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| Menon (centre) announcing the TJSV schemes as others look on yesterday. Picture: Jayaram |
While announcing the decision to increase the assistance yesterday, the forum chairman and Doha-based entrepreneur, C K Menon, said the TJSV was considering a further rise in the assistance amount to Rs 500,000.
Menon said that in the last 10 years since the forum came into being, assistance worth Rs 4.3mn had been given to families under its scheme. Initially, the amount was Rs 100,000 which was hiked to Rs 200,000 later. It was made Rs 300,000 a few years ago.
Starting from next year, the body is considering an interest-free loan of Rs 100,000 each to children of members undergoing higher studies.
Menon said the forum had provided financial assistance in the last 10 years for the marriage of nearly 400 girls whose parents are its members.
He also informed that along with providing assistance, the forum had launched some rehabilitation programmes to help members returning to Kerala for good. Some of them are already employed in a fabrication and galvanising unit run by more than 100 members of the forum in Tamil Nadu’s Tiruppur district. “More employment would be provided to returning members if they approached the Vedi office,” said Menon.
It was also decided at the meeting that a token pension amount of Rs 1,000 would be given for two years for members leaving the country for good. Currently 221 members are receiving pension while 365 have already availed of the scheme over the years.
