On Wednesday, sources told news agency ANI that the Modi government had decided to allow foreign donations for PM-CARES, which has been set up to battle the coronavirus pandemic.
Journalist Suhasini Haider also tweeted the same thing. This led many to wonder if foreign donations were now allowed.
Soon as Twitter was abuzz, sources, which have known to display verbosity in the last few years clarified that it meant ‘individuals and organisations’.
Sources told ANI: “A public charitable trust #PMCARES was set up in view of several spontaneous requests from India & abroad for making generous contribution to support the govt in its fight against #COVID19: Sources on foreign contribution to PM CARES Fund. In view of the interest expressed to contribute to Govt's efforts, as well as keeping in mind the unprecedented nature of pandemic, contributions to the Trust can be done by individuals and organisations, both in India and abroad.”
Some had wondered if this would mean a major policy reversal. Some had claimed that the Modi government had refused aid during the 2018 Kerala floods. However, that was simply following government policy.
Govt sourced had said then: “We are following the policy since 2004 and have been turning down assistance from foreign governments since then. In Kerala also, we are sticking to that policy.”
In 2004, the Dr Singh-led government took a call that India would no longer accept aid, the way they did in 1991 (Uttarkashi earthquake), 2001 (Gujarat earthquake) and 2002 Bengal cyclone.
The decision was that India was now big enough to deal with its own calamities and not seek foreign aid.
Former foreign secretary Lalit Mansingh had earlier told Outlook: “Our policy on foreign aid and humanitarian assistance had evolved over the years.”
He had pointed out that it was during the NDA I era that the call was taken no to receive foreign aid, since they came with ‘strings attached’, and would often be used as a counterweight to lecture India on ‘human rights, religious freedom and other such issues’.
