Kerala: Rs 500 crore aid 'too little', PM Modi could have been 'more generous,' says CPI

The CPI today said and the Centre's assistance of Rs 500 crore to flood-battered Kerala was "too little", and Prime Minister Narendra Modi could have been "more generous" towards the state.

The prime minister had last week announced a relief of Rs 500 crore to the state, in addition to Rs 100 crore announced by Home Minister Rajnath Singh.

CPI General Secretary Suravaram Sudhakar Reddy said, "We are not satisfied. We think it's too little considering the scale of destruction in Kerala. Initial estimates put the loss at Rs 20,000 crore." "This (Rs 500 crore) will not be enough," Reddy said.

The Communist Party of India is the second biggest constituent of the ruling Left Democratic Front in Kerala.

Reddy said the CPI expected the prime minister to be "more generous".

The Centre should have at least extended an immediate financial assistance of Rs 2,000 crore as requested by the state, he said.

"We demanded that it (Kerala floods) be declared a national calamity but the Centre declared it a calamity of severe nature," he said.

The floods have claimed 223 lives since August 8 in the state and displaced over 10 lakh people from their homes.