NRIs comes up with job scheme for BPL youths

KOCHI: A group of nonresident Indians (NRIs) has come forward with a novel project to provide overseas employment free-of-cost to educated and uneducated youths in the below poverty line (BPL) category in Kerala.The group, which formed an organisation called Kerala NRI Trust Centre with over 7,000 members, has decided to provide jobs to 1,000 persons every year in the Gulf countries with the support of likeminded entrepreneurs in East Asian countries.The Trust has already entered into a tie-up with 974 grama panchayats in the state to offer its free service. Trust Coordinator Kailas Rao told Express that the Trust had taken up the project to provide employment to 1,000 deserving youth from BPL category in the state. "We are offering our service free-of-cost. The person need not shell out a single paisa from his pocket to get a job in the Gulf. Even the expenses for air ticket, visa and insurance will be met by the Trust," he said.He said that the Trust had entered into a tie-up with the grama panchayats in the state to bring in transparency in the recruitment process."The panchayat presidents will recommend the name of a person from their panchayat to us. We have already called a meeting of all panchayat presidents to discuss the modalities to select the appropriate candidates. The jobs are given according to the educational background of each applicant. We hope to send the first batch of 1,000 persons to the Gulf countries for employment by the end of September," he said and added that the Trust had incorporated a condition which should be followed by each person who gets employment as part of the project."Once a person gets employment through our project, he or she should sponsor the air ticket of a person selected for recruitment in the next batch"."We have incorporated the system to ensure that each person who avails of our service has a commitment to society. The Trust has received approval from the state and the Central governments. We have also launched a helpline number 04842323470 in this regard," he added.