Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan urged the state to become ‘Global Kerala’ by fully involving its expatriate population in development. Speaking at the fifth Loka Kerala Sabha on Friday, he stressed the equal role of resident and non-resident Keralites in shaping Kerala’s future. “India has one of the world’s largest expatriate communities,” he said, comparing it to China. Vijayan highlighted the need for practical policies over symbolic events like Pravasi Bharatiya Divas for meaningful diaspora engagement. Citing China’s Chunhui Programme, he noted the importance of inviting overseas professionals back to strengthen innovation and knowledge-based industries. Kerala plans to include diaspora-driven knowledge and innovation projects in its 15th Five-Year Plan (2027-28). He informed that out of 28 proposals from the previous Loka Kerala Sabha, 10 have been implemented and 13 are in progress. The state government’s initiatives include the Pravasi Mission to economically reintegrate returnees, decentralised NoRKA services, and rehabilitation planning. Vijayan also highlighted NoRKA Care, India’s first global health and accident insurance for expatriates. The government proposes a dedicated NoRKA police station to combat foreign recruitment fraud, an online student migration portal, overseas help desks, and the NoRKA Canada Coordination Council. He expressed concern about rising global migration challenges and growing intolerance in Western countries, saying, “the responsibility of home countries to protect and support their diaspora increases.” Speaker A.N. Shamseer praised Loka Kerala Sabha for bringing expatriates into Kerala’s democratic process and anticipated it would boost expatriate investment in industry, start-ups, tourism, and education. Water Resources Minister Roshy Augustine and Revenue Minister K. Rajan also spoke at the event.