THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:The perception that Malayalees working abroad return to their homeland after fulfilling all their dreams is not always true.The Kerala Migration Survey (KMS)-2018 revealed nearly 14 per cent of the expatriates who returned to Kerala were forced to do so owing to various health problems. Back pain or body pain was the most common problem, forcing the exit of 19.5 per cent of such expatriates from abroad. At 12.4 per cent, accidents were the second most common cause, said the survey conducted by the Centre for Development Studies.So, how many of the expatriates returned so far?
According to the latest KMS, 12.95 lakh of them, of which 42,325 returned in the past five years.
In fact, only 3.9 per cent of the over 12 lakh expatriates (around 50,000) who returned to Kerala said they had accomplished the goals which had necessitated their migration. Around 7.3 per cent said they returned because they wanted to come to Kerala.“The findings throw light on the hardships faced by Non-Resident Keralites (NRKs) toiling abroad. A major chunk of the NRKs who returned owing to illness were unskilled or semi-skilled labourers from the Gulf region,” said S Irudayarajan who led the survey.
“Construction workers in the Gulf have to toil for long hours in the hot sun. Back pain was a common problem among them. Many also complained of stomach pain,” he said. “Most migrant Keralites compromise on their eating habits, lifestyle and work overtime to earn for their families here.,” he said. The remedy: Irudayarajan suggests all NRKs to get insurance coverage.
Harikrishnan Namboothiri K, the CEO of NORKA-Roots – the PSU under the Department of NRKs’ Affairs which, among other things, implements government schemes for NRKs – said the agency had the ‘Santhwana’ scheme to help NRKs who returned in distress.“Under the scheme, death compensation up to a maximum of Rs 1 lakh and treatment assistance of Rs 50,000 are given,” he said.