By IANS,
Thiruvananthapuram : The Kerala government Wednesday accepted an expert committee report on setting up of an autonomous body, Malayalam Mission, to reach out to the Malayali diaspora.
Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan, after the weekly cabinet meeting here, said the report submitted by veteran Malayalam language exponent and writer O.N.V. Kurup, to set up Malayalam Mission to spread the state’s language and culture to its non-resident population, has been accepted.
“This would be an autonomous body that would help to spread the Malayalam language to the diaspora and also for spreading Kerala’s culture,” said Achuthanandan.
Setting up of cultural centres abroad has been a long standing demand of many Malayali organisations, especially in the US and the Middle East. This was also one of the points in the governor’s address to the state assembly this year.
There are nearly two million Malayalis settled abroad mostly in various Middle East countries.
According to the government, non-residents sent up Rs.245.25 billion in remittances last fiscal, accounting for nearly 20 percent of the state’s net domestic product.