Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Nov 12: Director South Asia Association on Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Disaster Management Centre (SDMC), New Delhi Prof Santosh Kumar today termed the introducing of Post Graduate Diploma in Disaster Management program at University of Kashmir (KU) a development step.
Kumar said, “Introducing of Post Graduate Diploma in Disaster Management is a role model and an answer to the ever increasing need of professional human resource in disaster management at district, state, national and regional level.”
Prof Kumar was chief guest at the valedictory function of a seven-day ‘SAARC Regional Training Program on, ‘Children Safety including Children with Special Needs in South Asia’,
The program was organised by SDMC New Delhi in collaboration with Department of Geography and Regional Development KU.
He said: “The way this University has launched this diploma and upgraded it to masters level now is a glowing example for other universities and institutions of SAARC member countries who can replicate the same program so as to groom a pool of professionals whose experience, training and skill could be used while negotiating disasters and natural calamities.”
He added “South Asia in particular is most vulnerable to disasters and natural calamities and almost all SAARC nations are facing a huge difficulty in getting professionally trained people to fill-in the gaps at various organizational and institutional levels. However, I am sure that the students at KU who are pursuing this program would fill those gaps in future and create job opportunities for them.”
Prof Kumar added that such training programs help in tapping national and international experiences and the recommendations of this seven-day training program would be forwarded to the authorities in NDMA and other concerned people in New Delhi so that a robust policy planning is made effective at grass root level which will help in minimizing the loss of life and property caused by disasters like earthquakes, floods and cyclones.
Speaking on the occasion Prof Tasawor A. Kanth Coordinator of the Program said: “The main aim of the course was to address the unique needs of children prior to, during and after a disaster and issues of their day to day life.”
Earlier Prof M Sultan Bhat Head Department of Geography and Regional development KU said that the training program was attended by 46 participants and also a number of delegates from various SAARC countries India, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Afghanistan and Maldives.
Trending Now
E-Paper
Follow our WhatsApp channel