THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The government is in a dilemma over the proposed study by the United Nations Development Programme - India on return migrants in the state. NORKA department sources say though the government was initially under the impression that the UNDP would be undertaking the study free of cost, now they had only conducted a preliminary work and suggested financial obligations to proceed further.
Hence the government has to take a call on the matter. Additional chief secretary - NORKA Sheela Thomas said the government was going through the report submitted by UNDP. "We are yet to take a decision on further steps to be initiated," she said. Even as officials preferred to be tight-lipped on the cost factor prescribed by UNDP, sources said it was over Rs 1 crore.
The study was aimed at strengthening the skill development programmes for returnees and explore redeployment opportunities through an institutional framework. It also proposed setting up of model career centres. A concept note of the study prepared by UNDP had said even as NORKA initiated various steps for employment of returnees, unemployment among them was 7.2 percent, which was three times higher than the national average of 2.3 percent.
