Shimla: Smt Sarojini Ganju Thakur, Additional Chief Secretary (Environment, Science & Technology) said that action needs to be taken at various levels to implement Disaster Management Plan in the State. She was inaugurating a two-day workshop on 'Training Need Assessment for Disaster Management in Himachal Pradesh' organized by State Council for Science, Technology and Environment in collaboration with Revenue Department at Himachal Pradesh Institute of Public Administration (HIPA) here today.

Smt Thakur stressed upon the need for swift, timely and appropriate action, keeping in view the vulnerability of the State to earthquake, flash floods and other natural or man made hazards. She said that State Government had taken a slew of concrete measures for disaster management. The State Government had recently entered into an MoU with Gujarat Government to set up a geo-informatics centre, named as Aryabhatta Geo-Informatics and Space Applications Centre (AGISAC) to carry digital planning of the State under the supervision of Department of Science, Technology and Environment on the analogy of Bhaskaracharya Institute of Space Applications and Geo-Informatics (BIGSAC), said she.

Smt Thakur said that keeping in view the changing climate pattern, the State Government would be setting up a Centre for Climate Change, Disaster Management, Snow and Glacier Studies. This centre aimed at scientific study of the impact of climate change in the State and initiation of remedial steps to slow down the impact besides changing the cultivation practices suitable to climate change to ensure livelihood security, said she. She urged various Departments to formulate a manual and lay down the priorities for short term and long term for Disaster Management.

Dr Nagin Nanda, Director, Environment Department welcomed the chief guest and detailed out the activities to be undertaken in two- day workshop. He said that as Himachal is already vulnerable to natural hazards, a strategy to reduce post disaster risks and preparedness and should be in place. He said that all the departments need to work in coordination to develop protocol and manual accordingly. He hoped that this workshop would strengthen the pre- disaster management mechanism in the state.

Dr Amir Ali Khan, faculty from National Institute of disaster Management (NIDM) oriented towards the looming threat of disaster, vulnerability assessment and other factors.

Dr S. S. Randhawa gave a presentation regarding the district wise vulnerability assessment and the initiatives taken by the State Government for disaster management.

Senior officers of various Governmental Departments were present on the occasion.