Bhubaneswar: A review meeting was held at Lok Seva Bhavan, chaired by Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja, to discuss the provision of funds from the State Disaster Management Fund. The meeting highlighted the importance of proper investment and supervision of funds allocated to various departments for disaster management.
In the last year, Rs 2458.803 crore have been paid to various departments, including agriculture and farmer empowerment, energy, forest, environment and climate change, health and family welfare, housing and urban development, OSDMA, Panchayati Raj and drinking water, rural development, and water resources.
These funds, part of the State Disaster Risk Management Fund, are jointly managed by the Central and State Governments to support disaster relief, response, recovery, and preparedness.
The meeting emphasized the need for the modernization of disaster management plans and capacity-building programs in various sectors. Expenditure for procurement of equipment and capacity building for disaster response in fire and emergency services was presented, and expenditure was requested to be sanctioned as per requirement for preparation for the coming days.
Odisha has made significant strides in disaster management, having learned from its experiences, particularly the devastating Super Cyclone in 1999. The state has established the Odisha State Disaster Management Authority, which has built over 800 multi-purpose cyclone shelters and evacuation roads along the coastline ¹. The state’s early warning system, which includes sirens and mass messaging, has also been effective in disseminating critical disaster-related information to vulnerable communities.
The Chief Secretary stressed the importance of proper investment of allocated funds and supervision of the expenditure process.
