Kerala flood: Still believe Rs 7-bn UAE aid will be accepted, says Vijayan

Reports said that the UAE administration has denied any official announcement over any specific amount as aid

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that he still believes that the financial aid offered by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will be accepted by India. He said that discussions on the issue were on between the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

"As mentioned on that day, when Yusuf Ali MA met the UAE Prince to convey his Bakrid wishes, he said that he had spoken to the prime minister about a financial aid to the tune of $100 million. I have again asked him whether we can announce in public and he said there would not be any issue," Vijayan told reporters. The development comes after reports said that the UAE administration had denied any official announcement over any specific amount as aid.  

"There is no ambiguity on this. It was a conversation between the UAE prince and the prime minister and you have seen the prime minister's comment on twitter. I still believe that the aid can be accepted," Vijayan added. 

Meanwhile, the state government said that Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, Ramdas Athawale, said that he would speak to the Union Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Prime Minister's Office to clear the technicalities involved in accepting the money.

The dispute between the Centre and the state regarding acceptance of a $100 million fund from the UAE was triggered after reports surfaced in the media saying that the Indian government had informed UAE that it cannot accept any funds from other countries.

Kerala Finance Minister T M Thomas Isaac had tweeted that National Disaster Management Plan Chapter 9 on international cooperation states that in case of a severe calamity, voluntary aid given by a foreign government can be accepted. 

"Still, if the Union government chooses to adopt a negative stance towards the offer made by the UAE government, they should compensate Kerala," he said. 

"We had asked the Union government for financial support of Rs 2,200 billion; they grant us a precious Rs 6 billion. We make no request to any foreign government but the UAE government voluntarily offers Rs 7 billion. No, says the Union Government, it is below our dignity to accept foreign aid. This is a dog in the manger policy," he added.