This year's flood in Kerala has been termed as the worst since 1924. All donations to the the Kerala Chief Minister's Distress Relief Fund and the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund are tax-free, while contributions to NGOs meant for Kerala flood victims will get 50 per cent income tax rebate. Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju said the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (PMNRF) accepts voluntary contributions from individuals, organisations and trusts. All contributions towards this fund are exempt from income tax under section 80(G). "For non-governmental organisations (NGOs), it depends if they have exemption under the Income Tax Act. If so, 80G allows 50 per cent rebate," he told PTI here. An official said donations to the Kerala Chief Minister's Distress Relief Fund have also been exempted from income tax. In order to facilitate speedy issue of 80(G) Income Tax receipts, donors should provide the transaction details of donations deposited directly in any of the PMNRF collection banks along with the address of the donor through e-mail at pmnrf@gov.in A government official said private donations from abroad to Kerala flood victims have no restrictions if they follow certain rules and routes, even though India as a policy does not accept any donation from foreign governments for disaster victims. He said individuals and private entities can contribute for the Kerala flood victims subject to certain conditions. There is also no ban on foreign contributions to FCRA-registered NGOs, which are working among the flood victims in Kerala. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) government has offered USD 100 million (about Rs 700 crore) aid to the rain-ravaged state, but the government is unlikely to accept it. The Kerala government had sought an immediate relief of Rs 2,000 crore to take up relief works. The Centre had yesterday released Rs 600 crore assistance to the state. The Chief Minister's Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF) had received donations to the tune of Rs 309 crore till last evening through online and deposits in the special SBI account. The state, which suffered an estimated loss of Rs 20,000 crore in the deluge, has sought from the Centre a relief package of Rs 2,600 crore under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) and the centrally-sponsored programmes. According to the Disaster Management State Control room, 231 people have lost their lives and 32 are missing in flood-related incidents since August 8. Nearly 14.50 lakh people belonging to 3.91 lakh families are still lodged in 3,879 relief camps across the state. This year's flood in Kerala has been termed as the worst since 1924.<doc-sep>Actor-director Raghava Lawrence to donate Rs 1 crore for Kerala The actor wrote on his Facebook page that he will be meeting the Chief Minister of Kerala soon. news Kerala floods With many people from different parts of the country contributing in whatever ways they can for the state of Kerala, the strength of humanity has never been more evident before. The latest to join the list of generous donors is actor, director, and choreographer Raghava Lawrence who has pledged his support for the flood-affected state. Lawrence announced via his social media account that he has decided to donate Rs 1 crore to Kerala as his contribution. The actor wrote on his page, â€śWhile seeing I wanted to do service by directly visiting the place but they informed its hard to get Into all places because itâ€™s raining heavily and told to wait till it reduces.. now that the rain has reduced I thought it would be right if I go through government because they know which areas are more affected thus I have got an appointment with Kerala CM this Saturday. I want to give my donation to CM and place a request to him asking him to help me to do service directly to the affected people.â€ť Hi Friends and Fans..! I have decided to contribute â€ś1 crore to Keralaâ€ť.. pic.twitter.com/GQjQU1MfOD August 23, 2018 The actor is known for his philanthropic ways. He runs the Larencce Charitable Trust, started in 2005, which has been of great help to persons with physical disabilities. He has also cast a few of them in his films. Raghava isn't the only one from the Tamil film industry to come forward with his support. Actors Suriya, Karthi, Vishal, Vijay Sethupathi and several others have donated to Kerala. Actor Vijay has arranged for 15 lorries to carry essentials, which are reportedly worth Rs 70 lakh, to the flood-hit regions in Kerala. Actor Keerthy Suresh, too, has been involved with relief measures in Kerala. Videos of the actor requesting for essential items were posted on her Facebook page. The actor has also donated Rs 15 lakh to the Chief Minister's fund. It was announced earlier that actor Nayanthara has donated Rs 10 lakh to the Chief Ministerâ€™s distress relief fund.<doc-sep>Former Indian diplomat Talmiz Ahmad said there was a problem in accepting such a huge cash donation from the UAE as financial assistance for flood relief operation in Kerala Hyderabad: While the United Arab Emirates (UAE) offering $100 million as financial assistance for flood relief operation in Kerala is a "good gesture", there is a "problem" in accepting such a huge cash donation, according to a former Indian diplomat who has served in the Gulf region. The former Indian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Oman and the UAE, Talmiz Ahmad said to the best of his knowledge, cash transfers have not been offered in the past on a bilateral basis. "In times of calamity and disaster, money donations have usually come from Indian community living overseas which embassies collect and send home as RBI draft," he said. "Relief supply makes sense, and donations from Indian community (overseas) makes sense. Individual countries, to the best of my knowledge, have not made such (cash) offers," Ahmad told PTI. According to him, in the past countries provided relief supplies, recalling that Saudi Arabia had sent three plane-loads of