Govt brings changes in approach to disaster management

The government has brought about a change in its approach to disaster management from a relief- centric to a holistic and integrated coverage of the entire matter, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said today.
Addressing members of the Consultative Committee of Parliament attached to the Ministry of Home Affairs, Singh said the new approach includes prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response, relief, reconstruction and rehabilitation of both man-made and natural disasters.
The Home Minister said this approach is based on the conviction that development cannot be sustainable unless disaster mitigation is built in the development process.
Singh told the MPs that the National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM) has been entrusted with the responsibility for human resource development, capacity- building including training and education, research, documentation and policy planning in the field of disaster management.

The Home Minister said the government had on February 5 announced setting up of a southern campus of NIDM in Andhra Pradesh at a cost of Rs 70.87 crore in two years.
Singh said an annual conference of Relief Commissioners /Secretaries of the Department of Disaster Management of states and UTs has been organised by the Home Ministry before the onset of southwest monsoon to review the preparedness and discuss other disaster management related issues.

He also appreciated the work of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) constituted for the purpose of specialised response to a disaster or disaster-like situation.
He said that at present 12 battalions of NDRF are located in various parts of the country to assist the state governments as and when required.

"NDRF has emerged as a visible, vibrant, multi-skilled, hi-tech and stand-alone force, capable of dealing with all types of natural and man-made disasters," he said.
The Ministry has sanctioned Rs 882.24 crore last year for raising office buildings, training infrastructure and residential buildings at 10 battalions and 10 team/companies locations.