THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As the third edition of Loka Kerala Sabha (LKS) begins on Thursday, the jury is still out on whether the two earlier editions of the grand biennial convention were able to address burning issues of expatriates or effectively utilise their expertise for the development of the state.
The government has reiterated that the objective of LKS is to provide an "inclusive democratic space" for Keralites worldwide and it is not a business or investors' meet. Norka officials admit that nearly two years of a virtual shutdown owing to the pandemic has affected the implementation of most of the recommendations of the second LKS in 2020. However, some of the proposals mooted in the first edition in 2018 were executed, they claim.
"The Loka Kerala Sabha has indeed helped in ensuring better coordination while utilising the services of the expatriate population for the state's welfare. We have seen it during the floods in the state and the pandemic," Speaker MB Rajesh, who is the chairman of the LKS presidium said, on the eve of the conference. He added that the Sabha will bring out a report card on the achievements of its previous editions.
The key achievements according to Norka department are the setting up of a company named Overseas Keralites Investment and Holding Ltd to fund various development projects in the state with NRK investment.
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However, the company's first project of setting up wayside amenities is yet to take off. An NRI construction company to take up various infrastructure development projects still remains on paper. Also, nothing much has been heard of the Pravasi Bank, another key suggestion mooted in previous editions of LKS.
Though a 'Kerala State Pravasi Welfare and Development Cooperative Society' has been set up, it is still charting out various projects to be implemented, according to information provided by Norka. Regarding skill development of ex-pats, preparations have begun to set up centres to impart training in foreign languages of major host nations.
Meanwhile, there has been some progress in terms of a few other proposals in LKS such as setting up of a woman NRK cell to ensure the safe migration of women overseas. Migration facilitation centres in airports and pre-embarkment orientation centres in passport offices were also set up.
"A number of valuable suggestions and proposals had come up in the two previous editions of the Loka Kerala Sabha. But what is urgently needed is a concrete mechanism to monitor and follow up whether these proposals, approved by the government, have been implemented," said KV Shamsudeen, a member of the previous LKS and chairman of Pravasi Bandhu Welfare Trust.
Former Ambassador of India TP Sreenivasan was highly critical of the LKS, terming it as a wasteful expenditure. "The conference has turned into an event for politicians to return the favour for the generous hospitality they have received from their hosts during their overseas visits," he said.
Sreenivasan pointed out that the biennial event has also created a division between expatriates, with members of the Sabha posing as leaders, even though they are only nominated for a two-year term.
Major 'Achievements' of LKS