Doha: Pravasi Welfare Qatar has submitted the People’s Pravasi Rights Document, prepared through an extensive public consultation to highlight the long-standing problems, needs, rights and expectations of expatriate Malayalis, to Kerala Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan, who also holds the responsibility for expatriate affairs, and Industries Minister P.K. Kunhalikutty.

The document was handed over by Pravasi Welfare State Vice President Ahmed Shafi, General Secretary Sharafudheen C, and State Committee Member Muneesh AC.

Prepared with the message ‘Puthuyuga Keralam: The Expatriates Also Have a Say’, the document seeks to bring the voices of expatriates into discussions surrounding Kerala’s future development. It compiles concerns and suggestions gathered directly from the expatriate community and presents specific recommendations to the government for addressing issues that have remained unresolved for years.

The document highlights the significant role played by expatriate Malayalis in Kerala’s economic and social development. Malayalis living across the world, particularly in Gulf countries, spend years away from their families, working in challenging circumstances and sending their earnings home. Their contribution has made them an important pillar of Kerala’s economy and development.

Despite this contribution, Pravasi Welfare pointed out that adequate solutions and protection for many of the difficulties faced by expatriates are still lacking. The document therefore calls for greater attention to their rights, welfare, aspirations and future security as part of the state’s development policies.

Among the major concerns addressed in the rights document are travel-related difficulties, inadequacies in existing expatriate welfare schemes and services, rehabilitation of returning expatriates, children’s education, healthcare, voting rights, difficulties in preparing and processing documents, and access to legal assistance.

The document also contains proposals for developing and implementing government-backed projects that can effectively attract and utilise expatriate investments. Such initiatives, it suggests, should not only contribute to Kerala’s development but also provide greater financial security and sustainable livelihood opportunities for expatriates in their future lives, particularly after their return to Kerala.

The People’s Pravasi Rights Document was prepared following an extensive two-month campaign during June and July, through which Pravasi Welfare Qatar sought to collect experiences, opinions and recommendations from as wide a section of the expatriate community as possible.

As part of the consultation process, a meeting of social workers and representatives working at various levels in Qatar was organised. A separate women’s meeting was also conducted to gather the experiences, concerns and suggestions of women working in different sectors. Various programmes were held under the auspices of Pravasi Welfare’s district and mandal committees to ensure wider community participation.

In addition to these meetings, a dedicated website and online platform were created to collect opinions and experiences from expatriates through social media and other digital channels. The online initiative also enabled expatriate Malayalis living in other Gulf countries to participate in the campaign and contribute their suggestions.

Special attention was given to reaching expatriates working in grassroots and essential sectors. Pravasi Welfare representatives visited labour camps and fishing workers along the Corniche to hear their concerns directly. They also visited workplaces and interacted with expatriates employed in sectors such as groceries, salons and cafeterias, ensuring that the experiences of workers from different social and economic backgrounds were included in the document.

Through the campaign, Pravasi Welfare sought to bring together the diverse voices of the Malayali diaspora, document their everyday challenges and aspirations, and place their concerns before the government in an organised and comprehensive manner.

The information, opinions and demands received from the public were subsequently examined and classified under the supervision of an expert committee. The findings were divided into different categories and compiled into a comprehensive People’s Pravasi Rights Document designed to enable the state administration to easily examine the issues and consider appropriate policy measures and solutions.

Pravasi Welfare Qatar said the initiative has brought together the experiences, needs, hopes, difficulties and expectations of expatriate Malayalis and transformed them into clear demands and practical recommendations for the new government.

The organisation said the People’s Pravasi Rights Document will be presented to other ministers as well as all MPs and MLAs from Kerala in the coming days, with the aim of ensuring that expatriate concerns receive wider attention and are reflected in future government policies and programmes.

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