INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Kerala may fall far below requirement and it should not deny others a chance to help the flood-hit state
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said, has been promised by the United Arab Emirates.Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the crown prince of
Abu Dhabi, called up Prime Minister Modi and made the offer for assistance, Mr Vijayan has said.The Centre has denied receiving any such
offer and officials said there is a good chance that if it comes, it won't be accepted, in keeping with the policies followed by the country
The ambassador of Thailand today tweeted that he has been informally informed that India is not accepting overseas donations.India has
after the devastating tsunami in 2004, or the flash flood in Uttarakhand
After the tsunamis, then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had said, "We feel that we can cope with the situation on our own and we will take
their help if needed".Mr Issac, however, questioned the Centre's ability to foot the bill for the massive reconstruction the state
needs."We asked for 2000 crore, they could give us only 600 crore
So given that, I don't know why they should deny some government or individual (who can help)," Mr Issacs said
"See, UAE and Kerala has such a long relationship
In fact, a majority of the population (in UAE) would be Malayalis," he added.Around three million Indians live and work in the UAE, of whom
80 per cent are from Kerala
The Home Ministry has said Indians staying abroad can send their donations to Kerala Chief Minister's Relief Fund as that will be tax
free.Asked if Kerala's "ultimate demands will not be realized," he said when it came to immediate help, the centre fell short
The state managed to tide over the crisis because of the huge response to the Chief Minister's Relief Fund
"The concern is about the second phase -- the reconstruction," Mr Issacs said.During last year's Bihar floods, against a request for 7,600
crore, the Centre had given 1700 crore, including the Rs 500 crore initial relief given to the state.Kerala, Mr Issac said, has prepared a
"Our demands are at least for 2 years (fiscal deficit target under the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act) limit for Kerala
That should bring us something like 20,000 to 25,000 crore," he added.The plans were outlined by the Chief Minister in a series of tweets
It will also "request NABARD for a special scheme to implement long-term projects for infrastructure development in agriculture, irrigation
and associated areas and social sectors", he tweeted.
