Page 24 - Mann Ki Baat - English
P. 24
From Response to Preparedness:
India’s Transformative Approach to
Disaster Management
the coast of Gujarat and moved
into Rajasthan after landfall, was
handled with great sensitivity
and sense of purpose by the
Government under the leadership
of the Prime Minister.
One of the landmark
contributions of the Prime Minister
towards disaster management
came as early as 2016, just two
years into his first term. At the
Asian Ministerial Conference, he
gave the world ‘Ten Point Agenda
Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain (Retd) for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR)’.
While India treats this as a
Member, National Disaster
mantra, the world also treats this
Management Authority as the most effective formula for
DRR. Many of the agenda points
proved useful in handling the
crisis situations anticipated by the
landfall of Cyclone Biparjoy.
On the development of
th
th
the cyclone from 6 to 19
The domain of disaster June, the Indian Meteorological
management in India received Department (IMD) issued 16 hourly
a fillip with the enactment of the and 98 three-hourly bulletins to
Disaster Management Act of 2005. all the stakeholders. The National
However, the transformational Disaster Management Authority
conversion of India’s disaster (NDMA) sounded out all the
management efforts from the stakeholders, including the Chief
traditional response-based Secretary and the Revenue
systems to the more modern Commissioner of Gujarat.
preparedness-based one came Updated information was shared
about after Shri Narendra Modi through a WhatsApp group with
took charge as the Prime Minister all those involved in response.
of the country. With his hands-on On 6 June, the NDMA
th
experience of handling disasters circulated ‘preparedness
of different kinds, culminating measures’ to be taken in the wake
in the 2001 Gujarat earthquake, of the impending cyclonic storm
which was early during his tenure to the Principal Secretary and the
as Chief Minister of the State, he Relief Commissioners of all the
acquired a unique insight into affected States/Union Territories
the fuller and comprehensive on the west coast. The Ministry
understanding of disaster of Petroleum & Natural Gas was
management. The recent sounded on 12 June to take all
th
Cyclone Biparjoy, which ravaged precautionary measures in the
20
20
