14 May 2022 – Thiruvananthapuram – Kerala – The Kerala Pravasi Association (KPA) formed under the leadership of Pravasi was approved by the Election Commission of India. KPA formed the political party with new ideas to replace the anti-democratic and opportunistic politics of the country’s fronts.
The Election Commission of India has registered Kerala Pravasi Association as a political party under registration number 56/071/2021-2022/PPS-I.
The Kerala Pravasi Association’s entry into politics is under the slogan ‘Self Sufficient and Self Reliant Kerala” through Pravasi’s.
According to government figures for 2020, 18 million people from India live outside the country. India has the highest number of expatriates in the UAE (3.5 million), the USA (2.7 million), and Saudi Arabia (2.5 million). Australia, Canada, Kuwait, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, and the United Kingdom are among the countries hosting Indian immigrants, according to a report by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. According to the World Bank, remittances from expatriate Indians to India in 2021 were $ 87 billion. If we take people who are working or living in other states into consideration, the expatriate community (Pravasi’s) makes up about ten percent or more of India’s population. Pravasi Indians whether they are living in other states or outside India are neglected by the Governments and mainstream political parties at all stages, and they are severely exploited, rights are denied, etc.
Kerala, which has no large-scale industries or large sources of financial income, has been one of the major exporters of human resources from India to other countries or other states for decades. The reality is that the economy of the state is mainly dependent on remittances and expatriate deposits. The expat community, which covers over one-third of the population of Kerala, contributes about 37% of the GDP of Kerala. Hence, Kerala Pravasi Association has started its activities from Kerala.
Rajendran Vellapalath, Chairman of Kerala Pravasi Association (KPA) said; “KPA aims to be the common voice of for all Pravasi Indians irrespective of whether they are living outside of their state or outside of India. We also aim to build a self-sufficient corruption-free New India with the participation of the Pravasi Indians, using their International experience and exposure, work experience, expertise, strength, and enthusiasm to overcome any challenge, etc.
The initial mission of the Kerala Pravasi Association is to implement the NRIs’ vision of 36 key areas related to the daily lives of the people of Kerala, including poverty alleviation, agriculture, dairy development, elimination of unemployment, infrastructure development (drinking water, housing, health care, etc.), environmental protection, etc…”
Kerala Pravasi Association does not engage in any form of activities such as bandhs and hartals, destruction of public property, and stagnation of public life as being practiced by other Political Parties in India.
Kerala Pravasi Association functions by forming Panchayat, Municipal, Corporation, District, and State Committees under a 36-member National Council. The party currently has groups in all the local bodies (941 Panchayats, Municipal, Corporations, and 14 Districts) in Kerala.
Through Kerala Pravasi Association’s Website (www.keralapravasiassociation.com), the common people in India including the expatriate community of the country have the opportunity to become active members of the Association by gaining Ordinary Membership and Active Membership from June 1.
KPA is committed to leveraging the knowledge and skills gained from the diaspora, high work culture, advanced technical knowledge, advanced job training, sense of purpose, and dedication to work for the betterment of the country. KPA is committed to implementing the views of expatriates on matters related to the daily lives of the people.
As a first step, Kerala Pravasi Association (KPA) has said that expatriates are not been able to exercise their right to consent and participate in the democratic process by casting votes in their home country as they lead an expatriate life despite being Indian citizens. Kerala Pravasi Association has approached the Supreme Court with the intention of getting Pravasi’s the right to vote.
At the same time, Kerala Pravasi Association has decided to approach the High Court against the negligence of the State Government is not taking a favorable approach in this regard, despite the High Court directing in August 2020 to raise the age limit for membership in the Pravasi Welfare Fund of the State Government to 60 years.
In addition to the above, a recruiting company called pravasijobs.com has already started with the aim of eradicating unemployment of around 40 Lakhs educated youth in the State. The Kerala Pravasi Association has also decided to organize job fests in different parts of the country as part of promoting pravasijobs.com.
New ventures like keralastartup.com will be launched to find and promote startups from the beginning. Kerala Sree project will be formulated for the empowerment of women. It will implement the necessary schemes to make women self-sufficient.
The Kerala Pravasi Association will now be active in Indian politics as a pressure force before the government on all issues related to Pravasi Indians as well as to raise the issues faced by the common man in India.