Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, May 30: The State Executive Committee (SEC) of the Department of Disaster Management, Relief, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction (DMRRR), under the chairmanship of the Chief Secretary, Dr. Arun Kumar Mehta, discussed proposal pertaining to the allocation of funds for State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) and approved, among others, allocation of funds to the tune of Rs 28 crores to Deputy Commissioners and two Divisional Commissioners, to cover their expenditure for the current financial year.
The SEC also considered the proposal for the procurement of rescue equipment, including excavators, fire-fighting equipment, signal units, drones, etc., with an estimated cost of Rs 8.91 crores, which is to be financed through the SDRF.
In order to strengthen capacity building efforts, collaborative initiatives will be undertaken with the SDRF 1st and 2nd Battalion across all districts of J&K. These initiatives aim to foster awareness among the public regarding effective disaster management practices.
To support the implementation of training and capacity building programs, the SEC decided to allocate Rs 50 lakhs from the current financial year’s budget (2023-24) to the Department of DMRRR.
Addressing the communication needs during natural disasters or emergencies, the SEC approved utilization of 400 satellite phones during the Shri Amarnathji Yatra.
Moreover, the SEC also approved a proposal for conducting mock exercises. An amount of around Rs 6 lakhs will be provided to the Department of DMRRR for this purpose. Additionally, the Deputy Commissioners of Anantnag and Ganderbal will receive Rs 2 lakhs each from the SDRF in support of these mock exercises during the current financial year 2023-24.
Furthermore, the Chief Secretary proposed that the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) should be reinforced in view of Shri Amarnathji Yatra 2023. The suggestion was to enhance its capabilities through convergence with the Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) and the Incident Management and Tracking System (IMTS). This convergence aims to optimise the utilisation of government facilities, ensuring efficient and coordinated emergency response.
The meeting was attended by Additional Chief Secretary Home, RK Goyal, Principal Secretary Higher Education, Alok Kumar and Secretary DMRRR, Nazim Zai Khan, among others.
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