Thiruvananthapuram, April 27: Kerala Chief Minister, Shri Pinarayi Vijayan today announced that the State is working on a plan to bring back Malayalees who are stuck or stranded in different parts of the country because of the lockdown. Such people who desire to come back to Kerala can register their details on the Norka website from Wednesday.

“Several people are stranded in other states and they are facing severe hardships. Students, business travellers, those who went to visit relatives, those on temporary training, etc are some of those who are stuck and we would try to bring them back. However, priority would be given to those who have gone for medical treatment in other states and residents of other states who have registered for specialist treatment in Kerala. Students whose hostels are locked and those have completed their studies, those who went for examinations and interviews, those who have lost jobs and those who want to come to Kerala post their retirement would get preference”, the CM added. There are several people from Kerala who have gone to neighbouring states for agriculture, especially in Kodagu, Karnataka.

All those who are stranded in other States will be brought back in a phased manner. District Collectors have been asked to prepare a plan for their return. They would be checked by the Health Department at the border. The quarantine will be mandatory for everyone. All safety precautions taken for expatriates would apply in their case also. Entry would be regulated and we expect the people to cooperate with us.

Meanwhile, the Chief Minister has requested the Central Government to bear the airfare of the Pravasi Malayalees who have lost their jobs due to the lockdown and want to come back to Kerala. He also asked the Centre to declare a rehabilitation package for them. In the last 24 hours, about 2.02 lakhs expatriates have registered on the Norka website, their desire to return to Kerala.