Maharashtra moots disaster-linked insurance, storm-water mgmt regulations
* In the 220-page draft of State Disaster Management Plan, the State Government outlines various measures to be taken in case of natural or manmade disasters By Kartik Lokhande After a long gap, Maharashtra Government has come up with a draft of revised State Disaster Management Plan (SDMP) in true sense of the term ‘revision’. The draft plan, which borrows some ideas from SDMP of Gujarat, spells out several new measures like disaster-linked insurance, storm-water management regulations, making available fire-fighting services in rural areas etc. The draft SDMP, which runs into 220 pages, contains detailed guidelines for various departments ranging from Fire and Emergency Services Department to local bodies to Health Department. It also focusses on effective co-ordination between different agencies viz. Indian Meteorological Department, National Disaster Response Force, Central Water Commission, Indian Space Research Organisation, Ministry of Defence etc....