THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Minister of State for External affairs V.Muraleedharan said on Firday that Pirme Minster Narendra Modi had told him that the BJP’s return to power for the second consecutive time was helped by the outstanding work done by former external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj.
This, he disclosed at his first ever press meet here, after assuming the position of a minister in the central cabinet. Modi, he said, also advised him to follow in her footsteps. Muaraleedharan said that the prime minister also added that Mrs. Swaraj made India proud in front of the world.
The minister said that he was committed to bringing the bodies of the six keralites who died in a road accident in Dubai back to Kerala. “A control room has opened in Dubai to receive information about the dead bodies.”
He made it clear that the government would ensure that the dead bodies of Indian citizens who die in countries outside India, reached their home country safely. “The current practice of fixing the cost of transport of the dead bodies by weighing them will also be stopped. To resolve this, I shall hold discussions with Union Minister for civil aviation Hardeep Singh Puri.
The minister said during festival seasons, the air ticket prices tended to rise. This would also be taken care of. “The external affairs ministry has launched a helpline number that will help NRIs to convey their grievances to the government. 00971565463903 is the helpline number,” he added.