NIDM signs MoU with JNU to set up Centre for Excellence in Disaster Research

The National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM) and Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for establishing a Centre for Excellence in Disaster Research and Resilience Building at JNU.

Prof. Santosh Kumar, Executive Director, NIDM and Prof. S.K. Sopory, Vice Chancellor of the University signed the MoU in the presence of Minister of State for Home Affairs, Kiren Rijiju.

Rijiju said the collaboration of both these prestigious institutions will provide opening to the students into a new emerging research area and positions in administration from district to higher levels.

Rijiju said that this will have the potential of generating a new breed of Disaster Management professionals.

By this MoU, NIDM will be providing financial assistance amounting to Rupees 4.14 crores at Rs. 1.38 crore per annum) to JNU over a three year period 2015-16 to 2017-18 to start M.Phil and Ph.D. programmes in Disaster Management for the first time in India.

The objective of this MoU is to initiate research, teaching, capacity and manpower development within a trans-disciplinary framework which brings science to communities in a manner that it is made usable and understandable to communities in fragile ecosystems. The activities under this MoU would be to build community resilience through better preparedness, legal and governance reforms, enhanced capacity for early detection and warning systems, absorption of indigenous wisdom in administrative systems, resonating vulnerabilities of various kinds, remote sensing and GIS based mitigation efforts and environmental capacity enhancement of local governance.

Academically the collaborative nature of this programme would bring focus down to local communities and resource conservation at the grassroot levels. NIDM will move a step forward towards its goal of becoming a Deemed University with this collaboration.