It's not just the expat Indian community in the United Arab Emirates - a big chunk of whom have roots in Kerala - that have donated generously to help the crisis-hit state. Their adopted country has whole-heartedly chipped in, too. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan announced today that the UAE has offered assistance of Rs 700 crore ($100 million) to aid relief efforts in the state ravaged worst monsoon in close to a century. Vijayan informed the media about the UAE's overture and thanked them for their "timely" help. "Today morning, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyan, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, informed our Prime Minister about their contribution for Kerala and this was conveyed to me by M.A. Yusuf Ali (who owns Lulu Supermarkets)," he said. "The Kerala diaspora has been a huge source of help for us. Since they have done tremendous service in the Middle East, it has helped build good relations with the governments there." "We also express the gratitude of Kerala to HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE and the Emir of Abu Dhabi, and HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Prime Minister of UAE and Emir of Dubai," tweeted Vijayan. Depending on whom you ask, 6-8 lakh people are stuck in 3,000-5,000 relief camps set up across the rain-battered state. The death toll has crossed 300 and the Chief Minister recently pegged the overall damage caused in the state at over Rs 19,500 crore. That's just the initial assessment. Last week, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai and the vice president of the UAE, took to Twitter to announce the formation of a committee to extend emergency help to the state. "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. In a subsequent post he said: "The people of Kerala had always been successful in the success of the UAE. We have a special responsibility to support and assist the flood victims. Especially in this epic and blessing of Eid al-Adha." In response, Vijayan had thanked him for his "concern, generosity and large heart" on the social media platform. "People of Kerala will not forget this kind gesture shown in our time of need," he had tweeted. The state is now reportedly preparing to rebuilt itself and rehabilitate the victims with the weather finally showing improvement. "A new Kerala has to be built. At today's cabinet meeting, it has been decided to submit a detailed list to the Centre," he reportedly said. "Funds are the prime requisite for this. This will be raised by us through various sources besides getting it from the Centre and other agencies." The news agency added that the Chief Minister's Distress Relief Fund had received Rs 210 crore as contributions till Monday, while another Rs 160 crore had been pledged. Vijayan has reportedly called an all-party meeting at 4 pm today to chart out the future course of action. A special session of the Kerala Assembly has been called from August 30 to discuss Kerala's rehabilitation and reconstruction. With agency inputs<doc-sep>The UAE government has said that it never offered a specific Rs 700 crore as aid. (Photo: AP) Has the United Arab Emirates (UAE) offered Rs 700 crore in aid for Kerala flood relief? Well, the Kerala government has -- indirectly as well as directly -- said so. The Kerala chief minister said that Rs 700 crore was offered by the UAE and the state's finance minister Thomas Issac criticised the central government for not accepting aid from foreign countries. Now, however, the UAE government has said that it never offered a specific Rs 700 crore as aid. UAE said that it is willing to offer assistance and that it has set up an emergency committee to assess the situation in Kerala. The UAE will decide on how much money it will offer as aid only after the committee's assessment. The amount of money has not been decided yet. Reports about the UAE offering Rs 700 crore as aid appeared after Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan tweeted about the Arab nation offering assistance. Vijayan tweeted on August 21 that Kerala was grateful to the UAE for offering aid to the tune of Rs 700 crore. CM Pinarayi Vijayan informed that the United Arab Emirates will provide Kerala an assistance of ?700 Crore. Kerala has a special relationship with UAE, which is a home away from home for Malayalees. We express our gratitude to UAE for their support. #KeralaFloodRelief pic.twitter.com/yfwbt9iEkd August 21, 2018 However, there was a catch. In a series of tweets following the above post, Vijayan revealed that his information was not first hand. Vijayan said that the UAE had told an Indian-origin businessman about its offer of assistance. The offer was conveyed to Yusuff Ali MA the managing director of Lulu Hypermarket, the largest retail chain in the Middle East. Ali is from Kerala and now lives in the Gulf. READ| Will discuss India declining foreign aid for Kerala floods with Centre: CM Pinarayi Vijayan In a series of tweets, Vijayan also said that Prime Minister Modi too was told about the Rs 700-crore aid offer by the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed. As the reports of the UAE's largesse gathered steam, the Narendra Modi government at the Centre came under criticism for giving less aid money (Rs 600 crore) to Kerala than what the Gulf nation. Meanwhile, the Indian government said that it would not be accepting aid from foreign nations as part of a long-standing policy of relying on domestic capabilities during times of calamities. READ| Kerala floods: Why India is not accepting foreign funds Kerala finance minister Thomas Isaac also hit out at the Modi government on the issue. We asked Union Gov for financial support of ?2200 Cr ; they grant us a precious ?600 Cr . We make no request to any foreign gov but UAE gov voluntarily offer ?700cr. No, says Union gov , it is below our dignity to accept foreign aid. This is a dog in the manger policy. Thomas Isaac (@drthomasisaac) August 22, 2018 Backing the Kerala government over foreign aid for Kerala flood relief, BJP minister KJ Alphons also requested