Govt to bring policy to reduce diaster risk, mitigate sufferings

New Delhi, Oct 29 (UNI) The Centre is in the process of finalising a national policy on the Disaster Management to reduce the risk of cyclone, earthquake and flood.

Inaugurating the first Partnership Development Workshop under the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) South-South Cooperation Programme here today, Secretary Border Management in the Home Ministry Jarnail Singh said the policy was being finalised in consultation with various stake holders.

He said the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) had commenced the preparation of detailed reports to implement national-level mitigation projects to reduce the risk of cyclone, earthquake and flood.

Appreciating the initiative of GFDRR in launching South-South Cooperation Programme to encourage inter-country collaboration and partnership arrangements, he said India would like to be actively associated with this initiative.

Mr Singh highlighted some initiatives undertaken by the Government to address the issue of disaster risk reduction.

These included enactment of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, establishment of the National Institute of Disaster Management, National Disaster Response Force, National Disaster Response Fund, National Tsunami Early Warning System and release of guidelines by NDMA for management of earthquake, cyclone, floods, landslide, chemical disasters, biological disasters and medical preparedness.

The three-day workshop is being hosted by the Home Ministry and the World Bank. The GFDRR South-South Cooperation Programme is a major initiative to facilitate collaboration among low and middle income countries to mainstream disaster risk reduction and recovery into the development planning and programming.

The workshop aims at sharing of experience and knowledge, and establishing collaboration among governments, institutions, networks and communities and is being attended by participants from around 24 countries across the world.

More than 50 Disaster Risk Reduction experts and practitioners are participating in the workshop. Senior officials of the Home Ministry, representatives from the World Bank, UNISDR and UNDP are also participating in and facilitating the various sessions of the workshop.

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