Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
10CHENNAI35
2010-02-16 10:28:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Consulate Chennai
Cable title:  

KERALA AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT PARTNER TO PROTECT MIGRANTS

Tags:  KTIP PHUM PGOV SOCI IN 
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RR RUEHAST RUEHBI RUEHCI RUEHDBU RUEHLH RUEHNEH RUEHPW
DE RUEHCG #0035/01 0471028
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 161028Z FEB 10
FM AMCONSUL CHENNAI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2644
INFO RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 4011
RUCNCLS/ALL SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 CHENNAI 000035 

G FOR LAURA PENA AND DAVID YOUNG

G/TIP FOR MARK TAYLOR AND SHEELA AHLUWALIA

SENSITIVE

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KTIP PHUM PGOV SOCI IN
SUBJECT: KERALA AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT PARTNER TO PROTECT MIGRANTS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 CHENNAI 000035

G FOR LAURA PENA AND DAVID YOUNG

G/TIP FOR MARK TAYLOR AND SHEELA AHLUWALIA

SENSITIVE

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KTIP PHUM PGOV SOCI IN
SUBJECT: KERALA AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT PARTNER TO PROTECT MIGRANTS


1. (SBU) Summary: Kerala, located on India's southwestern tip, has
long been the source of massive overseas migration, with more than
2.5 million of the state's 31 million people working overseas,
mostly in the Gulf countries. The migrant community's political
clout led the government of Kerala to establish the Department of
Non-Resident Keralites' Affairs (NORKA) in 1996, the first such
state government agency charged with the express mandate of
protecting overseas Indians. NORKA is a small, but effective agency
that implements a wide range of migrant protection programs and
interventions both at home and overseas. For its overseas
interventions, NORKA works collaboratively with the Government of
India's Ministries of External Affairs and Overseas Indian Affairs
to provide assistance to Keralite migrants. End summary.


2. (SBU) Kerala, a state at the southwestern tip of India, has long
been a source of substantial overseas migration. The state's
historically weak economy creates little in terms of job
opportunities at home so an estimated 2.5 million of the state's 31
million people work abroad, mostly in the Gulf countries. Their
annual remittances of $5 billion increase the state's economic
output by over 25%, forming a major pillar of its economy. About
40% of the expatriate community is Muslim, hailing from a few
districts in northern Kerala. The size and economic clout of the
migrant community makes them and their families in Kerala a
substantial political force. As a result, the government of Kerala
has made the welfare of the Non-Resident Keralites (NRK) a major
priority.

First of its kind in India
--------------


3. (U) The Government of Kerala established the Department of
Non-Resident Keralites' Affairs (NORKA) in December 1996, the first
of its kind in an Indian state. NORKA has a wide mandate. It
provides assistance to NRKs in distress abroad, in collaboration
with Indian Embassies and Consulates, and protects NRKs from
harassment by their employers/sponsors. NORKA seeks to prevent
recruiting agents from cheating job-seekers and resolves the
grievances between agents and NRKs. NORKA traces missing persons

abroad, provides educational facilities for NRK children, lobbies
Air India for the introduction of more flights, and assists with the
rehabilitation of returnees. MM Hassan, a senior Kerala Congress
party leader and former Minister in the state government, told post
that NORKA's success inspired the central government to create the
Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs.


4. (U) In 2002, NORKA formed a non-profit company, NORKA-Roots, to
work as its field agency, interfacing with the community. It has
regional offices in Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, and Kozhikode (all in
Kerala) as well as Mumbai and Delhi. The state's Chief Minister
V.S. Achuthanandan serves as the Chairman of NORKA Roots and
Manojkumar, Government Secretary for NORKA functions as the
Company's Vice Chairman.

NORKA-Roots: reaching out to the community
--------------


5. (SBU) With only a dozen employees, NORKA is a relatively small
operation but NORKA-Roots substantially augments the pure
governmental effort with another 70 employees located throughout the
state. NORKA Secretary Manojkumar is an officer of the Indian
Administrative Service who also serves as the Principal Secretary to
the Chief Minister. Keeping the NORKA portfolio with the Chief
Minister's personal staff demonstrates the political importance
attached to defending the NRK community. Manojkumar told post that
NORKA-Roots is able to raise its own resources mostly through fees
it charges for the authentication of documents required by overseas
employers. But the government of Kerala also provides direct grants
to NORKA-Roots for conducting training projects.


6. (SBU) Mohan Kumar, the recently departed CEO of NORKA-Roots told
us that NORKA plays a big role in preventing trafficking of women
and employee harassment. According to the ex-CEO, "tens of
thousands of petitions flow to our regional offices and most of them
are about sponsors' harassment." He expressed satisfaction with the
Government of India's assistance: "our Embassies and Consulates
effectively intervene as soon as we pass the information we gather
through petitions," he said. He told us that NORKA-Roots arranges
pre-departure briefings and training sessions for job seekers.
NORKA also runs awareness campaigns on the perils of illegal
migration.

Stories of intervention and rescue
--------------


7. (SBU) Mohan Kumar cited the story of a group of six youths who

CHENNAI 00000035 002 OF 002


were rescued from St. Petersburg, Russia in July 2009 suffering in
terrible living conditions after having been cheated and stranded by
a recruiter. The students went to Russia on tourist visas, but were
promised lucrative jobs. NORKA, with the support of the Government
of India's Ministry of Overseas Indians Affairs, rescued and
repatriated them to Kerala. Mohan Kumar also said that NORKA played
a role in repatriating 34 Keralite construction workers from Libya
where they were stuck after their contracts with an Indonesian firm
expired.


8. (SBU) Comment: The fact that virtually every family in Kerala
relies at least in part on migration for its livelihood has created
an unusually strong political lobby that pressures the government to
be proactive on migrants' behalf. NORKA, however, does not do it
alone. The Ministries of External Affairs and Overseas Indian
Affairs -- especially the staff of India's Embassies and Consulates
-- are key partners that enable NORKA to execute its interventions
abroad. Both ministries also play critical roles in negotiating the
GOI's labor agreements with Middle Eastern governments that help
provide protections for Indian migrant workers. NORKA's work on
behalf of Keralite migrants, a substantial percentage of India's
overall overseas population, is an example of successful
intragovernmental cooperation for migrant protection and advocacy.
End comment.

SIMKIN