BIMSTEC Disaster Management Exercise

National Disaster Response Force will host the second Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation Disaster Management Exercise in Odisha.

About the BIMSTEC Disaster Management Exercise

• The aim of the exercise is to test the existing emergency procedures for notification, preparedness and emergency response, during a major natural disaster.
• It will also test the multi-stakeholders’ coordination in a disaster scenario involving international, national, state, district and local agencies
• Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Nepal are participating in the exercise while Bhutan and Thailand, where travel restrictions are in place, will be absent.

About BIMSTEC

• The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is an international organization founded in 1997.
• It is headquartered in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
• It comprises seven Member states namely Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bhutan, and Nepal.

About National Disaster Response Force

• The National Disaster Response Force is a specialised force constituted “for the purpose of specialist response to a threatening disaster situation or disaster” under the Disaster Management Act, 2005.
• National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) is under the National Disaster Management Authority
• National Disaster Management Authority is the “Apex Body for Disaster Management” in India.
• The Chairman of the NDMA is the Prime Minister.
• The ‘Nodal Ministry’ in the central government for the management of natural disasters is the Ministry of Home Affairs.

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