Union Minister of State for External Affairs E. Ahmed has said that Kerala needs to take cognisance of ‘disturbing trends’ in emigration to West Asia.
He was addressing a seminar on ‘NRIs in Gulf’ as part of the ongoing three-day annual Pravasi Bharatiya Divas convention, the 11th in the series and the first being hosted by the Government of Kerala.
Ahmed said that emigration from Kerala to the Gulf Cooperation Countries (GCC) has reduced significantly from the 1970s, separated by two ‘waves.’
At its peak, Keralites constituted as much as 80 per cent of all emigration to this destination registered during the 1970s. The Minister said this percentage figure has progressively reduced to 70, 65, 60 and 55 lately.
More and more emigration is taking place from other Southern States as also from upcountry destinations, Ahmed said.
SKILLED LABOUR
Raw, unskilled workers from Kerala are also being increasingly replaced by English-speaking and trained workers from countries such as the Philippines.
This is cause for concern, and there is need for the Government of Kerala to look beyond the ‘ITI-polytechnic’ formula to reverse this trend, Ahmed said.
GCC countries are now looking to hire more skilled labour, which is also becoming available in the market.
The Minister added that employers in the GCC countries speak highly of Keralite workers since ‘they are trustworthy.’ He recalled that the first migration wave was prompted by the petro dollar rush of the 1970s and the resultant construction boom in the oil-rich countries.
The second wave unfolded in the 1990s but the destinations were the US and Europe as the IT and technology sectors opened up.
3 categories
Ahmed said his Ministry has categorised Indian emigrants in three categories. Those who migrated to a host of Southeast Asian and African nations during the time of British rule in India were the first.
The second comprised those who are looking out for citizenship in the host countries, especially green card holders among professionals.
Those in the GCC and other Arab countries constituted the third. They cannot afford to become citizens of host countries given strict policy governing non-origins.
It is the last group which is in trouble since they have to return home after, in some cases, putting 35 to 45 years of service and finding no avenue to engage back home.
Here also, the State Government would need to get its policy-making act together so as to allow returnees put their vast experience and rich expertise to productive use, Ahmed said.