Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday said that in order to integrate youth power for disaster management, 10,000 student volunteers at a rate of 100 from 100 colleges would be imparted basic training on disaster management skills by the Odisha State Disaster Mitigation Authority (OSDMA) shortly.
“Since 42 per cent of our population belongs to the younger generation within an age group of 13 to 35, they can play important roles in disaster management.
To create an environment for our youth to grow and play a more proactive role in the society, the Government has formulated the Odisha State Youth Policy 2013 and has further planned to integrate the youth power for disaster management,” said Patnaik here on the occasion of the Odisha Disaster Preparedness Day.
He stated that all Government Departments have been asked to modify the ongoing Government schemes by integrating some disaster-resilient features for their reconstruction programmes. Beneficiary-oriented schemes in the Panchayati Raj, Agriculture, Women and Child Development and Housing and Urban Development Departments would be augmented to include post-disaster recovery plans.
Expressing satisfaction over the Government’s preparedness for cyclone Phailin, Patnaik said successful evacuation of about 10 lakh people before the cyclone actually helped us save many lives which was possible for extensive planning, preparedness and continuous efforts for capacity building for last 14 years since the 1999 Super Cyclone.
Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Surjya Narayan Patro said observance of the day this year has additional significance due to hitting of the Phailin on October 12 followed by floods and heavy rainfall from October 21 due to another low pressure in the Bay of Bengal affecting 18 districts.
So far 247 multipurpose cyclone and flood shelters have been constructed in remote areas while 163 more shelters are under construction under the National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project and the Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) Project with World Bank assistance. As many as 38 multipurpose flood shelters are also coming up with assistance from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund, he said.
Sports and Youth Services Minister Ramesh Chandra Majhi and Chief Secretary Jugal Kishore Mohapatra also laid emphasis on capacity building. Development Commissioner I Srinivas, Special Relief Commissioner Pradipta Kumar Mohapatra and Revenue Secretary Taradatt also spoke.
The Chief Minister felicitated 27 community management bodies for their commendable jobs during natural calamities.