such materials after the Bhuj earthquake in 2001. "To the best of my knowledge, I don't recall individual countries making such major offers of money. The problem for India in such a situation is that it implies that we have a shortage of money in terms of looking after our people. That frankly is not the case," Ahmad said. Donor countries should actually check with the country facing the calamity as to what relief supply is needed on the ground. "I don't think they (the UAE) consulted the Indian government in advance. So, there is a problem with regard to accepting such a large donation from another country," he said. However, he stressed that the UAE's offer is a very good, generous and spontaneous gesture. "It (the UAE offer) reflects their deep affection for the people of Kerala, and for the State, particularly as you know Kerala has such an ancient connection with the Arabian peninsula and over the last 40 years, the people of Kerala have contributed significantly to the development of that region," Ahmad said. On why the UAE chose to make a cash offer and not relief supplies, he said the authorities there saw newspaper reports and television footage on the large number of casualties and devastation and "spontaneously thought that we should do something". "Don't forget that 40 percent of the Indian community in the Gulf is from Kerala. Out of eight million people (Indians in the Gulf), 3.5 million people are from Kerala", Ahmad pointed out.<doc-sep>Flood victims unload food and relief material from an Indian Air force helicopter at Nelliyampathy Village in Kerala on August 21, 2018. (Reuters photo) Key Highlights While India was extremely grateful for the offers, its own resources would be used to rebuild Kerala This does not, however, extend to private contributions pouring in from all over the world During the Uttarakhand floods in 2013, the UPA government too politely refused foreign aid NEW DELHI: India will not accept the generous help that has been offered by foreign governments after the floods in Kerala. The UAE, Qatar and Maldives have all pledged assistance to India for relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction in the state. But high-level sources said that while India was extremely grateful for the offers, its own resources would be used to rebuild Kerala. India will say "thank you" but "no thank you" as internal resources are mobilized. This does not, however, extend to private contributions pouring in from all over the world, given the huge diaspora from Kerala. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the UAE's PM, offered almost Rs 700 crore to Kerala . It was seen as an acknowledgment of the connection between Dubai and Kerala as well as the close ties between UAE and India. In a tweet, PM Modi thanked the ruler of Dubai. Kerala CM Vijayan also offered fulsome gratitude. Qatar has offered almost Rs 35 crore while Maldives, a country with which India's ties have nosedived recently, stepped up with an offer of $50,000. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor also landed up at the United Nation's doorstep in Geneva to ask for aid. Read this in Bengali That was unlikely to go anywhere, because the request has to come from the Indian government. Read this in Marathi India's stance is not new or unique. Even during the Uttarakhand floods in 2013, the UPA government too politely refused foreign aid.<doc-sep>
Read Also NEW DELHI: No specific amount for financial aid to flood-ravaged Kerala has been finalised officially by the United Arab Emirates and there was no announcement on donation to the state, officials in UAE embassy said in the national capital on Friday, amid a row over the Centre deciding not to accept any foreign donations for flood relief. UAE ambassador Ahmed Albannam, without mentioning financial aid , said his government only set up a national emergency committee to provide relief assistance to people affected by flash floods in Kerala. "The UAE has not officially announced any financial aid for Kerala flood relief. We have not conveyed anything to India on any assistance," said a senior official in the UAE embassy here.He said the UAE may come out with its plan in the next few days to extend assistance to flood victims.Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan earlier this week said that the UAE has decided to extend financial assistance of Rs 700 crore to Kerala, considering the Gulf nation's special relationship with Kerala.Around three million Indians live and work in the UAE, out of which 80 per cent are from Kerala, according to official figures.On August 18, Prime Minister and ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum tweeted that his country has formed a committee for extending help to flood affected people in Kerala. "UAE and the Indian community will unite to offer relief to those affected. We have formed a committee to start immediately. We urge everyone to contribute generously towards this initiative," he tweeted.Days after the Kerala CM said the UAE has offered to give Rs 700 crore to his state, the ministry of external affairs made it clear that the Centre will not allow any financial assistance from foreign governments for Kerala in sync with an existing policy.The MEA, however, said contributions to the Prime Minister's Relief Fund and the Chief Minister's Relief Fund from NRIs (Non Resident Indians, PIOs (Persons of Indian Origin) and international entities such as foundations will be welcomed.While refusing foreign aid, the government invoked a policy decision taken by the Manmohan Singh government in 2004 in the aftermath of the Tsunami for not accepting foreign assistance.After the MEA said India will not accept donations from foreign nations, an unhappy Vijayan said the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) had in 2016 suggested that assistance offered as a goodwill gesture "may" be accepted, asserting that there is no blanket ban on receiving such assistance.Vijayan said he would approach Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue.