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The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the Delhi government have launched the 'Disaster Ready Schools Campaign' which will prepare schools to fight disasters. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, Lieutenant Governor Vinay Saxena and Education Minister Ashish Sood inaugurated the campaign from Springdales School, Pusa Road.
Let us tell you that during this the students demonstrated earthquake safety, drop-cover-hold technique and other disaster management exercises. Meanwhile, Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena calling this initiative the need of the hour, said that "Delhi is located in Seismic Zone-4, where risky challenges like earthquake, fire, heat wave and waterlogging keep occurring.
He further said that "this campaign is based on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Zero Casualty Vision' and his globally recognized 10-point agenda in which community-based resilience, technology-based warning mechanism and institutional disaster preparedness are prominent.
The Lieutenant Governor also stated that the scheme would be implemented through safety audits in all 5,500 schools in the capital. During the event V.K. Saxena thanked Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, saying that "her initiative enabled the program to be rolled out quickly in government schools."
At the 'Disaster Ready Schools Campaign' programme Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta while calling the students the 'brand ambassadors' of this campaign, said that "just as the children played an important role in the cleanliness campaign, in the same way they will now inspire the family and society to adopt the culture of disaster safety.”
She further said that "In an emergency like earthquake, drop, cover and hold' technique and quick decision making are very important. Apart from this, the Chief Minister stressed that "safety has to be made a part of daily habit and preparedness a part of continuous practice, so that Delhi can emerge as a safe and disaster-ready city.
Meanwhile Cabinet Minister Ashish Sood, who was present at the event , described the program as a "historic beginning for Delhi and the country" saying "Just as Delhi is moving towards becoming the Electric Mobility Capital, similarly, an important step has now been taken towards becoming the 'Disaster Ready Capital.'" He further said "Lakhs of students, teachers, volunteers, fire service, civil defense and disaster friends in six educational districts are engaged in making this campaign a success. The government's goal is to develop not only 'smart schools' but also 'safe schools.'"
Key features of the campaign
The campaign is a comprehensive plan based on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of 'Zero Casualty'. In the first phase, the two-day module is being implemented in 2,082 schools in New Delhi, Central Delhi, North-East 1, North-East 2, West-A and West-B districts and will subsequently cover the remaining 3,500 schools.
A standardized school disaster management plan will be prepared in each school , teachers and students will receive training and regular mock drills will be ensured.
