New Dehli June 16 :Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah addressed the Annual Conference of Relief Commissioners and Disaster Response Forces of States and Union Territories in New Delhi today. Also present were Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai, Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, and other senior officials.
In his address, Amit Shah highlighted the transformative changes in India’s disaster management system over the past decade. He emphasized the adoption of a unified ‘Whole of Government’ approach that brought all relief and disaster response agencies onto one platform. This coordination, he said, has helped identify gaps and strengthen national disaster preparedness.
“Due to climate change, disasters are increasing globally, but India is emerging as a global leader in disaster management,” Shah said. He credited institutions like the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) for India’s growing leadership in the field.
Shah said that under the Modi government, India has seen historic progress in four key areas—capacity building, speed, efficiency, and accuracy. He pointed out that disaster response has now reached the tehsil level, and new technologies and community engagement have significantly improved effectiveness. “We’ve moved from a relief-centric to a zero-casualty approach,” he said, citing examples like Cyclone Fani in 2019 and Cyclone Biparjoy in 2023 where minimal or zero loss of life was recorded.(KNS)
