NGOs seek Ministry for TNs expatriates

CHENNAI: Sending out a fervent appeal on  International Migrants Day, different NGOs working for migrants in the state appealed to Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, on Saturday, to seriously contemplate setting up a separate ministry for migrant workers to help them while in distress.S Sivasomasundaram, secretary of Tamil Nadu based NGO, Migrant Employees Education for Transformation, Prevention and Protection Union (MEETPPU), said, “setting up of a dedicated ministry for migrant workers in the state has become imperative and need of the hour as Tamil workers are suffering at the hands of employers without proper legal cover in foreign countries.” NGOs want the state government to emulate Kerala, which has formed a separate ministry, NORKA (Non Resident Keralites’ Affairs) that has been helping out Keralites.NORKA has been successful among Kerala’s migrant population. M Josephine Amala Valarmathi, state coordinator of migrant forum India, said, “We appeal to the Chief Minister to set up a ministry to secure social security and livelihood opportunities of migrants.”