&w=1024&resize=1024,0&ssl=1 "Samarth 2024: We must learn to live with disaster, says CM Sukhu India News")
Climate change has led to an increase in the frequency of disasters and it is crucial to adapt to live with these challenges, Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu said on Monday.
Presiding over the International Disaster Reduction Day programme, 'Samarth-2024', he announced that a major training institute of the State Disaster Relief Force (SDRF) would be established in Palampur.
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He emphasized that awareness is key to effectively dealing with disasters and minimizing loss of lives and property.
The state government is spending a significant amount of money on disaster preparedness and awareness, he said in a statement here, adding that an Rs 800 million project is being implemented in collaboration with French agency Agence Française de Development (AFD). and 500 million rupees are being spent from the mitigation fund.
The chief minister said the region now known as Himachal Pradesh experienced its first major disaster in 1905 when an earthquake in Kangra killed more than 20,000 people.
He said the state faced significant devastation during the monsoon season last year, with over 500 lives lost and damage to the tune of Rs 10,000 crore.
Despite receiving no assistance from the central government, the state government has successfully rehabilitated 23,000 affected families and implemented a humanitarian aid package worth Rs 4,500 crore, he said.
Sukhu criticized “political interference” in relief efforts, saying, “We are yet to receive Rs 10,000 crore for Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA), although there has been some progress after my intervention. There should be no politics in this. Such things and the victims must be provided.
The Chief Minister launched a State Disaster Mitigation Fund portal and launched an earthquake restoration program for important buildings in Himachal Pradesh. The initiative is supported by the technical expertise of Central Building Research Institute (CBRI), Roorkee, National Institute of Technical Teacher Training and Research (NITTTR) Chandigarh and National Institute of Technology (NIT) Hamirpur.
Additionally, a program titled Rebuild Live has also been launched in collaboration with Bal Raksha Bharat and G Enterprises Limited to build a resilient model village in Gram Panchayat Bawasni in Solan district.
The Himachal Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (HPSDMA) has signed a memorandum of understanding with CBRI, Roorkee, to enhance the skills of engineers, architects, builders and masons across the state. As part of this collaboration, a Training and Demonstration Unit (TDU) will be established at Rai in Kangra district, the statement said.
During the event, the Chief Minister released two publications named 'Kabach-1' and 'Kabach-2' authored by scientists from Central Building Research Institute (CBRI), Roorkee.
The Chief Minister also awarded Kangra and Chamba districts for being the best performing districts in “Creation of Youth Volunteer Task Force for Disaster Preparedness and Response”.
Earlier, he inaugurated the disaster awareness exhibition in Ridge.
(Only the title and image for this report may have been reworked by the Business Standards team; the rest of the content is automatically generated from a distributed feed.)
