New Delhi: The Narendra Modi government on Thursday underscored that the Rs 600 crore it has given to flood-wracked Kerala is "advance assistance only", feeling the heat of the criticism it has faced for its perceived indifferent attitude to the state in the hour of crisis and its refusal to accept foreign assistance.
The detailed clarification on the financial mechanism for rescue and relief operations in a natural calamity asserts that "the Centre has provided urgent aid and relief material in a timely manner and without reservation to the state".
The government made the comments after the hashtag LetKeralaLive began trending on social media amid demands that the Modi dispensation compensate for the aid it was rejecting.
The hashtag was an immediate response to the Centre's decision to refuse the offer of financial assistance from the UAE government. Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said aid that is being offered voluntarily should not be rejected.
Several retired diplomats said the offer of financial help from the UAE in particular should be seen in the context of the special relationship between Malayalis and that country.
Former foreign secretary Nirupama Menon Rao tweeted: "True that as a country we can give rather than take assistance, but 80% of Indians in the Gulf are Malayalis. Offer of flood relief assistance from the region must be treated with sensitivity...Saying no is simple, but for Kerala-in-crisis, it's not so simple."
Her predecessor Shivshankar Menon replied from memory that the 2004 UPA government decision that is now being cited as policy of not accepting foreign assistance "was not to accept foreign participation in relief but accept it for long-term rehabilitation case by case".
Shivshankar Menon clarified that what the Manmohan Singh government had rejected was having foreign rescue teams on the ground as they would need hand-holding and interpretation. The then government, according to Shivshankar Menon, did not foreclose the option of taking help to rebuild houses, bridges and roads.
This was endorsed by Sanjaya Baru, who was Singh's media adviser in December 2004 during the tsunami. Baru said in a tweet to Menon: "You are correct. We said no to relief but accepted support for rehab...."
Others privy to the thinking within the UPA government on refusing foreign assistance during the tsunami said a major concern was the presence of security installations along the affected areas. "We did not want foreigners moving around those areas at a time of general chaos," one of them said.
The embassies and high commissions of those countries that have offered help are now exploring options of routing aid through multilateral organisations or their own institutions and companies doing business in India.
The European Union on Thursday announced an allocation of Euros 190,000 as an initial contribution in humanitarian aid funding to support the Indian Red Cross Society in its work in Kerala.
Imran prayers
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan tweeted on Thursday: "On behalf of the people of Pakistan, we send our prayers and best wishes to those who have been devastated by the floods in Kerala, India. We stand ready to provide any humanitarian assistance that may be needed."
