Need for skilled and semi-skilled disaster management personnel - Ashok Malhotra

"There is a huge demand for highly skilled and semi-skilled Disaster management personnel/workforce in the states and across rural and urban areas in India to build resilient government, businesses and societies." - Ashok Malhotra, New Delhi, India

You will find below a summary of the points shared in various discussions by the government and consultations on the recommendations made :

1. Size of public administration personnel has not grown commensurate with multiple functions required to be undertaken in the context of emerging mainstreaming of DRR and CCA and institutional and community resilience agenda

2. Need to reorient public policies towards creation of an enabling environment for resilient economic growth, poverty reduction and sustainable development

3. Need to enhance capacities of local government authorities (Panchayats in rural areas and Nagarpalikas in Urban) to assume responsibilities for delivery of basic services to local communities and mobilize local resources in most vulnerable locations in a manner that should develop and promote a culture of mitigation and preparedness in some of the most vulnerable locations in the country

4. Need to enhance the capacity of citizen’s groups in the urban cities alongside “100 Smart Cities” Agenda and Campaign to make responsible and informed demands on the public systems to deliver in the interest of improving safety, resilience, accountability and responsiveness.

5. Creation of new core competencies in senior civil service echelons in the areas of climate change, development, disaster risk and poverty reduction to use and apply significant body of knowledge and tools that are available for managing climate risks, predict the impacts of a changed climate scenarios and mainstreaming of risks incorporation into development framework relative to segregated both institutionally and from a disciplinary standpoint, thus not taking advantage of the inter-related nature of the practices.

6. Last but not the least, Youth Empowerment through skill development agenda of the government and schemes offer huge opportunity to diversify income opportunities to the disaster vulnerable labour force in general and youth in particular and to insulate against disaster losses.  This can be used as risk reducing strategy that would safeguard against droughts or floods in areas which have a long history of droughts and floods.  Livelihoods diversification is complex and strategies can include enterprise development.