A larger proportion of skilled workforce from Kerala is now securing employment in the Gulf countries compared to the situation a few decades back, when the majority were unskilled workers, Governor P. Sathasivam has said.
He was speaking after inaugurating the office of the Consulate General of United Arab Emirates (UAE) at Manacaud here on Wednesday.
He said the situation called for the upgrading and updating of skills of jobseekers from the State.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the opening of the consulate would go a long way in strengthening the time-tested bilateral relations between India and the UAE.
“There is a strong bond of friendship between the two countries based on the age-old cultural, religious, and economic ties. Thousands of Malayalis have made the UAE their second home,” he said. Shashi Tharoor, MP, said that though around 70 per cent of the Indians in the UAE were from Kerala, people from here had to go to Mumbai or Delhi to get their visas cleared. This situation was set to change with the opening of the Consulate General office here.
“The centre is up-to-date in terms of technology. Most applications can be processed in less than 24 hours,” said Mr. Tharoor.
UAE Under Secretary Mohamed Alraissi hoisted the UAE national flag. Jamal Hussein Al Zaaabi, the Consul General, was also present.
