DISASTER PREPAREDNESS – CM, ODISHA THANKS UNION FINANCE MINISTER FOR ENDORSING
Bureau,Odishabarta
BHUBANESWAR: Odisha Chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Sunday thanked Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for endorsing the coastal state’s disaster preparedness, and said his government always makes efforts to “address the needs” of vulnerable people.
Taking to Twitter, Patnaik also said that the state strives for “zero casualty” during disasters.
Earlier, Sitharaman had shared an article on Odisha’s disaster management by Observer Research Foundation (ORF) an India-based independent think tank and lauded the state for its efforts to mitigate the impact of calamities.
“Post Phailin, the UN had recognised Odisha’s preparedness as a ‘global success story’ and made plans to use it as a model for other cities…. Well done Orissa, she said on the microblogging site.
The Odisha government had evacuated close to a million people from the coastal areas of the state and moved them to safety, before cyclone Phailin struck in October 2013.
The ORF, in its report, said “Odisha is an example of being vulnerable yet resilient, and the salient features of its disaster management approach thus offer lessons for the whole country.”
PK Jena, the state’s additional chief secretary-cum- special relief commissioner, said, “Odisha has consistently done well in disaster management. However, a lot more still needs to be done to develop disaster-resilient infrastructure.”
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