Workers in Dubai have welcomed initiatives by the State government to support Gulf-based NRIs, such as providing Rs 5 lakh ex-gratia to families of workers who pass away in the Gulf. However, they are urging the government to create an equivalent of NORKA (Non-Resident Keralites Affairs) like in Kerala.
At a gathering in Dubai attended by MLC B Mahesh Kumar Goud, the Gulf Workers’ Awareness Centre (GWAC) raised concerns about issues faced by NRIs in the Gulf. Nandi Devender Reddy, an NRI, suggested that the government should establish a system similar to NORKA to address the problems of Gulf workers from afar.
NORKA ID card-holders in Kerala are entitled to personal accident insurance coverage of Rs 4 lakh for death and Rs 2 lakh for disability. Mahesh Kumar encouraged Gulf workers to support the Congress party in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. He specifically asked them to help T Jeevan Reddy, the candidate from Nizamabad, who participated in the event virtually.
