Referring to effective management of Cyclone Fani in Odisha, Union Home Minister Amit Shah has stated that the nation has come a long way over the last two decades in its response to disasters and improved its capabilities in minimising losses of human lives and damage to the economy. Shah said this while dedicating the new campus of the National Fire Service College (NFSC) at Nagpur to the nation on Thursday.
“In 1999, we lost 10,000 people in Super Cyclone in Odisha whereas Cyclone Fani was managed so effectively this year that it could claim only 64 lives. In these two decades, the country has built huge capabilities in Disaster Response mechanisms,” he said.
Notably, the Odisha Government showed a high degree of preparedness and effectively managed to evacuate about 1.6 million people based on predictions.
India has been able to reduce the loss of lives to less than 1 per cent in two decades, claimed the Home Minister.
The Home Minister presented Fire Service Gallantry Medals and awards to meritorious students of the NFSC during the event.
He also laid the foundation of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) Academy at Nagpur and announced Subhash Chandra Bose Award in the field of disaster management.
He expressed hope that though fire services are a State subject, all States would have a better coordination with the Centre to fight fire disasters through the NFSC.