Annual conference held to discuss disaster preparedness of states and UTs

The annual Conference of Relief Commissioners and Secretaries of the Departments of Disaster Management of States and Union Territories was convened on 17 May 2017 in Delhi.

Organised by the Ministry of Home Affairs, the conference was held mainly to review the preparedness of the states and UTs for dealing with any natural disaster that may arise due to the South West Monsoon 2017.

Key Details

• It was inaugurated by Rajiv Mehrishi, the Union Home Secretary.

• It saw participation from the representatives of 28 states, 2 UTs, central ministries, National Disaster Response Force, India Meteorological Department, Central Armed Police Forces, Central Water Commission, DRDO, GSI, ISRO along with other scientific organisations and the Armed Forces.

• The participants discussed issues related to early warning systems, flood management, disaster preparedness and management plans of the States and Union Territories.

• The main highlighted points include advance procurement of necessary relief material, checking the readiness of the equipment and communication systems, community based disaster management and coordinated approach for disaster response at the district level.

• It was also noted that the intensive efforts of all concerned have helped in minimizing the loss of precious human lives.

• It also re-emphasized the need for coordination among all the Central and State Government agencies.

Further, the conference also included presentations by the National Disaster Management Authority, the IMD, CWC, NDRF, Snow & Avalanches Study Establishment, Ministry of Defence, NRSC/ ISRO and Department of Space on their respective field of forecasting, warning & dissemination mechanism and future plans for enhancing capability in the field of disaster management.