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Steps against disasters necessary to reduce human loss: Naidu

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Press Trust of India Visakhapatnam (AP)
Andhra pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu today urged the experts to put forth ideas and suggest preventive measures to minimise the disaster risk during the natural calamities like cyclones, earthquakes and floods.

Naidu inaugurated the Second World Congress on Disaster Management (2nd WCDM) at the Andhra University here today, where Union Minister for Urban Development M Venkaiah Naidu was also present.

The Chief Minister said the state government had prepared a blue print on disaster management by learning the lesson from the recent cyclones in the state, including the Hudhud cyclone, which hit the Visakhpatnam city in October last year.
 

"We have to take precautions against disasters to minimise the human and property loss. We cannot control the nature and its fury, but at the same time we can reduce the human and property loss by taking precautionary measures by utilising the technology and maintaining best practices in disaster management," he added.

Because of the state government's preparedness and with the cooperation of people, we were able to bring normalcy in Visakhpatnam within nine days after the Hudhud hit the city last year, he said.

The Chief Minister asked the organisers of the congress to submit a report to the government, which will be examined for implementation on disaster management to reduce the disaster risks.

Venkaiah Naidu underlined the need for protecting and preserving the nature to keep disasters like cyclones and earthquakes at bay.

"Disaster reduction is a must and it is everyone's responsibility to respect the nature. We are harming the nature through destruction of forests and water bodies," he added.

The four-day Congress has been jointly organised by the AP government and Disaster Management Infrastructure and Control Society (DMICS), in which over one thousand delegates, including 100 members from from 46 countries, are participating, its convener S Anand Rao said.
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Union Health Ministry said that the proposed AIIMS at

Guntur whose foundation stone laid today shall be an institution with a capacity of 960 beds.

It will also have a medical college with an annual intakeof 100 students and 500-bed teaching hospital, a nursing college with an intake of 100 students, a 300-bed super specialty block, and other support departments of 160 beds in ICUs and trauma care apart from an AYUSH facility, an official statement said.

The Institution will also house an Auditorium, night shelter, guest house, animal house besides hostels (aggregating 1400 occupancy) and residences (aggregating 171 dwelling units).

The AIIMS at Guntur would come up at a cost of Rs 1,618 crore in a period of about 60 months, the official statement said.

The establishment of the new AIIMS in Guntur will cater to 13 districts in the region with population of approximately five crore.

The AIIMS involves creation of state-of-the-art infrastructure for improving patient care services through the creation of tertiary healthcare facilities, undergraduate and postgraduate teaching in medical and related physical biological sciences, nursing and dental education amongst others.

Apart from the one at Mangalagiri in Guntur district, two more AIIMS will come in Kalyani, West Bengal and in Nagpur, Maharashtra, all three at a cost of Rs 4,949 crore.

These institutes would come up under the Pradhan MantriSwasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY) in the next five years, the statement said.

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First Published: Nov 19 2015 | 10:57 PM IST

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