New Delhi: With Saudi Arabia firmly implementing naturalization laws that will hit Kerala expatriates there, a high-level meeting is scheduled to take place here on Monday to discuss issues concerning ‘Nitaqat’ policy.
In a letter to the Prime Minister, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy on Thursday had urged the Central government to seek a liberal approach by Saudi Arabia in the implementation of the Nitaquat law. The Chief Minister is also scheduled to hold discussions with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid on Tuesday, seeking the Centre’s immediate intervention.
Meanwhile, a meeting of officials convened by Minister for Non-Resident Keralites K.C. Joseph here on Sunday has decided to open helpdesks at the Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Karipur international airports to assist migrant workers who were forced to return from Saudi Arabia.
Minister K C Joseph Friday said the state government was working out a rehabilitation package for the expatriates returning from Saudi Arabia, adding the Cabinet at its next meeting on Wednesday would take up this issue seriously.
Around 5.7 lakh Keralites are working in Saudi Arabia as per a 2011 estimate. According to a report, out of the total population of 1.87 crore there, 87 lakh were foreigners.