Maha Cabinet approves establishment of disaster management institute

To effectively respond to natural and man-made disasters occurring in the state, the management and planning of disaster preparedness, mitigation, disaster risk, post-disaster relief and rehabilitation, reconstruction, as well as response, training will be done through the State Institute of Disaster Management (SIDM).

Ten acres of land have been made available for the organisation at Maharashtra Airport Development Authority (MIHAN) in Nagpur.

Approval has been given for the provision of funds of Rs 187.73 crore for the construction of the building of this organisation. Also, approval has been given for hiring cadre-wise regular and contractual/posts as well as technical consultants and the manpower required for the organisation according to the nature of work and the expenditure for the same.

The State Executive Committee, headed by the Chief Secretary, will act as the regulatory committee for this organisation.

Meanwhile, the Chief Minister today inaugurated the state-of-the-art State Emergency Operation Center at Mantralaya.

"Disaster management has gained technological strength due to the use of modern technology, a fast communication system and artificial intelligence (AI) in the State Emergency Operation Center. This newly developed State Emergency Operation Center will help give a fast, accurate and coordinated response during disasters. The use of new technology in the State Emergency Operation Center will not only help in handling the situation during disasters but also from pre-disaster awareness to rehabilitation and disaster management more efficiently," he said.

The Chief Minister said that due to climate change, the nature, intensity and frequency of disasters are changing.

"Therefore, it is necessary to emphasise 'mitigation' and immediate response after incidents. It is important to have a strong 'command and communication system' for disaster management, and this center will be useful for making decisions quickly and providing a quick response. The work is underway to set up such a modern system in every district of the state," he said.

The Chief Minister said that Maharashtra is a leader in institutional strengthening for disaster management.

He added that a mobile application called 'Disaster Assistant' has been made available to the general public, through which citizens can provide information through SOS alerts in times of disaster.

"This app will be an important medium of two-way communication. All information, guidelines and activities related to disaster management have been made easily available on the new website of the State Disaster Management Authority. This website will play a valuable role in creating greater coherence between citizens, local administration and the system," he said.