Govt Delegation's Trip To Europe Benefited Kerala In More Ways Than Expected: CM Vijayan
Speaking to reporters for the first time after he returned from the foreign trip, Vijayan said the visit was aimed to increase cooperation in the fields of study and research
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday said the visit of the government delegation led by him to the European nations in the first week of October was a success and that the state has benefited in more ways than expected.
Speaking to reporters for the first time after he returned from the foreign trip which was criticised by the Opposition Congress for various reasons, Vijayan said the visit was aimed to increase cooperation in the fields of study and research, find new job opportunities for Keralites, help non-residents, exchange ideas with the Malayali community and attract more investors to the state.
The Congress had criticised the chief minister's visit to foreign countries for taking along his family and asked him to explain what the state has gained through the trip.
When asked about the opposition criticism overtaking the family with him for the official trip, Vijayan said there was nothing wrong in it.
"The media was not listening to the benefits gained for our state. The media aims to project our visit to those foreign countries as a leisure trip. They attempt to project a negative image. Is that what they are supposed to do?," Vijayan asked.
He alleged that even after listing out all the benefits the media was not showing it.
Vijayan said the people abroad have a good image about the state and the government and the delegation received a warm welcome from the foreign governments.
Explaining the benefits, Vijayan said NORKA Roots has signed a memorandum of understanding with Humber and North Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership, one of the UK's National Health Service Integrated Care Partnerships.
He said NORKA also signed an agreement with Navigo, a mental health services provider for the North East Lincolnshire Health Service.
"Health and Care Partnerships are a statutory system introduced by law in the UK on 1 July 2022. This MoU was approved by India's Union Ministry of External Affairs. Their amendments were included in the MoU which was signed and handed over at the ceremony," he said.
The chief minister said the project aims to facilitate the migration of healthcare professionals, such as doctors, nurses, and paramedical staff, in a safe, transparent, and legal manner.
"Upon completion of the process, a week-long UK Employment Fest will be held in November. In the first phase, more than 3,000 vacancies will be created for various professionals in the health sector. National Health Service officials have said the UK will need 42,000 nurses over the next three years. Thirty percent of it is in the field of mental health care ," he said.
He said there was a new opportunity for health workers including nurses from Kerala and necessary intervention will be made to exploit this possibility.
"The authorities of Finland have informed our team that they were in need of around 10,000 nurses for the next 45 years," the chief minister said.
Vijayan said the purpose of such a trip was to advance the state's progress and it has benefited the state in more ways than expected.
"This visit aimed to increase cooperation in the fields of study and research, find new job opportunities for Keralites, help non-residents, exchange ideas with the Malayali community and attract more investors to the state," he said.
As part of this visit, valuable decisions were made, including implementing graphene-based projects in Kerala, described as the material of the future, he added.
The delegation visited Finland, Norway and the UK. Meetings were also held in Wales, which is part of the UK. Ministers P Rajeeve, V Sivankutty, Veena George, Chief Secretary V P Joy and Planning Board Vice Chairman Professor V K Ramachandran were part of the group.
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