South Asian Annual Disaster Management Exercise-2015 (SAADMEx-2015) The Government of India has taken the lead to begin the process of the Exercises for Disaster Management and India organized the SAADMEx-2015 in NCR from 23rd to 26th November 2015, in which delegations of all SAARC member countries participated. The few important objectives of the SAADMEx-2015 are as under:- (i) Strengthen the effective utilization and quick deployment of Search and Rescue (SAR) Teams for Disaster Relief and Emergency Response. (ii) Effective activation of national process for regional response and operationalization of regional mechanism for collective response to disaster in the region. (iii) Management of mass casualties which, among others, would involve Communication breakdown and engineering difficulties. (iv) Effective and timely utilization of aid/humanitarian assistance. (v) Coordination and information sharing with foreign embassies in disaster affected country. (vi) Media coordination and control of information flow. (vii) Special needs of vulnerable population. (viii) Addressing strategic issues related to existing national and regional procedures and coordination mechanisms for large-scale disaster management. The Exercise had three components:- a. Table Top Exercise (TTx) b. Field Training Exercise (FTx) c. After Action Review (AAR) The Urban Search And Rescue Operation was planned and conducted in which all the participating member countries of SAARC took active part. As a secondary disaster due to earthquake a chemical emergency scenario was also simulated for the teams torespond to the situation and neutralize the threat. The man made disaster was not included in these exercises. This was stated by Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs Shri Kiren Rijiju in Lok Sabha today in a written reply to a question by Adv. Joice George.
