Need of the hour for national and international collaboration to counter disaster risk reduction: NIDM ED

The three-day Online MDP program jointly organized by ICFAI Business School, Hyderabad and the National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM), Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India on “Disaster Risk Reduction & Disaster Management” commenced on 24th June 2021.

In his Keynote address Major General Manoj Kumar Bindal, Executive Director, NIDM, emphasized the need for national and international collaborations to counter disaster risk reduction. He commended the “Prime Minister’s 10-point agenda” as a comprehensive framework which is an extract of major international disaster risk reduction frameworks. He explained the need for the inclusion of society at all levels for effective implementation of disaster risk reduction.

Prof. J Mahender Reddy, Vice-Chancellor, ICFAI Foundation for Higher Education, A Deemed to be University, in his inaugural address stressed the need for such MDP programs to create awareness among the masses to reduce the impact of the disaster. He highlighted about challenges faced by society during Covid-19 pandemic and how the various Government and private institutions can help in developing a resilient society playing a crucial role in disaster risk reduction.

Earlier, Dr. Anil K. Gupta, Professor and Head, ECDRM, NIDM, in his welcome address emphasized the need for public-private partnership in building a sustainable society and hence reducing disaster risk. Dr. Gupta further spoke about the need for the development of a framework that can facilitate an all-inclusive risk reduction approach. Dr. C. S. Shylajan, Professor and Dean Academics, ICFAI Business School and Mr Ashish Kumar Panda, Faculty and consultant, NIDM also spoke.

Around 638 participants joined the program including students, faculty, academia, industry professionals. The program was coordinated by Dr. Vaibhav Mishra and Dr. Nishit Kumar Srivastava.