NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution has evolved a national building code, which can help to minimise disaster due to natural calamities such as earthquakes.

Prepared by experts of the Bureau of Indian Standards after studying related aspects for two years, the code is being submitted to the Home Ministry, L. Mansingh, Consumer Affairs Secretary, told a World Standards Day meeting here on Friday.

Expressing concern over large-scale disasters caused by earthquakes in Kutch in Gujarat and recently in Jammu and Kashmir, he said effective implementation of uniform standardisation was a must to minimise the catastrophe.

Citing the experience in Kutch, where he coordinated relief measures, Mr. Mansingh said massive international aid could not be used effectively in the absence of standardisation, especially of medicines and tents.

As standardisation assumed significance after globalisation of trade, the Bureau of Indian Standards geared itself up to lay down higher norms.

It organised a seminar on `Standards for the Safer World,' which was addressed by experts in disaster management. The importance of standardisation of security measures in view of the tsunami and floods, SARS, Hurricane Katrina, earthquakes and terrorist attacks was discussed.

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