· India has said a polite no to offers of foreign assistance to the Kerala flood victims.
· An indication of the Indian position regarding support from abroad came from Thailand’s ambassador who revealed that India had declined overseas support.
· The message from the Thai ambassador has added to clarity regarding the ongoing debate about the government of UAE’s offer of ₹700 crore for flood relief.
· The total volume of financial support from the entire Gulf region is expected to be far greater than the 600 crore that the government of India has announced for Kerala so far.
· It is understood that ‘as of now’ India will continue to deal with natural calamities in the way it has dealt with such issues in the last 15 years when a convention to avoid foreign aid was adopted in the backdrop of the Gujarat earthquake of 2001 and the Tsunami in 2004.
· In the meanwhile, despite India’s reluctance to accept support, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi has stated that his country is involved in providing support to Kerala.
· The delay in permitting the Gulf’s support to Kerala has also given rise to a demand to review the policy on foreign assistance.
· Kerala Finance Minister Thomas Isaac has demanded that the Centre should compensate Kerala if aid from the UAE is blocked.
Source : The Hindu