Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Saturday that transparency had been maintained in all aspects related to the Loka Kerala Sabha (LKS) and the allegations of ‘‘nepotism and extravagance’‘ levelled against it only served to show the State in a bad light.
Inaugurating the American regional meeting of the Loka Kerala Sabha in New York, Mr. Vijayan countered the allegations in strong terms, describing them as ‘‘baseless.’‘ He denied the charges of extravagance in the organisation of LKS conferences in Kerala and the regional meetings held abroad.
Certain sections were trying to create the impression that individuals and party members close to the government were being given prominence in the LKS and the board of directors of NoRKA. The NoRKA director board featured individuals from different walks of life, who had come together for a common cause. Such controversies were the creation of a ‘‘certain mindset”, Mr. Vijayan said.
The Loka Kerala Sabha was a microcosm of the global Malayali diaspora and the State government was committed to strengthening it, he added.
Malayali expatriates in the US faced issues and challenges quite different from those faced by the diaspora elsewhere, Mr. Vijayan said adding that the State government, LKS, and NoRKA viewed the American regional conference seriously.
Further, the government had taken steps to implement the recommendations and suggestions emerging from the LKS, he said. Fifty-six recommendations that emerged from the third LKS conference were being scrutinised by various departments, while 11 had been referred to the Central government.
A digital data platform on non-resident Keralites, which NoRKA-Roots is creating with support from the Digital University Kerala, and a comprehensive insurance scheme for them were in the final stages. The government had spent ₹151 crore in the past seven years for the welfare of NRKs who returned home, the Chief Minister said.
A new round of the Kerala Migration Survey will be held this year so as to compile credible data on migration from the State, Mr. Vijayan said.
NoRKA-Roots, which has a recruitment wing to ensure safe migration, will start recruitment for jobs in the hospitality and tourism sectors in October 2023. In 2022 December, NoRKA-Roots and the Federal Employment Agency of Germany had inked an MoU for recruiting nurses. Two-hundred nurses were selected in phase one, he said.
