Bridging Borders: The Role of Loka Kerala Sabha in Harnessing Diaspora for Development

Abstract

Kerala with significant migration history has been benefitted much from various contributions of its global Malayali diaspora for a long period of time. The State known for its high literacy rate, recognized the immense potential of non-resident Malayalis in shaping the developmental trajectory of the State. Considering this fact, government of Kerala instituted a World Kerala Assembly known as Loka Kerala Sabha as a common platform to foster dialogue, collaboration and policy engagement between the State and its global community. It is a public forum of the global gathering of Malayali diaspora with the representatives of the people of Kerala to channelise financial, social, and intellectual capital of diaspora into Kerala’s development process. The major objective of this move is to unite Malayalis across the globe and to harness their diverse talents and capacities and to integrate them with State for the social, cultural and economic development of the State. It was a great endeavour to unite Keralites from other Indian States and from various parts of the world to promote unity and cooperation among themselves. Since its inception in 2018, the Sabha has served as a driving force where ideas, experiences and resources are mobilized from the diaspora for the socio-economic development of the State. It helps the State to integrate non-resident Keralites the intellectual and financial capabilities of the diaspora into the noble cause of economic development. This paper explores the strategic role of Loka Kerala Sabha in harnessing the diaspora to extract constructive suggestions and to avail different contributions including professional expertise with policy recommendations to strengthen diaspora-led development through institutional reforms, participatory mechanisms, and accountability frameworks.