Pravasi Malayali Welfare Association Vows to Fight Corruption, Implement Welfare projects for Overseas Keralites
Thiruvananthapuram Dec 31: Pravasi Malayalee Welfare Association (PMWA)-is just an young 7 months old organization Its organizers have rendered some useful service to Pravasi Malayalis. PMWA is one of the several associations formed targetting around 4 million pravasi malayalees working abroad and 10 million malayalees working in other states. "We want to help Pravasi Malayalees, especially those who are financially poor", says Vellayani Sreekumar,State President of Pravasi Malayalee Association. In an exclusive interview with R.S.Priya, KM correspondent, Vellayani Sreekumar, speaks about his plans in detail.
Himself a pravasi based in Abu Dhabi, Sreekumar had to undergo many difficulties during his initial pravasi life. "This is what inspired me to form an association for the welfare of pravasi malayalees." he says.
"No political party has been able to solve the problems of pravasis. What they need is power and nothing much has been done for us. Many new welfare projects are announced and new policies are planned. However, not many of them get implemented and pravasis are not able avail of the benefits," ", he said. "Therefore, we don't plan to become part of any political party. Rather we would politicize our association in future so that it would help pravasi malayalees in solving their problems."
Workers in the Gulf are working in difficult terrain
Currently no job is provided for pravasi malayalees who lose their jobs abroad. Malayalees who work in Gulf countries work hard and earn money, part of which they invest in Kerala. The contribution of NRKs to the state is immense and in spite of all that they have to undergo a lot of hardships in their own state. There are corrupt officials at the airports who take bribe from pravasis just because they have earned some money abroad. "They have to pay some amount as bribe and in the name of duty for bringing electronic items or other foreign goods, just because they are pravasis," he lashed out against the customs officials. This leads to lot of corruption and malayalees who return to India to meet their family have to undergo a lot of difficulties at the airport itself," he says In other government offices also corruption is rampant. People take bribes even for moving files, causing lot of difficulties.
I N T E R V I E W - Vellayani Sreekumar
PMWA has been formed to tackle many of such problems. The association would help pravasis in getting their problems solved, be it in matters of government offices or airports, he claims.
"We have helped many victims of visa racket and fraud cases in getting back their money.", said Sreekumar, adding that helping victims of visa racket has been one of the greatest achievements of the association. "We are also trying to help people in getting back the money, which they lose following such visa cases."
The Association also helped many people who are having problems in getting their salaries. In many companies in gulf countries, malayalee workers don't get their salary regularly and we have helped some of them to get it - even by using some compulsion", he says. "We were able to help NRK students get admission in schools, he said recollecting a case in which a student who got distinction was not getting admission, Thanks to the interference of the association, the student got admission in St.Marys School, Pattom.
"In foreign countries, it is at times tough to get problems solved by resorting to law or going to the court. Especially in the Arab world where there is monarchy and less freedom of press. We can resort to law, but for individual cases like housemaid servants, we can't make an accusation against a native citizen as it may lead to other problems". In matters of clearing formalities it takes a lot of time, and Pravasi Malayalee Association helps to solve such problems. More
KM Correspondent
