NEW DELHI: As the arduous journey to rebuild Kerala gets underway, CPM leader Sitaram Yechury has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking him to increase central assistance to the flood-ravaged Kerala on “humanitarian considerations”.

Thanking the Prime Minister for releasing Rs 500 crore to the Southern state, but calling the sum woefully inadequate, Yechury has said in his letter that the Centre should scale up fiscal assistance to Rs 2000 crore. He has also urged the government to seek help from United Nations aid agencies to rebuild houses in the state.

“New homes will have to be built for lakhs of people. Under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, funds must be released for this purpose. I would also urge the central government to take up this matter with UN agencies, seeking assistance for building new homes,” Yechury said.

On Tuesday, even as the CPM general secretary and party colleague Brinda Karat went about a Delhi market collecting donations for Kerala, Yechury also sought the PM’s intervention in waiving duties on all relief materials arriving in Kerala. “Donations of money and materials are pouring in from various quarters. Medical equipment is also being sent from organisations of Malayalees in various countries. I request you to waive the duties on such materials as they are being sent for urgent relief and rehabilitation work.

In his letter to Prime Minister Modi, Yechury also asked for relaxation in GST norms to allow Kerala government to raise resources to tackle the natural disaster. “During the discussion on the GST Bill, I had raised concerns in Parliament on how the state government could raise resources to meet such natural disasters....Central government then assured that such provisions would be made when such circumstances arise...Now is the time to redeem the assurance from the government on the floor of the House,” Yechury said.

The CPM general secretary also imposed faith in government agencies like the National Highway Authority, the Indian Army ’s Engineering Corps and the Border Roads Organisation , agencies that have rich experience in building roads and bridges under difficult circumstances, to deploy their resources and personnel in rebuilding Kerala.

On Monday, Union minister KJ Alphons had said that though Kerala had shown indomitable spirit and compassion in dealing with a disaster of these proportions, the state urgently needed electricians, plumbers, and carpenters as volunteers.

