Kerala CM assures NRI donors of transparency in fund spending
dubai — Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday told NRIs that donors will be ensured transparency of expenditure during the state’s rebuilding after the floods.
Vijayan met prominent Indian businessmen and other NRIs in Dubai on Friday to seek help for mobilising resources to rebuild Kerala after the devastation caused by floods in August.
The chief minister sought help from NRIs globally to help rebuild Kerala. He sought a month’s salary from NRIs to help in these redevelopment efforts.
Employees of the LuLu Group in Abu Dhabi raised Rs100 million under this initiative and donated it to the Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund. He sought more such support from other organisations in the UAE.
“If you can’t donate a month’s salary, at least donate a week’s salary now, and the rest when you can afford to do so,” the chief minister urged, adding that the fund is transparent and socially audited.
He also cited the crowdfunding initiative (Rebuild Kerala) undertaken by the state government to help donors choose specific projects in towns they wished. “You can choose a specific home, village, hospital, primary health centre or school to help under the crowdfunding initiative. Investors can get updates on the projects they support with visual evidence. Members of the public will be social monitors. Donors will be ensured transparency of project management.”
External agencies, including the World Bank and Asian Development Bank, have assessed Kerala’s post-disaster needs at Rs270 billion. However, the Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund has only collected Rs20 billion so far.
At an event organised by the Indian Business and Professional Council, the chief minister said: “The Kerala government can only seek Rs40 billion from the central government. There has been no response so far for our request for a special package worth Rs50 billion from the Centre. There are limits to the loans we can take from the World Bank, Asian Development Bank and other global agencies.”
The chief minister said the focus for a new Kerala would be to create infrastructure that would be resilient to future natural disasters.
“Our vegetable trade was destroyed, the loss to livestock was huge, farming suffered devastating losses, lands were rendered infertile and the loss of livelihood was huge. Schools, hospitals and other public facilities were destroyed,” Vijayan added.
He also urged wealthy businessmen and other NRIs to invest in Kerala, citing the ease of doing business in the state. “We are an investment-friendly state, offering single window clearances and guaranteed approval to businesses. Organisations facing any issues can directly approach the chief minister’s office or the chief minister, if need be.”
Dr Azad Moopen, chairman of Aster DM Healthcare, urged more organisations in the UAE to take up the salary challenge and raise money for Kerala. “Investments into Kerala will not just take care of infrastructure, but also generate more employment. There are a lot of people who have money stashed in banks. They need to invest those funds into Kerala. The tourism sector has a lot of potential, right from spas to resorts. Another sector with potential is information technology. In Kerala, Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode are IT hubs. Investment made in these hubs will pick up. The agriculture sector also holds potential,” Dr Moopen told Khaleej Times on the sidelines of the event.
Yusuff Ali M.A., chairman and managing director of LuLu Group, said the purpose of the chief minister’s visit to the UAE is to rebuild Kerala for future generations and discuss means to do so with the UAE’s Indian community.
Dr B.R. Shetty, founder and chairman of NMC Healthcare, Finablr, Neopharma and BRS Ventures, said there is a unique opportunity for the government to develop and recreate Kerala for future generations.
Ram Buxani, chairman of ITL Cosmos Group, said: “The whole country has to share the challenge with Malayalis so they can emerge from the disaster quickly.”
Investors can get updates on the projects they support with visual evidence. Members of the public will be social monitors.”
Pinarayi Vijayan, Kerala CM