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Express News Service
Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 21: The Non-Resident
Keralites Affairs (NORKA) Department has
constituted a legal cell and a relief fund,
titled 'Santhwana', for the benefit of
Non-resident Keralites.
It has also introduced schemes to assist the
returnees in setting up industrial ventures in
the State and to extend training programmes.
NORKA Minister M. M. Hassan told reporters here
today that the steps were taken considering the
long-pending demands pf NRKs. He said that the
welfare and development programmes were being
initiated by the Roots-NRK Development
Initiative, a company under the NORKA Department
for the welfare of NRKs.
The legal cell was constituted by the Roots in
association with the Niyama Sammeksha (NISA)
Trust under the guidance of Justice K. Sukumaran.
The cell would give legal advice, consultation
and support for litigation to NRKs and their
families. A panel comprising retired judges of
the Supreme Court and the High Court, appointed
by NISA, would give guidance on the litigations.
While legal advice and consultation would be
offered free of charges, a nominal fee would be
charged for litigation. Those requiring the
services of the cell could approach the NORKA
Department or Roots in Thiruvananthapuram or
NISA in Kochi.
Hassan said that a relief fund, titled
Santhwana-NORKA Minister's Distress Relief Fund.
It would be utilised for the welfare of
returnees with an annual family income below Rs
30,000. Assistance could be provided for
purposes like treatment, marriage of children
and in the event of death.
The Minister said that of the Rs 1 core allotted
by the State Government to the Roots in this
year's Budget, Rs. 20 lakh had been earmarked
for the relief fund.
The first payment from the relief fund was given
to Renju, a Malayali nurse who was raped at a
hospital in Delhi recently. She was given Rs.
25,000. Hassan said.
As part of its efforts to rehabilitate the NRKs,
the Roots would initiate an entrepreneurship
development programme.
Recruitment to Iraq: Hassan said that
the State Government had received several
petitions regarding the recruitment being made
to Iraq from here.
"However, the issue is not under the purview of
the State Government and hence the petitions had
been referred to the Centre. The Centre would be
taking necessary actions." he said.
CGFNS CENTRE: He said that the State
Government would initiate steps to retain the
CGFNS examination centre at Kochi. Though the
NORKA had expressed willingness to conduct the
examination following confusion at the Cochin
University of Science and Technology, the CGFNS
authorities were insisting that the examination
should be conducted by the university itself.
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