New Delhi: The External Affairs Ministry cannot come out with special provisions for Kerala alone to govern the return of expatriates, minister of state V Muraleedharan said.
The ministry cannot ensure that all expatriates returning to Kerala have a PPE kit, he said.
The flights under the Vande Bharat Mission are being operated on the basis of the advice given by the home ministry and the health ministry. The external affairs ministry cannot ensure that the demand made by Kerala is implemented in foreign countries, he said.
Concerned with the high number of COVID-19 cases among those returning to the state, the Kerala government had wanted to make COVID-negative certificate mandatory for allowing entry to expats. It, however, had to drop the demand after it became clear it would be impossible for all passengers to get tested before leaving the Gulf countries.
The Kerala government also mooted the idea of providing TrueNat machines to airports in the Gulf countries, but the Centre dismissed the demand saying it was not feasible. The state was also considering making PPE kit mandatory for those returning to Kerala.
If Tamil Nadu demands that all those coming from Kerala should carry a COVID-negative certificate, will it be possible for the Kerala government to meet the demand and ensure that all those going to that state have the certificate, Muraleedharan asked.
A TrueNat kit is not like pickle or jaggery-coated banana chips that can be given to everyone going abroad, he said.
There are people who demand a separate flight for COVID-19 patients. “If the chief minister, Pinarayi Vijayan, has made the demand for a special flight based on their advice, then my sympathies are with him,” he said.
