New Delhi/Thiruvananthapuram: People in Kerala are facing an uphill task to rebuild their lives as flood waters that have killed hundreds of people and displaced lakhs start to recede. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan met people at relief camps in flood-affected areas. The flood-hit state has asked the centre to go by the 2016 National Disaster Management Plan (NDMP) while considering a Rs 700 crore offer made by the UAE government for the Kerala floods - said to be the worst in nearly a century. The National Disaster Management Plan, that was brought by the Centre in May 2016, states that any voluntary offer of assistance from other countries can be accepted.
India will not take help from foreign governments that are pledging financial assistance to the southern state, the foreign ministry said in a statement late on Tuesday. "In line with existing policy, the government of India is committed to meeting the requirements for relief and rehabilitation through domestic efforts," the foreign ministry said. "Contributions to PM relief fund and CM relief fund from NRIs, PIOs and international entities such as foundations would be welcome," it said.
Here are the Highlights on relief work in flood-hit Kerala:
Aug 23, 2018 21:11 (IST)
Imran Khan, who took oath as Pakistan's 22nd prime minister last Saturday, tweeted this evening to say, "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."
Aug 23, 2018 17:55 (IST)
Lashing out at the Centre, CPI-M Secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said on Thursday that clinging to rules that will deny aid from foreign countries to flood-hit Kerala is nothing but an act of vengeance by the centre, according to news agency IANS.
"This should be seen as a follow up to statements that have come from Sangh Parivar agencies asking people not to contribute to the Chief Minister's Distress Relief Fund," he told the media.
Aug 23, 2018 17:13 (IST)
The miseries and destruction caused by the rains and floods in Kerala would have been less severe if the government had taken the initiative to implement the recommendations made in the Gadgil Committee report on preservation of the Western Ghats, a noted environmentalist has said, according to a Press Trust of India report.
Ecologist Madhav Gadgil's report had suggested checks on quarrying, discouraging cultivation of yearly crops on hill slopes and planting fruit-bearing tress there and restriction on construction in the area, according to Prof VS Vijayan, a former chairman of the State Biodiversity Board.
"Climate change is a reality and heavy rainfall leading to floods witnessed in Kerala and droughts would occur in future also," Mr Vijayan, also a member of the committee, told PTI.
Aug 23, 2018 13:25 (IST)
The renowned Carmel School in Chalakudy has suffered five crore worth of losses. Old students, parents and teachers have come to the campus today to clean up the place.