Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assistance the Government is providing to India in response to of the Kerala Floods in July 2018.

It was heart-breaking to see reports of so much loss of life and so many made homeless by flooding across Kerala. Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials have been in touch with local authorities in Kerala and continue to follow events in the region.

The existing policy of India’s Foreign Ministry is to meet requirements for relief and rehabilitation through domestic efforts. However, the UK aid-supported START Fund is in operation to help Non-Governmental Organisations respond to the situation, and the British Government stands ready to assist further if required. Moreover, Oxfam UK are responding in parts of Kerala and our Deputy High Commission staff have personally donated cash, food and clothing to the relief effort.