New Delhi: On Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi presided over a high-level meeting to review preparations for the upcoming summer's hot weather condition and to call for the creation of specialised awareness material for various audiences, including the general public, medical professionals, local body authorities, and disaster response teams.
According to the PMO's statement, Modi was given an update on the weather forecast for the coming months, the chance of a regular monsoon, and how these factors would affect Rabi crops.
Furthermore, it stated that he had been briefed on the state of medical facility readiness, heat-related disasters, and preventative actions.
According to the PMO, the Prime Minister of India was updated on the estimated production of main crops and urged the Food Corporation of India to take efforts to ensure optimal storage of grains under adverse weather conditions.
Modi has ordered the India Meteorological Agency to simplify its daily weather forecasts so that everyone can understand and share them.
The statement recommended that media outlets like TV news programmes and FM radio devote a few minutes each day to explaining the daily weather forecast so that citizens can take the required preparations.
Further, he recommended that firefighters do simulated fire exercises in every hospital and that fire safety audits be performed at all facilities.
The statement also said that ongoing efforts to monitor irrigation water availability, feed, and drinking water were discussed.
A report was presented to Modi detailing the availability of emergency supplies and the state of hospital infrastructure across the country in the event of a disaster. Moreover, he was briefed on the current state of preparations for heat-related disasters and the status of any relevant mitigation activities being undertaken everywhere in the country.
Attending officials were urged to use multimedia lecture sessions to educate students about how to cope with hot weather.
Modi added that easily digestible procedures and lists of dos and don'ts for hot weather should be produced, along with other forms of publicity like as jingles, videos, and brochures.
At the discussion, participants also discussed the importance of working together to combat forest fires. Efforts to prevent and combat forest fires were examined, and it was agreed that systemic improvements were needed.
Attendees included the principal secretary to the prime minister, Cabinet secretary, home secretary, and other high-ranking government officials.—Inputs from Agencies