Pinarayi Vijayan urges Centre to lower airfares for trips to Gulf

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan reached out to the Centre, asking to take the necessary steps to make airfares for flights to the Gulf affordable.

He wrote a letter to Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, noting that expatriates are one of the most affected sections in India. He added that many NRIs came to India during the first lockdown of the pandemic but had to stay here without any employment.

The CM sought the minister's "immediate intervention" to make air tickets affordable to those employed in the Gulf. He wrote that people are keen to return to the Gulf since various air routes are opening up. He pointed out that many are finding it difficult to afford the airfares that are being quoted after a year of unemployment.

He added that the majority of NRIs are unskilled and semi-skilled workers who are worst affected due to the pandemic. A recent survey by the Centre for Indian Migrant Studies (CIMS) had revealed that many NRIs did not receive their pending dues from their employers. Nearly 11 lakh people returned to Kerala after losing their jobs during the pandemic.

The Kerala CM said that the kind gesture of the minister would be much appreciated as people are trying to get their livelihoods back on track. He noted that more money would come to India's exchequer by way of foreign exchange when more people are able to travel abroad at an affordable rate. It would improve the economic recovery of the country, he noted.