UAE remains most popular destination for Keralites to move to

Almost 40 per cent of people who moved overseas from the Indian state came to the UAE this year but experts say the mass migration is creating a raft of problems at home.

Almost 40 per cent of Keralites that choose to leave the South Indian state head to the UAE. Ravindranath K / The National

ABU DHABI // The UAE remains the most popular destination for people from the Indian state of Kerala looking to work abroad, a new study has shown.

The country has attracted 38.7 per cent of Keralite emigrants in 2014, with Saudi Arabia coming second with 25.2 per cent.

According to the latest figures released by the Kerala Migration Survey 2014, out of the total 2.36 million Indian citizens from Kerala who live abroad, 90 per cent live in the Middle East.

About 19 per cent of the households in Kerala have one or more family members who live in the Gulf region.

For Muslim families, this rises to 37 per cent.

The study also revealed that the largest number of Keralite expats were from the Malappuram district, with 18.8 per cent.

The remittances sent from the Gulf to Kerala is also increasing.

In the year up to March 1, 72.7 million Rupees (Dh4.4 million) were sent home. This is about 46 per cent higher than the remittances sent in 2011.

The survey was conducted by Dr S Irudaya Rajan and KC Zaxhariah, who work for the Centre of Development Studies in India.

They said the increase in migration levels to Gulf countries was causing social problems at home.

“Keralite people want to work in the Gulf because it increases their social status back home. There is a false pride among the Keralite families when their children are living in the Gulf,” said Dr Rajan.

“There are many households that are headed by female members and it leads to lots of social tensions between them and their children and their in-laws.”

He also believed family unity was often being overlooked in the quest for money.

“Kerala is becoming a money-chasing society without the value for love and care for the family members.”

Raghu Pillai, 43, is a Keralite who has lived in Dubai for 14 years.

He said quality of living, security and lots of job opportunities were the reasons for the UAE’s popularity.

“By working in the UAE, Keralites not only earn money but also gets social and political high status back home,” he said.

Although he agreed living abroad creates other issues.

“Many Keralites live alone in UAE. And because they cannot to look after their old parents, wives and children back home in person it leads to lots of stress on both sides,” he said.

That said, Mr Pillai did not want to return home yet.

“I want to save enough money before returning to Kerala,” he said.

K V Shamsuddin is chairman of the Pravasi Bandhu Welfare Trust, an organisation that cares for Indian expats in the Gulf.

He said: “Only 20 per cent of the Keralites live with their family in the UAE. The rest visit home, mostly once in two years.

“Hence their families are not getting the right kind of attention from them.

“Similarly, family members are not aware of the difficulties their bread winner is going through. So whatever the remittance they receive get spent on a lavish lifestyle.

“As a result, when they return home during their retirement age, they don’t have enough financial resources to look after their families.”