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.
“Informally informed with regret that the Government of India is not accepting overseas donations for Kerala flood relief. Our hearts are with you, the people of Bharat,” Thailand’s Ambassador to India Chutintorn Sam Gongsakdi said in a message posted on social media.
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.
However, The Hindu has learnt that there is an existing standpoint regarding foreign assistance which stems out of the fact that India is “capable” of dealing with natural calamities.
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.
‘Considered decision’
As of now, the government has taken a considered decision to rely on domestic resources to deal with the crisis in Kerala.
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.
“I spoke to the Indian Prime Minister about the devastation caused by the floods in Kerala…Our relief and charitable institutions are helping with relief efforts,” a social media post from the Crown Prince stated, though the sources of the UAE government have not spoken on record about the total volume of the country’s assistance that was declared by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
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.