Relax norms for aid to come from abroad: Antony
Alappuzha (Kerala), Aug 22: Congress leader A.K. Antony on Wednesday asked the Modi government to rewrite the rules so that financial support can come from abroad for flood-hit Kerala.
"If the rule was changed by the previous government, I have no qualms to say that the Modi government should rewrite it," Antony told the media.
"With the present rule, it may not be possible to accept the $100 million announced by the UAE government for Kerala. So change the rules," said Antony.
It was during the first Congress-led UPA government that the rules was altered that financial assistance from foreign countries should not be accepted after natural disasters.
"It must not be forgotten that with a huge Kerala diaspora working in the Middle East, the governments in those countries have an emotional bonding with Kerala. That's why the UAE government responded so quickly. Likewise we will be getting assistance from the UN and other agencies too. So any law that has to be amended must be done," said Antony.
Hundreds of thousands are sheltered in over 3,000 relief camps in Kerala following the devastating floods, the worst since 1924. The death toll since the monsoon rains began on May 29 has been estimated at around 370.
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Emotional tributes paid to cops killed in blast at gunpowder dump of Maoists in Chhattisgarh
Narayanpur (Chhattisgarh) (PTI): Emotional scenes were witnessed on Sunday as wreaths were laid on the mortal remains of three of the four police personnel killed in an explosion in a gunpowder dump of Maoists in Chhattisgarh's Kanker district.
The grieving family members were inconsolable, while security personnel tried to comfort them.
Amid chants of "Bharat Mata ki Jai" and "Vande Mataram," public representatives, along with senior police and administrative officials, paid tributes to the deceased personnel.
The wreath-laying ceremony to pay homage to Inspector Sukhram Vatti (40), constables Krishna Komra (35) and Sanjay Gadhpale (29), killed in the explosion on Saturday, was held at the Police Lines in Narayanpur district, neighbouring Kanker.
The mortal remains of constable Parmanand Komra (29), who succumbed to injuries during treatment in Raipur, will be shifted to Kanker, where a separate wreath-laying ceremony will be held, police said.
Inspector General of Police, Bastar Range, Sundarraj Pattilingam, after paying homage, told reporters that the four police personnel made the supreme sacrifice while protecting the region.
"I pay my homage to them," he added.
The four personnel were killed while they were attempting to dispose of a gunpowder dump hidden earlier by Maoists in a forest near Aadnar village under Chhotebethiya police station limits in Kanker district, according to police.
It was the first explosion linked to Naxalites in the state since it was declared free from armed Maoists on March 31, and also the first instance this year in which security personnel engaged in anti-Naxal operations lost their lives.
District Reserve Guard (DRG) official Vatti, who was leading the team, hailed from Bijapur district. Constable Krishna Komra of the district force and constables Gadhpale and Parmanand Komra of the Bastar Fighters were residents of different villages in Kanker.
