KOCHI: The state government on Thursday told the High Court that the District Disaster Management Authority has been provided Rs 13.45 crore from the State Disaster Response Fund to arrange facilities for expatriates stranded abroad.
The government said it has identified 1.16 lakh rooms for quarantining NRIs. Of this,around 1.15 lakh rooms having attached bathrooms are ready to accommodate the expatriates. The government said 9,000 more rooms in hotels and resorts have been identified to house NRIs wishing to pay for the accommodation.
The Kerala Medical Services Corporation Ltd also has around 40,000 RT-PCR test kits, the government said in a report it filed after the court sought an explanation of the details regarding the facilities arranged for the repatriation of expatriates.
In the statement, special government pleader M H Hanil Kumar said 4.52 lakh non-resident Keralites registered via NORKA as on May 6. The government said all district administrations have made all preparation to receive expatriates. “Nodal officers have been appointed in each district to monitor the activities,” he said.