Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has assured P C Chacko MP and vice-president of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) M M Hassan, who led the Overseas Indian Cultural Congress (OICC) delegation which visited Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, that immediate steps would be taken to solve the travel related problems faced by overseas Indians.
The Overseas Indian Cultural Congress delegation submitted a memorandum, raising various demands regarding expatriate Malayalees, to the Prime Minister.
The Prime Minister told the delegation that Air India had the responsibility to provide better service to the expatriates and assured that instances of exorbitant ticket charges levied by the national carrier during festival seasons would be looked into.
The PM also told the delegation that he was aware of the expatriates’ demand to increase the quantity of gold that can be carried by a passenger.
In the memorandum, the delegation demanded that legal assistance be provided to expatriates, who were in jail in the Gulf countries for minor offences, through the respective Indian Embassies.
Other demands include filling the vacancies existing in the Indian Embassies, appointment of officials who know Malayalam in Embassies of Gulf countries.
The OICC team led by KPCC president Ramesh Chennithala had met Congress president and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi the other day raising the same demands.