By Our Staff Reporter
Dehradun, 24 Mar: The state of Uttarakhand is vulnerable to a number of natural hazards and the state regularly faces the wrath of disasters, particularly during the monsoon season. Realising the importance of voluntary action by the masses for reducing the vulnerability together with awareness and capacity building of the masses, MoS, Disaster Management, Dr Dhan Singh Rawat has conceptualised the idea of starting dedicated disaster management courses in all the centres of higher education in the state.
A meeting was accordingly organised at Bijapur Guest House here, today, under the Chairmanship of Minister Rawat. Also present at the meeting were Lt Gen Ata Hasnain (Retd) and Rajendra Singh Member, NDMA Members; Secretary, Disaster Management, SA Murugesan and other officials of USDMA apart from Prof Surekha Dangwal, Vice Chancellor, Doon University, Prof OPS Negi, Vice Chancellor, Uttarakhand Open University, Dr Kumkum Rautela, Director, Higher Education, and representatives of Kumaon University and Sridev Suman University.
The representatives of the universities briefed the minister on various courses being organised by them on the subject. It was stated that UOU is running a PG Diploma course in Disaster Management (DM) while Kumaon University is to start Diploma and Degree programmes on the subject.
After detailed deliberations, the Minister directed the officials to initiate action on introducing disaster management as a compulsory subject at theUnder Graduate level for all students; start a short duration certificate course for working professionals and entrepreneurs; start a PG Diploma in Disaster Management by the universities; and introduce Disaster Management as a subject at the PG level.
It was decided that the Disaster Management Department would bear the entire cost of the proposed short duration certificate course for working professionals and entrepreneurs and even explore possibilities of even providing an honorarium to the participants. A committee comprising the Vice Chancellors of various Universities as also the Director, Higher Education, to be coordinated by the Secretary, Disaster Management, was constituted to finalise the course curriculum and other details of the proposed initiatives.
