Nations should come together to deal with natural disasters: Rajnath
AGRA : Union defence minister Rajnath Singh said on Tuesday that India had emerged as a regional power and net security provider in the Indo-Pacific region, because its capacity to provide humanitarian assistance and disaster relief to its citizens as well as regional partners had grown in recent years.
Singh was attending the multi-agency Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) exercise ‘Samanvay 2022’ at Air Force Station.
Representatives from ASEAN nations and national and regional stakeholders involved in disaster management attended the exercise, as the defence minister called for sharing of information, resources and equipment to deal with future natural disasters, informed a press statement.
Rajnath Singh asserted that under SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India was cooperating with multiple partners to ensure economic growth and security in the region while tackling threats such as natural disasters.
“We have strengthened multilateral partnerships through engagement via regional mechanisms. This has improved interoperability enabling faster response in crisis situations,” he said.
Singh pointed out that Asia, particularly the Indo-Pacific region, was vulnerable to the impact of climate change, expressing confidence that the participation of national stakeholders with friendly nations in the ‘Samanvay 2022’ will further enhance disaster management capabilities.
Singh highlighted that prediction of natural disasters had to be accompanied by dissemination of information to a larger population and shifting people to safer locations, which required an empowered machinery. As nations had different capacities, collaborative preparation to deal with disasters was required, he stressed.
He called upon the nations to come together in dealing with natural disasters by sharing resources, equipment and training. In HADR, there was a need to share information for regional cooperation and best practices, he added.
He emphasised that harnessing diverse capabilities and using expertise and new technologies enabled us to decrease the impact of natural disasters. Noting the increasing frequency of climate-related disasters, he stated that it was essential for HADR teams of different nations to come together on a single platform.
Elaborating on India’s robust HADR mechanism which had effectively provided relief both in India and other nations, the minister said the ‘Make in India’ initiative of the government had strengthened this structure. India’s approach after the formulation of the National Disaster Management Policy had shifted focus from a relief-centric approach to a ‘multipronged’ approach including prevention, preparedness, mitigation, response, relief and rehabilitation, he added.
Rajnath Singh applauded the contribution of the Indian Armed Forces’ assistance to civil administration during HADR operations and their role in important HADR missions in the Indo-Pacific region, such as Operation Rahat in 2015 and relief operations in Sri Lanka,
Nepal, Indonesia, Mozambique, Maldives and Madagascar.
He hailed ‘Samanvay 2022’ for bringing together various agencies involved in HADR activities to formulate a joint approach to tackle future natural disasters.
The exercise is being conducted by the Indian Air Force at Agra, Air Force Station from November 28-30. Representatives from ASEAN nations and various national and regional stakeholders involved in Disaster Management including civil administration, armed forces, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Border Roads Organisation (BRO), India Meteorological Department (IMD), National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) and Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) are attending the exercise.
Earlier, Rajnath Singh attended the capability demonstration events during the exercise, which included an aerial display featuring SU-30 aircraft, transport aircraft and helicopters.
He also visited the static display of HADR assets of various organisations, which showcased India’s growing disaster management capabilities.