Kerala: The United Arab Emirates has offered monetary aid of Rs 700 cr to the flood-ravaged state of Kerala. Chief Minister of Kerala Pinarayi Vijayan, on Tuesday, expressed his gratitude to UAE through a tweet.
However, it is now learnt that the Centre may not be accepting monetary aid from any foreign country.
“As of now the centre is not accepting financial help from any foreign country, so the same applies to the offer made by UAE. However the final decision is with the Ministry of External Affairs,” a senior ministry level officer told NDTV clarifying that the ministry has not yet got any official communication from the UAE in this regard.
The officials also clarified that while the decision on accepting foreign monetary aid is one thing, Indians staying abroad are free to send in their donations to Kerala CM’s Relief Fund, which is tax-free.
The tax exemptions are applicable only to non-profit organisations and NGOs registered under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act. The contributions to organisations which are not registered under the Act will be counted as the income of the organisation and hence will be taxed.
Over 200 people have died since August 8 after floods hit the state of Kerala. The initial estimation of losses was pegged at Rs 20,000 cr.
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.
