Hopeful Of Getting UAE Aid: Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As the Kerala government embarked on a fund mobilisation drive for reconstructing the flood-hit state, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said today he was hopeful of getting the offer of aid made by the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
His statement assumes significance in the wake of a row over the centre's refusal to accept UAE's reported offer of Rs. 700 crore to the flood-hit state.
At a function organised to honour IAS officers who coordinated in operations to rescue stranded people from flood affected areas, Mr Vijayan said several foreign countries have come forward to help the state.
Referring to the reported offer of Rs. 700 crore made by the UAE to carry out relief operations and centre's decision not to accept it, Mr Vijayan said he does not believe that the stand (of the Centre) would continue.
Noting that the state was receiving good support for fund mobilisation from the country and abroad, Mr Vijayan said the effort should be to make use of it properly.
The chief minister said the state government had asked for a special package to tide over the situation besides the compensation for the loss and damage caused in the devastating deluge.
However, he said there were limitations on part of the centre to fully compensate the loss and damage suffered by the state.
"So the state has to find resources to overcome the shortage of funds for taking up the rehabilitation and rebuilding exercise," Mr Vijayan added.
Alluding to the cabinet decision to appoint KPMG as project consultant partner for rebuilding the state, Mr Vijayan said, "We will not restrict the consultancy to one agency. We will ensure that we get the assistance of all."
As part of the fund mobilisation initiative, the cabinet has decided to seek financial aid from abroad through non-resident Keralites, from major cities in the country and also from educational institutions in the state.
As many as 483 people have lost lives in the state since the onset of the monsoon on May 28 and 14 were still missing.
courtesy : ndtv.com
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US VP JD Vance says Lebanon not part of ceasefire, calls it ‘misunderstanding’
Budapest/Washington: US Vice President J D Vance has said that Lebanon was never included in the ceasefire understanding with Iran, describing the confusion as a “legitimate misunderstanding”.
Speaking to reporters before departing from Hungary, Vance said, “I think the Iranians thought that the ceasefire included Lebanon and it just didn’t. We never made that promise.”
He stressed that the United States had not included Lebanon in the scope of the ceasefire at any stage.
His remarks come amid continued Israeli strikes in Lebanon, where more than 200 people were reported killed, even as ceasefire talks between Iran and the US move forward.
Vance said Israel had “offered … to check themselves a little bit in Lebanon because they want to make sure that our negotiation is successful”.
He warned that if Iran allows the situation in Lebanon to affect the negotiations, it could derail the talks.
“If Iran wants to let this negotiation fall apart in a conflict where they were getting hammered over Lebanon, which has nothing to do with them and which the United States never once said was part of the ceasefire, that’s ultimately their choice,” he said.
