Thiruvananthapuram: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Wednesday that the Kerala government will soon submit a Rs 2,000 crore proposal to the Centre for rehabilitation of those who have returned home permanently from abroad due to the Covid pandemic. He told the Assembly that this is in addition to the various relief packages that the state has already provided to them.

According to data from the Covid-19 portal, a total of 17,51,852 people have returned from abroad as of October 26. The vast majority of them have returned from Middle Eastern countries. "However, according to the Airport Authority of India, a total of 39,55,230 people travelled through various airports from May 2020 to October."

"Apart from that, we gave Rs 10,000 each to 181 returnees who became Covid positive, as well as Rs 1,000 each to 18,278 diaspora pensioners," Vijayan said. According to the portal, around 12.57 lakh returnees have lost their jobs. In the budget for 2021-22, the state government has set aside Rs 50 crore for them to start some businesses. "There are numerous schemes for returnees to start productive ventures, including loans, interest subsidies, and similar soaps," Vijayan added.

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