Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Finance Minister Thomas Isaac and former CM Oommen Chandy are all stumped by the Centre’s decision not to accept foreign aid for flood relief.
They are all wondering how the state will grapple with the flood aftermath, if the Centre keeps rejecting foreign aid. They were responding to reports that the Centre is inclined to reject UAE’s generous offer of Rs 700 crore aid for Kerala. Vijayan made it clear on Wednesday that treating UAE as “any other country” is not justified and that the Middle East nation is like a “second country” for the people of Kerala.
Opposition leader Oommen Chandy also issued a similar statement that said, “This decision is quite disappointing for the people of Kerala. Rules should be such as eradicate the sufferings of the people. If there exist any obstacles to acceptance of foreign financial aid, there should be suitable modifications.” India has not accepted any aid from a country or a multinational organisation since 2007 and the policy is unlikely to change, MEA sources said. Even during the floods.