Kerala government set up NRI commission
Staff Report/Abu Dhabi
Filed on 05/03/2016 | Last updated on 24/10/2018

Kerala government set up NRI commission

An NRI commission was finally set up by the Kerala government and announced the team of four members headed by a former judge of Indian High Court. Justice P Bhavadas has been appointed as the chairman of the commission.

The two out of the four members of the current team are active NRI's living abroad and other two are former NRIs in which two are either presently living in the UAE or have been living in the UAE in past.

Dr Shamsheer Vayalil has been appointed as the director of the newly set up NRI commission. Dr Vayalil is an Abu Dhabi-based doctor and head of VPS healthcare. He is prominently known among NRI Keralites as the one who petitioned the Supreme Court in India for obtaining voting rights to the NRIs.

Bhagwat Singh, a former President of the Sharjah Indian Association is the second member of the team. He currently lives in Kerala.

The other members include PMA Salam, former chairman of the Kerala state government's Pravasi Welfare Board and Sohan Baby, a Bahrain based journalist.

Dr Shamsheer Vayalil, said, "The purpose of this commission will be to safeguard the interests of the NRIs and provide justice to their grievances. As the Director of this commission, I hope we will be able to do justice to all the NRIs and will strive hard in making this commission a way for them to reach out to various State and Central Government departments without any hassles."

The quasi-judicial body will report all concerns of the diaspora including clashes over properties and investments as well as fake recruitments.