New Delhi: Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said he would approach the Central government and urge it to follow the 2016 National Disaster Management Plan (NDMP) in considering the UAE government’s offer of Rs 700 crore in financial assistance. Vijayan said that the UAE, considering its strong links with Kerala, should not be treated as any other country, “If there is such a problem, the state government would try to resolve it at the official level. If needed, we will take the matter with PM Narendra Modi,” Vijayan said.The Chief Minister pointed out that the prime minister himself had welcomed the UAE offer with a tweet. “It’s natural for countries to help each other during a crisis. It happens everywhere. The national disaster management policy announced by the Centre in May 2016 has clearly stated that accepting voluntary contribution from foreign countries during a crisis is permissible,” Vijayan said. The Centre on Wednesday however announced that it would not accept the UAE aid. In a statement, MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said that India appreciated the offers of help from different countries. However, “in line with the existing policy, the government is committed to meeting the requirements for relief and rehabilitation through domestic efforts.”Political analysts believe that the difference of opinion between centre and the state on UAE aid could deepen tension between the two adversarial parties. Kerala finance minister T.M. Thomas Isaac has tweeted that the Centre “should compensate Kerala” if it was not accepting the UAE offer because the government was neither giving enough funds to Kerala nor was it accepting the UAE government’s voluntary offer to help the state. Citing NDMP’s provision of accepting aid given by a foreign government during severe calamity, Isaac said the Centre has still chosen to adopt a negative stance towards the UAE offer. The relevant section of the NDMP on international cooperation reads:“As a matter of policy, the Government of India does not issue any appeal for foreign assistance in the wake of a disaster. However, if the national government of another country voluntarily offers assistance as a goodwill gesture in solidarity with the disaster victims, the Central Government may accept the offer. The Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, is required to coordinate with the Ministry of External Affairs, which is primarily responsible for reviewing foreign offers of assistance and channelising the same. In consultation with the State Government concerned, the MHA will assess the response requirements that the foreign teams can provide.”