Siliguri (West-Bengal) [India], Sept 18 : The NDRF is providing training to the community youth to ensure that maximum life and properties are saved during a disaster, stated the Director-General of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) Satya Narayan Pradhan in Siliguri on Wednesday.
Pradhan's remarks came on the occasion of the inauguration of newly-built Regional Response Centre of 2nd Battalion of NDRF at Paribahan Nagar.
Interacting with the media people, Mr Pradhan asserted that response time during a disaster is a very important part of disaster management.
Pradhan stated that NDRF had recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Sports and Youth Affairs Ministry under which, the force will be training 9000 Nehru Yuva Kendra volunteers across the country and they will be called as "NDRF Bandhu".
"During the golden hour, the maximum amount of life and properties is saved. Based on that, the NDRF is providing training to the community youths," Pradhan said.
"It is seen that local people are always starting the rescue operations and if our trained Bandhus will be at the spot, maximum saving of life and properties can happen," said Mr. Pradhan.
Pradhan further stated that the NDRF will also train the school students emphasising on the need to learn disaster response as it is a necessary 'life-skill'.
Mr. Pradhan also spoke that the plans for increasing the number of battalions of the disaster response force being deployed in the country.
"At this time, we have 12 battalions in our country and we have now decided to add four battalions to be posted at Jammu-Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Delhi," Pradhan said.
( With inputs from ANI )