First session of Loka Kerala Sabha from Jan 12

Thiruvananthapuram: The first session of the two-day Loka Kerala Sabha (LKS), a common platform for Keralites living across the globe, will be held at the Legislative Assembly Complex from January 12.

The 351-member LKS shall comprise the Members of the Legislative Assembly and Members of Parliament from the state, Non-Resident Keralites of Indian citizenship nominated by the Government of Kerala, and select members of the returnee community.

The Government has decided to constitute LKS as it is envisaged as a platform for the cultural, socio-political and economic integration of myriad Keralas with the home state, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said.

Asserting that the LKS will be another 'Kerala Model' for the country and other states to emulate, and such forums gain significance as cultures and communities grow beyond geographical boundaries, he said Kerala’s people and its culture have travelled beyond borders and to every corner of the world, fostering their assimilation and integration with the rest of the world.

It is imperative to constitute a democratic space in order that cultural, socio-political and economic co-operation between home and outer Keralas are facilitated, and channeled into the creation of a Global Kerala Synergy, Vijayan added.