected hope that the government would come up with some sops for the industry in the next state budget, to be presented later this month.

January 16th, 2009 THIRUVANANTHAPURAM - Kerala Finance Minister Thomas Isaac Saturday said the state is soon going to feel the heat of the economic slowdown as remittances from abroad are certain to fall in the coming months. 'It is going to be a tough time on account of the fall in remittances which incidentally have been keeping the state afloat for several years,' Isaac told reporters after the meeting of the Kerala State Planning Board here.

December 23rd, 2008 KOCHI - The two-day diaspora meet 'Ente Naadu', billed as a platform for the Kerala diaspora to invest in tourism projects in the state, concluded here Wednesday with an investment of over Rs.10 billion expected to take place in the coming years, a minister said. Over 500 non-resident Keralites (NRKs) from 42 countries took part in the two-day event.

December 22nd, 2008 KOCHI - The two day 'Ente Naadu', billed as a platform for the Kerala diaspora to invest in tourism projects in the state, has attracted a good response with more than 500 delegates from 42 countries attending the meet. The key objective of the two day meet is to open up exciting prospects for non resident Keralites (NRKs) through the 'Bring Home a Friend programme', which will make them brand ambassadors of Kerala.