Kerala charges Centre of prejudice in approving foreign funds to Maharashtra.

• Kerala Finance Minister K.N. Balagopal accuses the Union government of bias in allowing Maharashtra to accept foreign aid for its Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF).

• Balagopal argues that Kerala was denied permission to accept aid from outside the country after the 2018 floods.

• He argues that the Centre should consider all states equally and that politics should not be the determining factor in aid decisions.

• Balagopal’s remarks follow the Union Ministry of Home Affairs granting the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010, to Maharashtra’s CMDRF.

• He also notes that Kerala was disappointed with Prime Minister Modi’s announcement of assistance after the 2024 landslides in Wayanad.