KOCHI: The much hyped two-day Global NRK Meet 2015 organised by the Department of Non-resident Keralites’ Affairs (NoRKA) and its field agency Norka-Roots is underway in Kochi. But the mega event, for which the State Government had already pumped in `1 crore for meeting expenses, marked a low attendance in the first day.
Interestingly it was the Gulf returnees who were most in number than actual NRKs for whom the meet was actually organised. Though the officials claimed a few days ago that 450 NRKs from around 20 countries have registered for the meet and they also expect a participation of 1,000 delegates for the global event, the final turnout on day one was around 300-350 persons. Among the 350 people, excluding officials and VIPs, the active participation from ‘NRKs’ was too low.
“We had received registration from 450 delegates a few days ago. May be all of them would not be able to come for the event,” Non-Resident Keralites Affairs Minister K C Joseph told Express, when asked about the low turnout.
Out of the few active NRKs who participated in the event, a majority of them are already settled here in Kerala after returning from foreign countries. “The real issue faced by NRKs in the Gulf region now is the sharp fall in crude oil prices. Due to this about 50 per cent of Keralites from Saudi Arabia would return to Kerala. But the severity of the crisis could only be explained by a man who is in Saudi. Unfortunately not many NRKs are participating in the event,” Mony Joseph, a delegate and Kozhencherry native, who came back from Gulf eight years ago and is working as an LIC Agent.
Another delegate Kunjutty Ponnad, a Malappuram native who returned from Saudi Arabia six years ago, said that flaws on organising the meet were the major reasons for the low turnout.
“There was more participation than this, particularly from NRKs, two years ago when it was held in Thiruvananthapuram,” he said.
Two years ago when the NRK Meet was held at Muscat Hotel in Thiruvananthapuram, around 300 people had participated in it. This time the number has increased.
Thus goes the claim by NoRKA officials. However, NoRKA secretary Rani George said that the venue opted for this year’s meeting was comparatively bigger than the one in Thiruvananthapuram.
“Otherwise, we do not think that the delegates are less this year. Moreover, we believe that there is no need to shift the venue of the Global NRK meet to overseas or Middle East so as to attract more delegates,” she added.
A majority of the participants for this year’s Global NRK Meet are Gulf returnees and their major demand is government fund at low interest to start their own enterprises.
“NRKs’ issues being discussed in their absence is the major highlight of the event. It will be ambitious to expect that a concrete solution for any of their issues would emerge out of the event,” another delegate Biju Joseph, a native of Adimali, who came back from Singapore three years ago said in a sarcastic tone.