Make one-time exception for Kerala: Alphons on foreign aid

New Delhi, August 23 

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Union minister KJ Alphons on Thursday requested the Centre to make a "one-time exception" to its 14-year policy of not accepting foreign aid in the face of natural calamities for Kerala.

As the row over foreign aid for the flood-ravaged southern state escalated, Alphons earlier in the day said the NDA government had "inherited" the policy of not accepting foreign funds for natural calamities from the previous UPA government.

He said the Centre's stand on Kerala was a convention "inherited" from previous governments, when during 2004's devastating Tsunami, then prime minister Manmohan Singh had refused aid from foreign countries.

Bureaucrats serving during Singh's tenure as prime minister, however, indicated that the 2004 decision was not cast in stone.

"Kerala has contributed huge amounts of foreign exchange through remittance in the last 50 years. In fact, in the last year itself, it had brought in Rs 75,000 crore. Also, Kerala is the biggest tourist destination in the country and contributes hugely to the economy. For these reasons, as a junior minister, I am appealing to my senior colleagues to make a special consideration for the state. I appeal to them to make a one-time exception to the policy," Alphons told PTI.

The minister, who is from Kerala, said there were two lakh families staying in the relief camps and when they return home, they will have no clothes to wear, no food, no utensils, no toilet and no drinking water.

"We need big fat cheques. We do not need people to open their wardrobes and send old clothes, we need them to send big fat cheques," he added.

Earlier, among others, Kerala Finance Minister Thomas Isaac had criticised the BJP-led government over the refusal of aid and said Kerala had asked the Centre for a financial support of Rs 2,200 crore, but was granted only Rs 600 crore.

"We make no request to any foreign government but UAE government voluntarily offered Rs 700 crore. No, says Union government, it is below our dignity to accept foreign aid. This is a dog in the manger policy (sic)," Isaac had written on Twitter.

Alphons accused Isaac of playing "misleading politics".

Stating that the Centre's Rs 760-crore aid to the state was for the immediate rescue-and-relief operations, the Union minister said the due process will be followed in releasing the required funds to Kerala once it assessed the losses it had incurred.

Incessant rains have claimed over 230 lives in Kerala since August 8. - PTI