Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju to lead Indian team in disaster conference in Bangkok

NEW DELHI: Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju will lead the Indian delegation to 6th Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Reduction to be held in Bangkok beginning tomorrow. India will showcase the steps taken by the Government in evacuating nearly a million people during the cyclone ' Phailin' that hit Odisha and Andhra Pradesh coast in October last year.

Rijiju will highlight the leaps in satellite imagery and precise weather forecasting tools that made the authorities better prepared to face the biggest storm to have hit the Indian coast in more than a decade and resulted in saving a large number of lives and minimised losses to livestock, a Home Ministry statement said.

The conference provides a platform to the disaster managers throughout Asia to share their experiences in reducing disaster risk in the region. The Government is committed to reduce disaster risk in a planned manner. The Indian delegation will share the various measures being taken by the federal Government as well as the State Governments in reducing disaster risk.

The five-day conference is being hosted by the Government of Thailand in collaboration with United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction from June 22-26. The major objective of the Conference is enhancing community resilience at local level. The meeting affords an opportunity to learn the best practises in the area of disaster management.