From rxpgnews.com
Kerala to prepare database of its diaspora
By IANS,
Mar 13, 2007 - 3:59:01 PM
Thiruvananthapuram, March 13 - Kerala Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan Tuesday said his government has begun to prepare a database on the number of people from the state living abroad.
'This is being done with the help of Norka - and the Centre for Development Studies - here, and Rs.5 million has been sanctioned for it,' said Achuthanandan in reply to a question in the assembly.
At present, the only data available is a study done by CDS professor S. Irudayarajan in the year 2000.
According to the study, there are an estimated two million non-resident Keralites - abroad with around 85 percent living in the Middle East countries alone.
These NRKs remit around Rs.200 billion to Kerala every year.
The chief minister said that to put the NRK remittances to productive use, the Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation has begun preparing project profiles of sectors like industry, agriculture, health and food processing in which the NRKs could invest.
'These projects would be basically small and medium scale projects,' he said.
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