The Hindu : Distress Management Department on the anvil

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Sep 10, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Karnataka

Distress Management Department on the anvil

By Our Special Correspondent

BANGALORE Sept. 9. The Chief Secretary, B.S. Patil, said today that the State Government had chalked out a plan to set up a Distress Management Department to tackle crises.

Addressing presspersons here, Mr. Patil said the Government had not fixed any timeframe for the purpose. The main objective of establishing the department was to keep in place trained personnel and equipment to respond immediately to crises arising out of natural calamities.

The Deputy Prime Minister, L.K. Advani, had written to all State governments to set up distress management departments, Mr. Patil said.

Earlier, speaking after inaugurating a three-day workshop on "Sustaining communities'' organised by the India-Canada Environment Facility (ICEF) at the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS) here, Mr. Patil stressed the need for empowering local communities and institutions for the sustainable development of the economy.

Referring to the Government's initiative to involve local communities in the implementation of projects, Mr. Patil said their participation would ensure proper execution and maintenance of the projects. Even after several decades of economic planning, the country was searching for appropriate models and institutions to accelerate growth with equity.

On the widening rural-urban gap in development, the Chief Secretary stressed the need for engaging youths from rural areas in the process of development. Self-help groups (SHGs) had been playing a vital role in executing rural development schemes. The Government had empowered local bodies to take up projects to develop watershed areas and roads, and to improve drinking water supply.

However, lack of capacity building had threatened the sustainability of projects. Formation of user groups and collection of charges from beneficiaries would enhance capacity building and the sustainability of projects, Mr. Patil said.

Ujjwal Choudhary, Director of ICEF, A.P. Fernandes, Director of MYRADA, and Robert Woodhouse, Head of the Development Cooperation, Canadian High Commission, CIDA, spoke.

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