India 'grateful' but not accepting foreign financial aid to rebuild Kerala
Kerala floods, the worst the state has seen in a century, have killed over 300 people and left thousands homeless
An elderly woman being helped to a safer area; Kerala floods have killed over 300 people and left thousands homeless
While a number of countries have offered financial assistance for flood relief operations in Kerala, the Indian government has decided against accepting foreign financial assistance.
Maldives is one of the three nations to have pledged assistance to the flood-stricken Indian state, along with the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.
However, having adopted a 'no videshi aid' policy, India has decided on using its own resources to rebuild Kerala.
Citing high-level sources, Times of India reports that India was 'extremely grateful' for the offers, and that this 'does not extend to private contributions pouring in from all over the world, given the huge diaspora from Kerala'.
While Maldives had pledged MVR 50,000 as a token contribution in solidarity with the people of India 'for the ongoing rescue and relief operations in the flood-hit state of Kerala', it is one of the most popular destinations amongst Maldivians for medical purposes.
UAE offered USD 100 million while Qatar offered USD five million.
The floods, which are reported as the worst the state has seen in a century, have claimed the lives of over 300 people and left hundreds of thousand people homeless.
