Kerala natives settled in other states, who wish to return to their home towns as soon as possible, can now register with the Kerala government’s NORKA website. Citizens registered on the website will be allowed to travel back to their home state on an emergency basis.
The initiative is launched by the Department of Non-Resident Keralite Affairs (NORKA) on April 29, Wednesday.
All those who are stuck outside Kerala (but within India) for medical treatment, people who have completed treatment outside, people living in other states who have to travel to Kerala for medical treatment and have already scheduled their appointments, students who have completed their studies in other states and those who had travelled outside Kerala for exams, interviews, pilgrimage, holidays and family visits have been advised to register on the NORKA website.
Apart from these groups, students from Kerala studying in universities in other states, which remain closed due to the lockdown, Keralites who have lost their jobs, retired people and those who travelled to other states for farming-related commitments will also be given first preference.
“The exercise is to get an idea of the number of people who would be returning to Kerala in the near future, and to set up quarantine and testing facilities for them accordingly. With regard to the priority group, the government will also discuss how to bring them home on an emergency basis; if necessary, even before the lockdown ends, depending on their situation and urgency,” a NORKA representative told TNM.
Several options, such as allowing permits to drive down, are on the table for those who need to urgently travel to the state, he added.
On Sunday, NORKA had started a similar registration process, where all those from abroad would have to register if they wished to return home post lockdown. As per NORKA’s data, at least 2,76,700 Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) from Kerala, from over 150 countries have already registered on their website, expressing their desire to return to their home state soon.
The registration portals for both NRI Malayalees and Non-Resident Keralites living in India are open and no last date for registration has been given by the state government yet.
The registrations for NRKs in other states will open post 6 pm on Wednesday.