India 1st responder for Global South in times of natural disasters: Piyush Goyal

New Delhi, Jan 15 India is known as the first responder to the Global South for its humanitarian initiatives in times of natural disasters, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal, said on Wednesday.

The country is consistently providing disaster management to the neighbouring countries in flood prevention, flood control and mitigating other disasters, said Goyal during his address at the World Congress on Disaster Management, Disaster Risk Reduction (WCDM-DRR) Awards in the national capital.

The Union Minister noted that during Covid-19, India provided free vaccines to over 100 countries through the "Vaccine Maitri" humanitarian initiative.

"The Indian government is there for every person in distress within the country and in the world. That is true global leadership and that is the philosophy of India," said Goyal.

The Minister further stated that disaster relief insurance claims is an area where work needs to be done in creating awareness and providing faster disposal of the claims in a seamless manner and nobody should need to approach the courts to get relief.

Speaking of the responsibilities of all parties concerned, the minister said that the victims must refrain from making exaggerated claims and noted that such claims only delay the process.

"Factual, correct assessment and analysis will help the authorities in settling disaster relief claims faster and giving relief to the deserving," he noted.

Goyal also highlighted the sacrifices made by the army, navy, air force and the Central and State Rapid Action Forces.

He praised the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) for their efforts in disaster prevention and reducing the magnitude of casualties in recent times.

The combination of the State Disaster Relief Fund (SDRF) and the National Disaster Relief Fund (NDRF) is also a form of huge reassurance for the nation.

The recently passed Disaster Management (Amendment) Bill, 2024 will provide benefit to the nation in terms of creating a database of the disasters at the national and the state level, the minister added.