Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday chaired a high-level meeting today to review the preparedness for hot weather in upcoming summer at his residence in New Delhi.
Prime Minister was briefed about the India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) weather forecast for the next few months and on the likelihood of a normal monsoon. He was also briefed about the impact of weather on rabi crops and expected yield of major crops. The efforts underway to monitor irrigation water supply, fodder and drinking water were also reviewed. “Further, Prime Minister was briefed about the preparedness of states and hospital infrastructure in terms of availability of required supplies and preparedness for emergencies. He was also updated on various efforts underway across the country to prepare for disasters related to heat and mitigation measures in place,” said Prime Minister’s Office in a statement.
Prime Minister said that separate awareness material should be prepared for different stakeholders including citizens; medical professionals; municipal and panchayat authorities; disaster response teams like firefighters etc. It was also instructed to incorporate some multimedia lecture sessions in schools to sensitise children on dealing with extreme heat conditions. PM Modi said that protocols and dos and don’ts for hot weather should be prepared in accessible formats, and various other modes of publicity like jingles, films, pamphlets etc. should also be prepared and issued.
Prime Minister asked IMD to issue daily weather forecasts in a manner which can be easily interpreted and disseminated. It was also discussed that TV news channels, FM radio etc. could spend a few minutes daily to explain the daily weather forecast in a manner which would allow citizens to take necessary precautions.
Prime Minister stressed on the need for detailed fire audits of all hospitals and that mock fire drills be done in all hospitals by firefighters. The need for a coordinated effort to deal with forest fires was also pointed out. It was discussed that systemic changes should be made to support efforts to prevent and tackle forest fires.
Prime Minister instructed that availability of fodder and of water in reservoirs should be tracked. Food Corporation of India was asked to prepare to ensure optimal storage of grains in extreme weather conditions.
The Principal Secretary to the PM, Cabinet Secretary, Home Secretary, Secretary M/o Health & Family Welfare, Secretary D/o Agriculture & Farmer Welfare, Secretary M/o Earth Sciences and Member Secretary, NDMA participated in the meeting.
