India: Government to convene high-level meeting for disaster risk reduction

The Narendra Modi government has convened the national platform for disaster risk reduction (DRR) next month, a high level meeting to be attended by at least 15 cabinet ministers holding key portfolios besides scientists, UN representatives, disaster experts and other stakeholders to deliberate on mainstreaming DRR in all developmental initiatives with emphasis on building resilient infrastructure.

This is first such meeting after the 2013 flash floods in Uttarakhand where more than 5000 perished and thousands of crores worth of properties and national assets destroyed. The floods in Kashmir and the latest one in Chennai had caused considerable damage to properties besides loss of lives which have been the trigger to prioritise DRR.

[...]