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Disaster risk reduction, management turning into mass movement, says PM’s principal secy
He was addressing the valedictory programme of the third session of NPDRR, a multi-stakeholder platform constituted by the central government to facilitate dialogue and action-oriented research
Disaster risk reduction and management are turning into a mass movement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s principal secretary PK Mishra said on Saturday, as he highlighted the PM’s vision for the National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (NPDRR).
NPDRR is a multi-stakeholder platform constituted by the central government to facilitate dialogue, sharing experiences, views, ideas, action-oriented research and explore opportunities in the area of disaster risk reduction.
Addressing the valedictory programme of the NPDRR’s third session on Saturday, Mishra expressed happiness about the enlarged scope of conversation and the breadth and depth of the discussions. “The event is turning disaster risk reduction into a ‘jan andolan’ (mass movement), as envisaged by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi,” he said.
He said the theme of the two-day NPDRR session -- “Building Local Resilience in a Changing Climate” --aligned with the 10-point agenda promulgated by PM Modi to build local capacities, especially in the context of a rapidly changing disaster risk scenario in the wake of climate crisis.
“The PM’s agenda emphasises the need for building local capacities and initiatives, and especially women’s leadership in disaster risk management,” he said, adding that “learning from the proceedings of the sessions will go into implementation of the PM’s 10-point agenda and the Sendai Framework”.
Mishra, who has attended all three sessions of NPDRR since 2013, suggested two overarching themes for the stakeholders to pursue -- professionalising the disaster risk management setup at the state and district levels and developing programmes and interventions which are responsive to the needs of the people.
“Professionalising the disaster risk management setup and developing programmes and interventions which are responsive to the needs of the people are the way forward,” he said, asserting that “all aspects of disaster management functions at all levels – national,state, and district -- need to be supported by professionally trained staff, a fit-for-purpose structure, administrative infrastructure, modern workspace, and necessary facilities such as Emergency Operations Centres”.
On developing programmes to address the needs of the people, he said policies and programmes go hand in hand. “We must work across sectors. This will require combined efforts of disaster management, environment, water resources, education, urban development, agriculture and public health sectors.”
Expressing satisfaction with the availability of resources for both the tasks of professionalisation and programme development, he said new technologies can make disaster management tools and practices more effective in events like cyclones. “The next three years are very critical and we must pursue this with single-minded focus,” Mishra added.
