4.13 lakh Non-Resident Keralites register to return back to Kerala

The total number of Non-Resident Keralites registered to return back to Kerala through the non-resident Keralite affairs - NORKA Roots has reached 4.13 lakh.

"While another 1,50,054 Malayalees have registered from other states to return back to Kerala. With this, the total number of expatriates seeking to return to Kerala rose to 5.63 lakh," Norka Roots CEO K Harikrishnan Namboothiri told .

Of those registered, 61,009 people from abroad have lost their jobs amidst COVID-19 pandemic. Those registered to return include 9,827 pregnant women, 10,628 children, 11,256 elderly people and 2,902 students, he said.

Steps have been taken to send the names of registered Malayalees to the Union Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and the respective Embassies, said Harikrishnan.

Of those registered to return from other states, the highest is from Karnataka (49233), followed by Tamil Nadu (45491) and Maharashtra (20869).

Kerala has a high number of expatriates working around the world with the largest number in the middle east.

( With inputs from ANI )