THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Norka Roots, the public sector undertaking of non-resident Keralites (
NRK) affairs department, has launched a project to bring back expatriates stranded in foreign countries after serving jail terms ‘for minor and unintentional offences’.
The project christened ‘Swapna Saphalyam’, made accessible to potential beneficiaries online on www.norkaroots.net from Sunday, will be provide free flight ticket to any of the disembarkation points in
Kerala. “The concept has been there for a long time, and now we have implemented it,” Norka CEO Harikrishnan Namboothiri K said.
The project is primarily aimed at NRKs in Gulf region, where chances are high for expatriates to end up in prisons for accidental or unintentional violation of laws or for mistaken identity. “Several of them, when released from prisons, end up jobless and will be forced to go begging before the Indian Embassy or various organizations for an air ticket to travel back home,” he said.
Besides, the project will be beneficial to scores of people who usually get released from prisons in Gulf countries as part of public amnesty during Ramzan and Bakrid. Last year alone, 450 Malayalis were released from jails in Gulf countries as part of public pardon during Eid.
“However, the project does not cover ex-convicts who served jail terms for serious crimes. Indian laws do not permit government aid for such people. Besides, their sponsors are liable to bear their ticket charges during deportation, or it’s the particular Indian embassy’s call,” he said.
Applications can be made online by candidates themselves or their relatives or friends. But, as Norka Roots doesn’t have a foolproof mechanism to ascertain the authenticity of applicants, recommendation from a recognized association of Malayali expats is mandatory.
“Recommendation from the associations approved by Norka Roots has to be uploaded along with the online application,” the official said adding that Norka would come up with more such schemes in future to help NRKs in misery. For more details, contact: 1800 425 3939, 0471-2333339.