THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The NORKA department has decided to prepare a live database of NRKs and returnees and offer insurance coverage to those registering on the database. Though NORKA Roots initiated an online registration for NRKs in 2015, it evoked little response from the NRKs. Hence the government decided to launch a comprehensive project in this regard.
According to government sources, the state has sanctioned a Rs 5 crore project in this regard. Apart from insurance coverage, the project involved creating a live website for registering details of NRKs and returnees, carrying out massive awareness programmes in the country and abroad and engaging, Kudumbasree, Akshaya centres and organisations of NRKs and returnees for data collection. NORKA Roots, which will be impelementing the project, will workout the modalities, including details of insurance coverage, said government sources.
According to sources, the database will have details like skills of the NRKs and returnees so that it could be used even for development purposes of the state in future. The database will be also useful in extending welfare schemes for NRKs and returnees, said sources. At present the state do not have a fool proof statistics of NRK population. While the NRK population was roughly estimated to be over 25 lakh, a Pravasi Malayali Survey conducted by state Economics and Statistics Department in association with NORKA department in 2014 could only locate 16.25 lakh NRKs. But NRKs' organisations that the figures would be much higher.
