India: Private sector must play role in disaster management - Rijiju

The private sector must play its role in disaster management in the country, minister of state for home Kiren Rijiju said on Monday, reports The Times of India. "When disaster strikes, the poor are the first to be affected as factories and plants shut down and the economy is hit," Rijiju said at the inaugural session of an international conference on "When mountains move and waters rise: The health and housing dimensions".

"The private sector must pitch in for disaster management in our country. I have asked them and the response has been positive," he stated. Organised by the Centre for North East Studies and Policy Research (CNESPR) at the Jamia Milia Islamia university here in partnership with the North Eastern Council (NEC), the National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM) and the National Centre for People's Action in Disaster Preparedness, the conference is the third edition of a series of conferences called the Eastern Himalaya.