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Acknowledging disasters as undeniable reality with increasing losses of lives and economies, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai emphasised India's commitment to implementing inclusive and proactive actions to mitigate the impact of disasters, in line with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 10-point agenda for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) strategies.
Rai made the statement while participating in Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (APMCDRR) 2024 in Manila, Philippines. He led a high-level Indian delegation that took part in the conference inaugurated by the President of the Republic of Philippines, Bongbong Marcos, as per a press release from Ministry of Home Affairs. The conference under the theme "Surge to 2030: Enhancing ambition in Asia Pacific to accelerate disaster risk reduction" brought together ministers and policymakers from across Asia-Pacific region to discuss strategies for reducing disaster risks in the face of increasing climate-related challenges. In ministerial statement, Rai focused on the key priorities in Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) like Early Warning System (EWS) and Early Action, Disaster Resilient Infrastructure and Financial Provisions for DRR, as per the release. The MoS emphasised the modern technologies for EWS, such as the Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) and Cell Broadcast Systems, establishment of the Indian Tsunami Early Warning Centre (ITEWC), which provides Tsunami advisories to 25 Indian Ocean countries for last-mile connectivity. Rai highlighted India's leadership in promoting infrastructure resilience as a cornerstone of sustainable development and said Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), an initiative of India, now has 47 member countries and is providing technical assistance and capacity-building for investing in disaster-resilient infrastructure, as per the release. The Minister also informed that India is one of the few countries with dedicated financial provisions for DRR through institutional mechanisms and the 15th Finance Commission of India has allocated USD 30 billion for the National Disaster Risk Management Fund (NDRMF) and State Disaster Risk Management Fund (SDRMF) for the financial cycle 2021-22 to 2025-26. (ANI)
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