‘Aapda Mitra’ training for 100 volunteers from Kiphire underway

Our Reporter
Dimapur, May 14 (EMN): Nagaland State Disaster Management Authority (NSDMA) under Home department, in collaboration with the Home Guards, Civil Defense, and SDRF and National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), began training 100 volunteers from Kiphire district under the scheme ‘Aapda Mitra’ at the Central Training Institute, HG, CD, and SDRF in Toluvi, Dimapur, on Saturday.

‘Aapda Mitra’ training is an in-house training for 12 days at Central Training Institute, HG, CD and SDRF, Dimapur, with an aim to empower the community volunteer with the skill they would need to response to their community’s immediate needs in the aftermath of disaster thereby enabling them to undertake basic relief and rescue task during emergency situations.

The training would cover disaster prone areas of seven districts of the state namely Kiphire, Phek, Longleng, Peren, Mokokchung, Zunheboto and Wokha with a target to train 700 volunteers.

Delivering the keynote address at the inaugural programme, NDMA joint advisor, Nawal Prakash, said that the community is not only the first victim of any disaster but also the true first responder.

Prakash added that in any disaster, before any government machinery or assistance arrives, it is the community’s responsibility to respond. He, therefore, stated that it is critical to spread adequate awareness at the community level, particularly among those living in most vulnerable areas of the country.

Prakash went on to say that disaster management is not a task that could be performed by a single department, ministry, or agency, but rather by each and every individual. He stated that trainees have a tremendous role to play not only in disaster response but also in spreading awareness through mass awareness programmes.

Prakash expressed that if they could provide assistance during the first golden hour after a disaster, they could save many lives. He added that it was necessary to train volunteers in certain basic disaster management skills so that they could respond promptly and assist the concerned agencies in rescue and relief operations.

The joint advisor of NDMA also informed that emergency response kits worth INR 10,000 would be provided to the trainees besides a life insurance worth up to INR 5 lakh and medical insurance worth up to INR 50,000, with the government covering the insurance premium for three years.

Prakash also stated that the NDMA has created management information system websites and a mobile application. He added that the mobile app would be launched in June 2022.

In his welcome address, the deputy commandant general of HG, CD and SDRF, Medozhalie Pienyu, stated that the Central Training Institute, HG, CD and SDRF in Toluvi, Dimapur, was established in 1989-1990 and has been catering and imparting training to home guard volunteers, civil defence volunteers and other departments.

Pienyu also stated that training activities at the institute have increased over the years since the inception of the Nagaland State Disaster Management Authority (NSDMA) and added that many disaster management related trainings have been conducted with the support of NSDMA.

Introduction on the training was delivered by the joint chief executive officer of NSDMA, Johnny Ruangmie, while the inaugural addressed was delivered by secretary of NSDMA, Lhouchalie Viya.