Odisha to include disaster, pandemic management in school, college curriculum

Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], May 29 : Odisha's Council of Ministers on Saturday adopted a resolution to include disaster and pandemic management as a part of the curriculum for every high school and college student.
Stating that it is a futuristic decision, the resolution said, "We will train our people at large on how to deal with known emergencies and how to respond to situations where the outcome cannot be predicted."
In an effort to make Odisha a leading state in disaster preparedness, whether biological or climatic, the Council of Ministers arrived at this decision during a meeting with Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday.
According to the resolution, every government employee will be trained on the fundamental nature of different kinds of disasters and pandemic management. Government jobs and recruitment will have a mandatory syllabus on disaster and pandemic management.
"From ward members to Chief Minister everyone will be trained on disaster and pandemic management," the resolution said.
The resolution further stated that members of Mission Shakti groups, Vana Surakhya Samitis, and other community-based organizations will also be trained and equipped with the knowledge required to manage disasters and pandemics.
"Basically the objective is to have a Yodha in every home of Odisha. A task force will be formed to carry forward this mission of building a disaster and pandemic resilient Odisha. This will be our biggest preparation for future emergencies," the resolution said.