Spurt in reverse migration of NoRKs expected after June 13

Majority of the returnees now under prioritised category

Kerala expects a spurt in reverse migration after Phase II of the Vande Bharat mission ending on June 13 as 80% of the Non-Resident Keralites (NoRK) who arrived in repatriation flights and ships from abroad are in the prioritised category.

Of the 4.75 lakh NoRKs from 175 countries who registered on the portal of the Department of Non-Resident Keralites Affairs, only 10,526 reached the State in the past 12 days after the repatriation process was initiated by the Centre.

The prioritised category comprises pregnant women, senior citizens, sick, those needing immediate medical care, gone on visit visa, availing amnesty schemes of various countries, deported for offences, and students.

“It is too early to look into the profile of the NoRKS who came by the repatriation flights as they are in the distressed category. We are expecting a spurt in reverse migration only after the Phase II of the Vande Bharat mission,” a NoRKA official said.

Registration of stranded NoRKs for returning to Kerala is continuing even now. NoRKA expects the real reverse migration of those who have lost their jobs to commence only from June 13, he said.

For the State and NoRKA, profiling of the returnees is essential to work out their rehabilitation and reintegration in the community and re-migration.

So far 6,129 males, 4,394 females, and three transgenders have returned to the State. As much as 9,166 arrived by flights operated by Air India and Air India Express and 1,360 by ships of the Indian Navy. While 4,338 reached Kochi, 1,903 Kozhikode, 1,500 Thiruvananthapuram, and 1,419 Kannur.

The majority of the returnees hails from five districts with 11.08% from Ernakulam, Thrissur (10.29%), Malappuram (10.02%), Kannur (9.66%), and Kozhikode (9.41%).