Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, here on Wednesday, said as of now 3,20,463 Keralites settled abroad had registered with Norka-Roots to return home, as and when the lockdown was lifted and the airports opened.
There will be doctors and paramedical staff at the airport for detailed checking of the arriving passengers.
The registration for Keralites in other states in India on the Norka website began on Wednesday.
"People from Kerala who are currently stuck or stranded in different parts of the country because of the lockdown and desire to come back to Kerala can register their details on the Norka website," he said.
Priority would be given to those who had gone for medical treatment in other states and residents of other states who have registered for specialist treatment in Kerala.
Students, those who have lost jobs, those who went for exams or interviews can also register.
People registered
Of the over three lakh people who registered on the portal, 2,23,624 were on labour/residence visa, 57,436 on visit visa, 29,219 on dependent visa, 7,276 students, 691 on transit visa and 11,327 others, Pinarayi said.
"Of these, 56,114 have lost job, 58,823 on vacation travel, 41,236 whose visit visa have expired, and 23,975 whose visa have expired or cancelled," said Pinarayi.
There are 9,561 children, 10,007 senior citizens, 9,515 pregnant, 2,448 students whose education have completed and 748 freed from jails among them. Also, there are 49,472 specialised workers, 67,136 professionals and 24,107 self-employed.
The Malappuram district has the highest number with 54,280 applicants, followed by Thrissur and Kozhikode with over 40,000. There are 23,014 from Thiruvananthapuram and 3,459 from the Idukki district.
The registration has to be done on www.norkaroots.org of the state-run Norka-Roots, the official body of diaspora.
The facility was opened by the Kerala government, after the Centre decided to accede to their requests.
Of an estimated 2.5 million non-resident Keralites, 90 per cent are in the Middle East countries.
Earlier, Pinarayi had said that a committee under the district collector with representatives from Airports Authority of India, Kerala Police and Health Department would oversee the elaborate arrangements at airports to receive the returning Keralites.
The chief minister also said that after the initial screening, those without symptoms would be sent to their homes for quarantine and there would be regular monitoring by the police and healthcare workers to ensure that they follow the quarantine rules.
Those with symptoms would be moved straight to the quarantine centres and their luggage would be sent home.
Adequate quarantine and medical facilities near airports have been identified and made ready.
(With inputs from IANS)
