Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 22: The UAE "cannot be considered any other nation", Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Wednesday, amid reports that the Centre had turned down aid offers from foreign governments in the wake of the flood disaster.
"As I understand, the UAE on its own has proposed this aid. The UAE cannot be considered as any other nation as their rulers have underlined," Vijayan told the Indian Express in an interview.
"Indians, especially Keralites, have contributed immensely in their nation building," he said.
The central government has not accepted the offer of $100 million (Rs 700 crore) made by the crown prince of Abu Dhabi for relief and rehabilitation work in Kerala.
Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan had telephoned Prime Minister Narendra Modi and made the offer of assistance, the Chief Minister had said earlier.
Since 2004, India has been turning down help from foreign governments during natural disasters.
The daily quoted Vijayan as saying: "I do not intend to enter into any politics over it. Let's study and understand the nuances."
Asked if he would take up the matter with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said: "Let's see."
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MP boat tragedy: Death toll climbs to 13; body of last missing person recovered
Jabalpur (PTI): The bodies of a five-year-old boy and his uncle were recovered from Bargi Dam in Madhya Pradesh's Jabalpur district on Sunday morning, raising the death toll in the cruise boat tragedy to 13, police said.
The boat, around 20 years old and operated by the state tourism department, capsized during a storm on Thursday evening.
"The bodies of Mayuram (5) and his uncle Kamraj (around 50), an employee of the Ordnance Factory in Khamaria, were found floating and were fished out of the dam," Bargi Sub Divisional Officer of Police Anjul Ayank Mishra told PTI over the phone.
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All 13 missing persons identified have now been accounted for, he said, adding the bodies were sent to a government hospital for postmortem.
Teams comprising around 20 Army divers airlifted from Agra, along with personnel from the National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force and local divers, were involved in the search operation, the police said.
Of the 41 identified passengers on board the vessel, 28 were rescued after the incident, according to the police.
The CCTV footage near the boarding point showed 43 people heading towards the boat, though the identities of 41 passengers have been confirmed so far, they said.
The state government on Friday ordered a probe into the incident and dismissed three crew members. It also banned the operation of similar vessels in the state.
