The United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Monday launched a fund-raising drive to help Indians affected by floods.

The Emirates Red Crescent (ERC) is leading the fund raising with representatives of the humanitarian agency collecting the donations from Emiratis and Indians in the UAE.

The fundraiser is in line with President Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s initiative to send relief assistance to the Indian state of Kerala.

The President also formed the National Emergency Committee for the Relief of Victims of Floods in the State of Kerala with the UAE Red Crescent Society as chairman and humanitarian associations in the country and the State Embassy in India as members. The committee has set an emergency relief plan for flood victims in Kerala.

The committee has created an operations room to follow up the situation and conduct emergency relief assistance from food, health, medical and shelter materials and distribute them to the people of Kerala.

Meanwhile, ERC employees and volunteers in Kerala are doing relief efforts, according to Fahad Abdul Rahman Bin Sultan, deputy secretary general for international aid affairs at the agency.

WAM