Indian agency to aid rehabilitation of expats

Dubai: Norka-Roots, a field agency of the Department of Non Resident Keralites Affairs, will help Indian expatriates who lose their jobs get employment back in the Gulf. The agency, which acts as an interface between the non-resident community from Kerala and the Government of Kerala in India, will facilitate rehabilitation of people forced to return to their homeland due to economic crises, said Esmail Rawther, the newly appointed UAE managing director of the agency. Rawther has been nominated by the Government of Kerala, India, to the UAE Board of Directors of Norka-Roots. "We have already started to build a reliable data bank of Indians returning from overseas. We will help them in several ways including obtaining jobs according to their education and skills," said Rawther. More than 18 per cent of Kerala's total 33 million population has immigrated to other parts of the world, mainly to the Gulf. Majority of the Indian expatriate population in the UAE is from Kerala. "There are many issues that the non-resident community faces when they return to their homeland. For instance, school and college admissions for their children could be a huge issue in which we will extend our help. Additionally, we will give provide them with authentic information about new business opportunities that they can look into," said Rawther. Rawther said the Norka Roots will also help expatriates who are in jails even after completing their term due to minor issues such as payment of fines or other dues. He informed that to attend to safety related issues of the expatriates residing in Gulf and other countries a separate police cell has been formed last week. Shveta Pathak 6 Jan 2012 http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/society/indian-agency-to-aid-rehabilitation-of-expats-1.962070