NEW DELHI: The United Arab Emirates has offered a financial assistance of Rs 700 crore for Kerala relief funds, Kerala chief minister
Pinarayi Vijayan said on Tuesday, according to news agency ANI.
The announcement was made a couple of days after the Gulf nation announced that it would be setting up a national emergency committee to provide relief assistance in Kerala, according to reports in UAE media.
The committee will be chaired by the Emirates Red Crescent (ERC) and will include representatives from UAE's humanitarian organizations. The UAE government will also consult dignitaries of the Indian resident community, according to local media reports.
Taking a note of the deteriorating situation, UAE's Vice president Sheikh Mohammed took to Twitter to urge his countrymen to extend help to those affected by the floods. "The state of Kerala in India is currently witnessing huge floods, the most devastating in a century. Hundreds have been killed, hundreds of thousands have been displaced. Ahead of Eid Al Adha, do not forget to extend a helping hand to our brothers in India," he tweeted.
Mohammed said that Keralites have played a major role in the development of UAE and hence it is his government's responsibility to help and support those affected. According to estimates, there are 2 million Indians in the United Arab Emirates, who form roughly 27 percent of the country's population.
Kerala, which is witnessing one of its worst floods in the history, is in dire need of humanitarian assistance. Last week on Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi conducted an aerial survey of the region and offered an immediate assistance of Rs 500 crore to the state government. The Kerala state government has also received financial aids from the state governments of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, and several other states.