the government to make a "one-time exception". It was unclear from his statement if the amount under consideration was Rs 700 crore. However, with the UAE government's clarification that it has not yet decided on the amount of money it will offer as aid, the question of considering accepting Rs 700 crore does not arise. At least for now. More than 300 people have died in due to heavy rain and flooding in Kerala. While floodwaters are now receding, the state is gearing up to face the monumental challenge of rehabilitating lakhs of people who have been displaced by the floods. The Kerala floods have also caused massive destruction in the state with top business body Assocham estimating that the damage caused by the floods was worth Rs 20,000 crore. READ| Beyond floods: How much money Kerala receives from UAE READ| 'Accept aid, Kerala has special ties with Gulf' WATCH | Kerala floods: The tragedy in numbers<doc-sep>The Kerala government has asked the Centre to go by the 2016 National Disaster Management Plan (NDMP) while taking a call on the UAE government’s offer of ₹700 crore in assistance or compensate the State for the loss of such a hefty sum. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi had welcomed the UAE government making the ₹700 crore offer. It is only natural for nations to help each other. Moreover, the National Disaster Management Plan, brought out by the Central government in May 2016, does state clearly that any voluntary offer of assistance from other countries can be accepted,” Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan told a news conference here on Wednesday. Also Read War of words over Kerala floods Vijayan for talks While Mr. Vijayan said the the State would try to resolve the issue through discussions, if necessary with the Prime Minister himself, Finance Minister T.M. Thomas Isaac tweeted that the Centre must either accept the UAE’s offer or compensate the State. The relevant section of the chapter on ‘International Cooperation’ of the NDMP reads: “As a matter of policy, the Government of India does not issue any appeal for foreign assistance in the wake of a disaster. However, if the national government of another country voluntarily offers assistance as a goodwill gesture in solidarity with the disaster victims, the Central Government may accept the offer. The Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, is required to coordinate with the Ministry of External Affairs, which is primarily responsible for reviewing foreign offers of assistance and channelising the same. In consultation with the State Government concerned, the MHA will assess the response requirements that the foreign teams can provide.” “National Disaster Management Plan Chapter 9 on international cooperation accepts that in time (of) severe calamity voluntary aid given by a foreign gov can be accepted. Still if Union Gov chooses to adopt a negative stand towards offer made by UAE gov they should compensate Kerala,” Dr. Isaac tweeted. The Chief Minister greeted India cricket captain Virat Kohli for having dedicated India’s victory in the Third Test in England to the suffering people of Kerala. “On behalf of the State government, I greet the Indian cricket team members for having remembered Keralites at the time of their victory in England,” he said.<doc-sep>
Read this story in Marathi NEW DELHI/THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Putting at rest raging speculation, the Centre finally announced late Wednesday evening that India would not take aid from foreign governments for Kerala flood relief .In a statement, the MEA spokesperson said, while India appreciated the offers of help from different countries, "in line with the existing policy, the government is committed to meeting the requirements for relief and rehabilitation through domestic efforts. "Quoting high-level sources, TOI had reported on Wednesday that India would not accept help offered by foreign governments.The announcement came hours after Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that his government will officially try to remove "impediments" , if any, in receiving the Rs 700-crore financial assistance offered by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for flood relief. "If there is such a problem, the state government would try to resolve it at the official level. If need be, we will take up the matter with PM Narendra Modi," said the chief minister.Vijayan pointed out that immediately after the help offer from UAE, the PM himself had welcomed it with a tweet. "It's natural for countries to help each other during a crisis. It happens everywhere. The national disaster management policy announced by the Centre in May 2016 has clearly stated that accepting voluntary contribution from foreign countries during a crisis is permissible," he said.Over the past couple of days there has been huge speculation about whether India would accept aid from foreign governments, particularly after the UAE prime minister announced Rs 700 crore in aid for Kerala. Qatar, Maldives and Thailand had also expressed a desire to assist the relief and rehabilitation efforts in Kerala. But it has been India's policy since the tsunami of 2004 to use domestic funds to rebuild after natural disasters.However, the MEA spokesperson clarified, "Contributions to the Prime Minister's Relief Fund and the Chief Minister's Relief Fund from NRIs, PIOs and international entities such as foundations would, however, be welcome. "The Kerala CM, however, said the state government wholeheartedly welcomes all contributions from any part of the world. "Those who love the land should actually encourage and attract such help from people across the world. When the whole world is smothering us with love and care, we should be able to stand up together and receive it with grace. With such love and dedication, we would certainly survive the calamity," he added.The chief minister also expressed the state's gratitude to Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli who dedicated the team's victory in the third Test against England to flood-hit people in Kerala.