The Kerala Government will strive to set up a special purpose vehicle (SPV) for channelising non-resident Keralite (NRK) investments to infrastructure development projects in the State.

The Non-Resident Keralites Affairs Department (Norka) will take the initiative to form the SPV.

Setting up a government agency for rooting NRK investments was one of the seven key recommendations that came up at the Global NRK Meet organised here on January 16-17. Norka Minister KC Joseph said the seven recommendations had been evolved from discussions the government agency had with the NRKs who attended the global meet.

Recommendations

The NRKs wanted the State government to press the Centre to include the three Kerala airports, particularly the Kochi airport, in the list of international airport hubs. They also wanted Norka to set up an ‘NRK commission’ with quasi-judicial powers for addressing NRKs’ grievances related to their properties in Kerala.

The other recommendations included on the seven-point wishlist are: An agency for the certification of the skills set of NRKs who possess long work experience but have no formal professional qualifications; an education cell to guide children of NRKs on higher education in Kerala; an advisory board for different regions across the world to help in formulating policies, schemes and projects for the NRKs in the respective region; and enhancement of the manpower and skill of government agencies to do overseas job recruitment.

NORKA Secretary Rani George said her department would ‘seriously consider’ these seven key recommendations and strive hard to implement them before the next NRK meet. The biennial NRK meet will be an annual affair from next year.

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