INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
The UAE has offered Rs 700 crore to help rebuild the flood-ravaged Kerala.New Delhi: As Kerala is looking forward to getting back to normal
life, assistance - both financial and technical - is crucial
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday announced that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has offered Rs
700 crore to help rebuild the flood-ravaged state
However, the centre might not accept the offer."As of now the centre is not accepting financial help from any foreign country, so the same
applies to the offer made by UAE," a senior ministry level officer told TheIndianSubcontinent
However, the final decision will be taken by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), he added. The MEA also said that it hasn't got any
offer or proposal yet. The Ministry of Home Affairs has also clarified that Indians staying abroad can send their donations to Kerala Chief
Minister's Relief Fund as that will be tax free."If foreign aid is coming to non-profits or NGOs which are registered under the Foreign
Contribution (regulation) Act (FCRA) then they will not be taxed
But if donations are received by NGOs which are not registered, then it is counted as the income of the NGO and that will be taxed," a
senior officer told TheIndianSubcontinent
When asked in an exclusive interview by TheIndianSubcontinent whether the Rs 700 crore offered by the UAE would be taxed by the centre
since it would be a direct cash transfer, Kerala Finance Minister Thomas Issac said "There is no provision to tax that." Over 200 people
have died since August 8 and almost a million were forced to leave their homes
The initial assessment of losses is pegged at over Rs
Amid demands for Kerala floods to be declared as "national calamity", the MHA clarified that there is no provision to declare any calamity
as national calamity under the Disaster Management Act. "The centre is already treating it as a natural calamity of severe nature
An inter-ministerial team has been sent to assess the damage," said another officer, who deals with disaster management. The team visited
Kerala between August 7 and 12
As the rain became more intense after August 14, the state would send an additional memorandum to the centre after the team visits the state
again to assess further damages, he said. Meanwhile, the centre has released Rs
600 crore as announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "This is immediate assistance and more money will be released after fresh
assessments," he said. In a series of tweets, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan demanded a Rs 2600-crore MGNREGA special package for central
schemes.Kerala will ask the centre to raise ceiling on borrowing for the state to 4.5 per cent of the GDP, which is at 3 per cent now
This will help raise an additional Rs 10,500 crore from the market, Mr Vijayan said
It will also "request NABARD for a special scheme to implement long-term projects for infrastructure development in agriculture, irrigation
and associated areas and social sectors", he tweeted.(Kerala has to rebuild itself after the worst floods in over a century
Hundreds have died and lakhs are homeless
Here is how you can help.)
