Naveen Patnaik urges UN to set up International Centre for Disaster Mitigation & Recovery in Odisha

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday put forth a proposal before United Nations officials to set up an International Centre for Disaster Mitigation and Recovery in Odisha.

Patnaik was speaking to officials of the UN, World Bank, Asian Development Bank and other International organisations led by the Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance in a meeting at the Secretariat.

He proposed that the UN may consider setting up an International Centre for Disaster Mitigation and Recovery at Bhubaneswar. This could help in building upon the expertise that Odisha has gained in this sector as well as in developing international best practices for use across the world.

He also assured the UN team of providing all possible support for establishment of this centre in Bhubaneswar.

The Chief Minister, during the meeting, stressed on disaster-proofing of energy infrastructure, development of resilient communication network and restoration of livelihoods. He urged the UN team to modify the existing programmes to incorporate some of these activities for early implementation in Odisha.

Appreciating the efforts of the state government in the pre-cyclone evacuation, the UN team said that the timely efforts of the state government saved the lives of many people. They also admired the relief and restoration work and assured full cooperation.

Earlier, the United Nations' Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (ODRR) had complimented the Odisha government's "zero-casualty" policy and overall preparedness during cyclone Fani, which made landfall in Odisha on May 3 and left a trail of destruction.