NEW DELHI: Considering the 1999 super cyclone at Odisha that claimed over 10,000 lives to cyclone Yaas if casualties were confined to less than half-a-dozen, India appears to have made remarkable progress in disaster risk reduction (DRR).
Largescale relief and rescue operation, together with collaboration of the Centre and countries, guaranteed evacuation of over 14 lakh individuals to secure shelters, restricting casualties from Odisha and West Bengal, the 2 nations that came from the direct route of this severe cyclone that made landfall on Wednesday.
This is viewed as the consequence of a rigorous practice and strengthening of their DRR mechanism during the past couple of decades — a great connection between the state and central agencies.
There’s been a signifiant increase in capital for disaster risk reduction actions — from an ordinary Rs 25000 crore into 30000 crore more than five years in the past decade to almost Rs 30000 crore annually for the past two consecutive decades.
Over eight lakh people were evacuated in West Bengal and also six lakh in Odisha during the past few days to bypass the fury of both Yaas.