Department of Non-Resident Keralites' Affairs

http://norka.gov.in

Issue 131

PRAVASI
NORKA NEWSLETTER 16 September, 2007

FORTNIGHT'S HIGHLIGHTS

ID Cards for NRKs

Non- resident Keralites will be issued with ID cards with photos and the application for the same will be accepted in the Panchayath level. A decision to this end was taken by a board meeting of Norka – Roots. A subsidiary company will be instituted with the economic participation of NRKs to ensure their welfare and investment potentials, informed Chief Minister, Mr. V. S. Achuthanandan. A plan to allocate Rs.50,000 to the relatives of economically backward NRKs who meet with death at foreign countries is also on the move, he said.

Pension plan for immigrants

A draft bill, which proposes a pension plan for immigrants is in the active consideration of the Government, Mr. V. S. Achuthanandan, Chief Minister, recently informed the Kerala Legislative Assembly. The government will ensure the safety of those who return to Kerala following the UAE amnesty. 5000 persons are to return from UAE only. Assistance will be given through NORKA to every one who wants to return.

‘Mini Pravasi Divas’ in September

The Overseas Indian Affairs Ministry has decided to celebrate ‘Mini Pravasi Divas’ (Mini- PBD-2007) in New York on September 23. The event is the first one of this sort. Persons of Indian origin and Non- resident Indians from North American, South American and Caribbean countries will take part in the event, informed Mr. Vayalar Ravi, Union Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs. He was speaking after signing a memorandum of understanding with the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) to organize the ‘Know India’ programme that aims at introducing overseas Indian youth to the culture, history and heritage of India.

PM to launch LNG Terminal in October

The proposed LNG terminal at Puthuvypeen, Kochi, will be launched by the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh in October. The construction process is to be completed by the end of 2010 or in the beginning of 2011. This decision was taken at a meeting presided by Mr. Murali Deora, the Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas. The Petronet officials have made it clear that there is no need for apprehensions as far as the availability of LNG is concerned.

Mr. T. K. A Nair, Principal Secretary of the Prime Minister, Mr. Elamaram Kareem, Minister for Industries, Mr. Thomas Isaac, Minister for Finance, Mr. M. S. Srinivasan, Petroleum Secretary, Mr. Dasguptha, Managing Director, Petronet, members of parliament, Dr. Sebastian Paul and Mr. Chandran Pillai, Mr. N. Ramachandran, Port Trust Chairman, Mr. T. Balakrishnan, Principal Secretary, Industries and Mr. Muhammed Haneesh, Collector, Ernakulam were present in the meeting.

New immigration law in Germany

The new immigration law came into being in Germany with Mr. Horst Koehler, President, signing it. According to the law, both the foreigners and natives should know to read, write and speak German language, if they have to bring their spouses to the country. It is applicable for the second generation of Malayalees also, who have accepted German citizenship. Meanwhile, the Turks, who constitute a large majority of the foreigners in Germany, have decided to move the court against the law.

Doha – USA service from Qatar Airways

Now, flying to USA from Kerala is easier, with Qatar Airways starting daily flights to Washington DC and New York from Doha. Both services were started in the month of July. With this, Qatar Airways has become the first West Asian company to start daily flight services to USA. According to Mr. Navin Chavla, Regional Manager of Qatar Airways, India, it is quite proud a moment for the company.

At present Qatar Airways operates flight services to 75 cities all over the world. The new service to Washington DC and New York will be highly beneficial for Indian travellers. Apart from this, there are daily services to Doha from Mumbai, Hyderabad, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram.

Doha International Airport, one of the main gateways to India and other South East Asian countries, has recently got a facelift with the setting up of a new terminal for business and first class passengers. This state-of-the-art terminal, which is set up at an expense of 360 crores includes spas, duty free shops and business centres.

Visa Change: Permission of sponsor needed

The Ministry for Labour Affairs, Saudi Arabia, has made it clear that if an employee wants to change the visa from one company to another, the NOC of the sponsor is mandatory. The ministry made this statement on the wake of the spread of some news that there is no need of such permission for labourers whose working contract has expired.

However, this permission can be avoided on following grounds- if the sponsor deliberately delays legal affairs, humanitarian reasons or with the special permission of the ministry. If the sponsor denies salary or behaves rudely towards the employees, they can change the visas with the special permission of the labour ministry and the Minister for Labour Affairs will be completely responsible for granting visa changes on such instances. The NOC of the sponsor will not be strict, if the complaints of the labourers are proved true, the ministry informed.

UAE puts curbs on hand baggages

Various airports in UAE have put a curb on hand baggages being transported in aeroplanes. This rule, implemented by UAE Genaral Aviation Authority as per the advice of International Civil Aviation Organization, has come into practice from June 30, 2007. The rule will affect the transportation of liquid materials including liquefied detergent, perfume, shaving lotion and hair gel. One is not permitted to travel with more than 100 milli litres of such goods and once brought out, they should be put safely within transparent plastic bags.

Centre in Dubai for IIT entrance examination

Next year onwards, Dubai will be a centre for the common entrance examination of Indian Institute of Technology. It is for the first time that the exam is getting a centre outside India.

Bahrain removes curbs on driving licence issuance

Bahrain has removed the existing restraints in issuing driving licences to foreign labourers and housekeepers. Such curbs have been imposed when it was brought to notice that illegal taxi services were on the rise after licences were issued freely. As a consequence, only professionals like doctors, engineers and supervisors were given traffic licence. However, the termination of the rule is expected to do good for the foreigners.

Indian industrialist to start air services from UAE

Mr. Paul Kang, an Indian industrialist, is all set to start private aircraft services from UAE. The proposed Kang Pacific Airlines project is expected to take off in the month of October with services to India, Philippines, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

EMKE Group with 800 Crores Plan in Yemen

EMKE Group, led by the Kerala-born industrialist Mr. M. A. Yusuf Ali, is all set to launch the biggest trade-cum-entertainment plaza of Yemen. The discussions between Mr. Ali Muhammad Mujawwar, Prime Minister of Yemen and Mr. Yusuf Ali paved way for this agreement and 20 acres of land in Sana Town, the Capital City of Yemen, has been allotted to EMKE Group for this purpose. The proposed plaza will cover 10,00,000 square feet and this is the biggest investment of an Indian entrepreneur in Yemen. Mr. Ali has said that the plan also aims at giving more employment opportunities to Keralites in Yemen. Out of 18,000 employees of the company, 11,000 are Malayalees.

Parumala Perunal at Parumala Church in Thiruvalla, Pathanamthitta District on November 2, 2007.

Ashtamudi backwater