Loka Kerala Sabha

Loka india SabhaDate| January 12, 2018 (2018-01-12)

|

Duration| 2 days
Location| Trivandrum, India
Organised by| Kerala government
Website| www.lokakeralasabha.com

Loka Kerala Sabha (World Kerala Assembly) is an event hosted by the state government of Kerala to bring Malayali diaspora living around the globe under one platform.[1] It was hosted under the department of Non-Resident Keralites. It aims at utilizing the expertise of NRKs for developing Kerala state. Loka Kerala Sabha is proposed to happen once in two years[2]

The event held under the aegis of Department of Non-Resident Keralites Affairs and has budgetary support from Government of Kerala and is attended by elected representatives and selected Non Resident Keralites.[3]

## Editions

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### First edition - 2018

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The first Loka Kerala Sabha happened from 12 to 13 January 2018.[4] The delegates were invited by a committee constituted by the government that nominated representatives living outside Kerala. 351 members attended the first Loka Kerala Sabha, out of which 100 were living abroad, 42 were from other states of India, 30 experts from various fields and 6 members representing non-resident Keralite returnees and peoples' representatives.[2] The event was inaugurated by the Chief Minister of Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan.[5]

### Second edition - 2020

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The second edition happened from 1 to 2 January 2020 in Thiruvananthapuram.[6]

### Third edition - 2022

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The third edition was inaugurated in Thiruvananthapuram in June 2022. It was attended by 351 members (including 169 MLA's and MP's) from 65 countries and 21 states.[3] The third edition has 8 key focus areas.

A regional conference following this meet was held at London in October 2022 and New York City in June 2023.[7][8]

## Controversies

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There were controversies surrounding attendance of Anitha Pullayil, an NRI who was allegedly involved in fake antiquities trade in the meets.[9] The opposition which was largely supportive of all editions of meet had raised questions about excess spending by state for the meet, lack of transparency and collection of money by Sabha members abroad for regional conferences held in London and Newyork.[10][11]

## See also

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* World Tamil Conference
* Malayali diaspora

## References

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1. ^ "CM opens first meeting of Loka Kerala Sabha - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
2. ^ a b "Bringing Non-resident Keralites together: State set for first Loka Kerala Sabha". The News Minute. 10 January 2018. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
3. ^ a b "Third edition of Loka Kerala Sabha begins on Thursday". The Hindu. 2022-06-15. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2023-06-24.
4. ^ "ലോക കേരള സഭ". www.lokakeralasabha.com. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
5. ^ "Kerala govt to make 'Loka Kerala Sabha' a permanent feature". Zee News. 2 December 2017. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
6. ^ "Second Loka Kerala Sabha begins". The Hindu. 2020-01-01. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2023-06-24.
7. ^ "Loka Kerala Sabha Europe-U.K. regional meet on October 9". The Hindu. 2022-10-07. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2023-06-24.
8. ^ "Loka Kerala Sabha kick-starts in New York". www.onmanorama.com. Retrieved 2023-06-24.
9. ^ "Anitha Pullayil at Loka Kerala meet in Assembly complex; Security prevent her from entering". English.Mathrubhumi. 2022-06-19. Retrieved 2023-06-24.
10. ^ "CM Vijayan blasts media after controversy over Loka Kerala Sabha". English.Mathrubhumi. 2023-06-11. Retrieved 2023-06-24.
11. ^ "Loka Kerala Sabha meets in Saudi, US". The Times of India. 2023-04-05. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2023-06-24.