2nd India Disaster Management Congress gets underway
	13:56 IST

The 2nd India Disaster management Congress got underway here this morning. Gen. N.C.Vij, Vice-chairman of National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) inaugurated the Congress. Union Home Secretary Shri G.K.Pillai was among the key speakers at the inaugural session. A web portal on South Asia Disaster Knowledge Network (SADKN) was also launched on the occasion. It would usher in an online information system for disaster management in South Asia. In his remarks, Gen. Vij said that NDMA has come out with guidelines on various types of disaster and these need to be converted into actionable plans for the concerned ministries to make the country disaster resilient. He said that our aim is to bring out a paradigm shift in the approach towards awareness and response to disasters. He also exhorted the corporate to adopt and implement the Govt’s plans drawn up for mitigating the effects of disasters. He said that a revamp plan of Rs. 10,000 crores for the Indian Meteorological Department has been conceived which will have a long term effect in achieving disaster resilience. He also stressed on the coordination mechanism amongst the States to finalize plans and programmes related to disaster management. Referring to the various ground level plans with NDMA has initiated, Gen.Vij said that 90,000 engineers and 44,000 architects would be trained during the next five years to take the concepts of disaster resilient technology and knowledge to the ground level. A pilot project on schools building with Rs. 48 crore outlay is also being launched. The Union Home Secretary Sh. G.K. Pillai in his address said that National Disaster Management Policy has since been approved by the Govt. and will be made public very soon. With a view to bringing about better awareness, disaster management has been inducted into the school education curriculum. Shri Pillai said that 25,000 personnel have been trained to meet the challenge more effectively. He assured that all major recommendations coming out of the deliberations at this Congress will be followed up by the Ministry of Home Affairs. Social Activist, Ms.Aruna Roy in her remarks stressed the need for thorough transparency and accountability regarding the large projects which carry the potential of big hazards or disasters. She felt that traditional wisdom about disasters and their management needs to be harnessed and brought into mainstream. She said that disaster related issues need to be addressed at three levels i.e. (a) knowing disaster, (b) management of disaster and (c) post-management. Shri P.G. Dhar Chakrabarty, Executive Director, National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM) delivered the welcome address. Disaster Mitigation Awards were also presented on the occasion. Shri Amod Mani Dikshit from Nepal was presented the award in the individual category. Indian National Centre of the Ministry of Science & Technology bagged the award in the institution category. Over 1200 scientists, scholars and practitioners working on different aspects of disaster risk reduction and management across the world are attending the Congress which has been organized by the National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM). A number of issues pertaining to disaster risk reduction, management, emergency response and various cross cutting issues during disaster events will be the focus of discussion in this congress. A total of 28 Technical/ Thematic Sessions are proposed to be organized in around 13 Thematic Clusters namely: Geological disasters, Hydro Meteorological Disasters, Man Made Disasters, Science & Technology, Social and Economic Issues, Disaster, Development and Governance, Education, Training and Capacity Building for Disaster Management, Disaster Response, Emergency Health Management, Emerging Issues and Concerns, Corporate Sector in Disaster Management, Role of Media in Disaster Management and Post Disaster Recovery and Reconstruction: International Experiences and Best Practices. The Congress is being organized by NIDM in collaboration with the Ministry of Home affairs, National Disaster Management Authority, United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, United Nations Children’s Fund, United Nations Development Programme, United States Agency for International Development, World Health Organization and Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery. ***** RS/KS