Overview

• The Union Ministry of Home Affairs recently granted FCRA registration to Maharashtra’s Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund, enabling it to accept foreign contributions for relief efforts.
• Kerala Finance Minister K N Balagopal says the decision ignores Kerala’s appeals for foreign aid during the 2018 floods and the 2024 Wayanad landslides, breaching federal principles.
• CPI MP P Sandosh Kumar calls the move “vindictive discrimination” against Kerala and demands a special relief package for Wayanad.
• Kerala’s government affirms it supports foreign aid to all states but insists on uniform approval criteria free from political influence.
• Opposition leaders warn that perceived favoritism in disaster relief approvals could erode trust between the Union government and state administrations.