Kerala floods: Centre unlikely to accept foreign aid

New Delhi: As Kerala is struggling to come to to find its feet after the devastating deluge that left 231 dead in a fortnight and displaced over 14 lakh people, aid has been pouring in from various quarters of the world. However, it is gathered that the centre will depend only on the domestic aid to tide over the crisis and is likely to reject the foreign aid, including $100 million (around Rs 700 crore) offered by the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Speaking to media persons Union minister KJ Alphons stated that any assistance by a foreign government towards relief operations in flood-ravaged Kerala will be subject to central government clearance. He made this remarks in the backdrop of the assistance offered by countries such as the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Maldives and Qatar towards rehabilitation measures in the state.

A state cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has decided to seek a Rs 2,600 crore special package from the centre under the centrally-sponsored schemes, including the flagship rural employment programme MNREGS. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the crown prince of Abu Dhabi, called up Prime Minister Modi and made the offer for assistance, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan told at the meeting.

Meanwhile the Centre has so far released Rs 600 crore to Kerala and has also decided to waive customs duty and GST on the relief materials being imported for the affected people. 

The Kerala state government also asked the Centre to enhance its borrowing limit and sought permission to impose a 10 per cent cess on GST to mobilise funds for rebuilding Kerala, where 13 of its 14 districts were ravaged by monsoon rains since the first week of this month.

Under the present arrangement, Kerala can obtain three per cent of its gross state domestic product (GSDP) as loans and wants it to be raised to 4.5 per cent so the state can mobilise an additional Rs 10,500 crore from the open market.

“A comprehensive package for rehabilitation of the flood victims and to rebuild Kerala will be submitted to centre,” Vijayan told at a press conference.

It was also decided to introduce a special lottery to mobilise funds for the state.

A special session of the state assembly has been convened on August 30 to discuss the situation arising from the calamitous floods. The chief minister had earlier said the state had suffered damages of about Rs 20,000 crore.

The toll rose to 231 with recovery of eight more bodies from different parts today while over 14.50 lakh people are taking shelter in more than 3,200 relief camps a fortnight after a murderous monsoon rampaged through the state in its second spell that began on August 8, the government said.

In the past 14 years, India has refused aid from Russia, US and Japan for Uttarakhand floods in 2013, and for the Kashmir earthquake in 2005 and floods in Kashmir in 2014.