Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], Aug 23 (NT): Kerala government is all set to kick off high-level deliberations with the Centre to enable the transfer of funds from the UAE government for flood relief, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan stated.

Asserting "National Policy on Disaster Management (NPDM)”, Vijayan said the policy provides provisions to admit voluntary offers from foreign nations in the view of calamities”.

He also expressed his gratitude to the people from various part of the nation for their ruthless support to help Kerala tide over the calamity. According to state finance minister Thomas Isaac, total ₹153 crore has been received from various states.

He added that So far, a total of Rs 318 crore has been collected for the Chief Minister's Distress Relief Fund, of this, Rs 146 crore comes from various states, which contributed kindly .

“This aid is apart from the contribution in the form of food grains from states like Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Tamil Nadu," an official release read.

The statement comes shortly after the Official Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Raveesh Kumar clarified the government's attitude on acceptance of aid from the UAE.

"In line with the existing policy, the Government is committed to meeting the requirements for relief and rehabilitation through domestic efforts. Contributions to the Prime Minister's Relief Fund and the Chief Minister's Relief Fund from NRIs, PIOs and international entities such as foundations would, however, be welcome," Kumar asserted.

Kumar also stated that there would be no amend in the existing policy in regard to foreign aids. However, he expressed gratefulness towards countries offering financial assistance to Kerala, which is witnessing the worst flood in several years.