Bhubaneswar: The council of ministers on Friday passed a resolution to make disaster and pandemic preparedness a part of the curriculum in schools and colleges.
“Every student, elected representative, government official and Misson Shakti members will be trained in disaster and pandemic preparedness. The objective is to have a Yodha in every home of Odisha,” said Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
Stating that the Odisha model of disaster management has drawn global admiration, he said that ‘every life is precious is at the centre of this transformation.
“COVID-19, however, has created a new reality for all of us. Unlike a cyclone that comes and goes, the pandemic has brought in two new dimensions of human crisis.
First is the inability to put a timeline as to when a crisis will move on. The second is the way a crisis may assume new and unexpected forms. The time has come for us to create a massive knowledge infrastructure in the state that will make everyone a warrior,” he said.
People will be trained on how to deal with emergencies and how to respond to situations where the outcome cannot be predicted. 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. It is a historic step and will enable and empower our future generations to withstand the vagaries of nature whether it’s biological or climatic. Odisha will stand out in saving people’s lives. It flows from our realisation that community preparedness is key to disaster management,” he added.
The CM said that the pandemic has created a unique situation where the lives and livelihoods of people are at stake. “In spite of all the challenges, we are quite confident that we will emerge victorious in this crisis with the cooperation of the people of the state,” he said.
Government jobs and recruitment will have a mandatory syllabus on disaster and pandemic management, he added.
Educationists in the state have welcomed the decision to include preparedness in the school curriculum.
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