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Business Standard
07-06-2025
- Health
- Business Standard
India Ramps Up Community Preparedness for Disasters: CBDM India 2025 in Bengaluru to Champion Health Resilience and Local Response
PNN Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], June 7: As India and its neighbours continue to confront the double threat of increasing natural disasters and unpredictable man-made crises--including the recent cross-border tensions in northern districts--CBDM India 2025 emerges as a timely national response mechanism rooted in community resilience and emergency health preparedness. The International Conference on 'Disaster Resilience: Community-Based Systems to Save Lives and Preserve Health' will be held on June 20-21 at the JN Tata Auditorium, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, with a Pre-Conference Workshop on June 19 at the Indian Railways Institute of Disaster Management (IRIDM). -Against the backdrop of natural disasters and the recent border conflict, CBDM India on June 20-21 will showcase people-centric disaster management systems to protect lives & preserve health - A Pre-Conference Workshop on June 19 will provide practical training in rapid response, triage, community mobilization, and emergency communications at IRIDM, Bengaluru Organised by JeevaRaksha Trust, in collaboration with Indian Institute of Science, Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS), Government of Karnataka, Indian Medical Association (IMA) Saragur, Swami Vivekananda Youth Movement, IRIDM, and premier national agencies including NDMA, ISRO, and NIMHANS, this global platform reflects India's growing commitment to proactive, inclusive disaster readiness. From flash floods and heatwaves to border hostilities and civil emergencies, the call for empowered, prepared communities has never been louder. The conference will feature keynote insights from Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain (Retd), PVSM, Member, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Government of India. His unique civil-military perspective--especially in conflict-prone zones like Kashmir--will add strategic depth to discussions on disaster coordination in high-risk border and rural areas. Dr. (Flt Lt) M.A. Balasubramanya, Managing Trustee of JeevaRaksha and Chairman of the Organising Committee, said, "In disaster situations--whether caused by nature or conflict--every life saved is a victory of preparedness. The recent Indo-Pak flare-ups in border areas are a reminder that India must be ready not just with diplomacy or arms, but also with health, speed, and compassion. We must train our people, strengthen our health systems, and localise our response." CBDM India 2025 will tackle urgent priorities such as local risk mapping, public health intervention strategies, disaster psychology, digital alert systems, and inter-sectoral coordination. Sessions will explore how community-based models can be integrated with national response systems to create a more agile, informed, and resilient India. The conference will also offer hands-on workshops and case studies from India and the Global South, making it a knowledge hub for low-resource but high-impact solutions. "This is not just a technical event. It is a convergence of policy, science, public health, and lived realities. We are gathering voices from the field--doctors, emergency workers, village leaders, and military medics--to build a framework that saves lives when seconds matter. Whether it's a landslide, flash flood, or border shelling, it's the community that responds first," added Dr. Ram K Nair, Technical Director of JeevaRaksha and Organising Secretary, CBDM 2025. The conference expects participation from over 800 delegates, including officials from disaster management authorities, armed forces, healthcare institutions, academia, civil society, and youth networks. Institutions such as Armed Forces Medical Services, IISc, ISRO, Karnataka State Disaster Management Authority, and NIMHANS will lend technical support and vision. Adding a public health lens, Dr. Prakash K H, CEO of JeevaRaksha, said, "The idea that only governments or uniformed forces handle disasters is outdated. It's time to put people at the centre. This conference will show how villages, wards, hospitals, and schools can become strongholds of resilience. A JeevaRaksha-trained teacher or a connected ASHA can make the difference between life and loss in those first critical moments." CBDM India 2025 also opens the floor to innovation, inviting paper and poster submissions showcasing real-world solutions, best practices, and policy recommendations. The Pre-Conference Workshop on June 19 will provide practical training in rapid response, triage, community mobilisation, and emergency communications at IRIDM, Bengaluru. In a time of compounded crises--raging rivers and restless borders--CBDM India 2025 is India's declaration of readiness, rooted not just in policy, but in people. About JeevaRaksha JeevaRaksha Trust (JR), a special-purpose vehicle established by Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, Karnataka, and Swami Vivekananda Youth Movement, offers skill courses in Emergency Care. These unique, comprehensive university-certified courses equip doctors, nurses, paramedics, and the public with essential skills to enhance the emergency care response system and save lives. JR has three verticals to strengthen its mission, namely, Emergency Skills Education, Research & Development, and Relief & Rehabilitation, with a strong emphasis on inclusive and innovative disaster management solutions.
Time of India
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Their Eyes Remain On Kashmir
Their Eyes Remain On Kashmir Syed Ata Hasnain May 19, 2025, 20:42 IST IST This is where it started and where vulnerability remains greatest. Remember the viciousness Pakistan rustled up after 1971. It will be desperate again to weaken Indian resolve on this side of LoC While the India-Pak military conflict is on pause, the likelihood of sporadic high-impact attacks remains. After all, the windows of terror infiltration and recruitment still remain open, albeit under much stronger surveillance and deterrence. But a return to the 1990s is unlikely. First, Kashmiri society , particularly the younger generation, is showing signs of disengagement from violent extremism. Job aspirations, digital connectivity, and tourism have altered the local incentive structures.
Indian Express
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Opinion Military lessons from the Pahalgam tragedy
What happened in Pahalgam on April 22 will remain in the institutional memory of our security forces for a long time to come. The absence of security forces in the Baisaran meadows, over a period of time, emboldened terrorists to select it as the location for their dastardly act. The methodology they adopted, of ascertaining the religious identity of potential victims before shooting them in cold blood, was designed to send a divisive message, the aim being to tear a hole in the secular fabric of our society and of Kashmiriyat. Encouragingly, the horrific act drew condemnation from various sections of society, including school children, throughout Jammu and Kashmir. Outside Kashmir, the narrative generated by the terrorists — of attacking Hindus — have unfortunately been lapped up by the mainstream media and made to reach the drawing rooms of households across the nation. Having said that, this article endeavours to take forward the argument of Lieutenant General Syed Ata Hasnain (retired) in his article, 'The day after, back to basics' (IE, April 25). The writer highlighted the most crucial and indispensable facet of basic unit-level patrolling tactics that deters terrorist activity: Area Domination Patrols (ADPs), which are used to demonstrate presence in an area. When it comes to the basics, in addition to ADPs, there are several other tactical operations that a counter-insurgency/counter-terrorism (CI/CT) unit undertakes. These measures include day/night surveillance, road opening, picketing for securing an identified passage for the parties undertaking movement, etc. The prime example of picketing that security forces have been undertaking in J&K is the task of securing the Shri Amarnath Yatra route from Jammu to the two base camps at Sonmarg and Pahalgam. In a nutshell, all the above-mentioned tactical operations are the very basics that General Hasnain talks about. It is possible that such basics were overlooked, leading to the horrors of April 22. Of course, this is a conjecture, since one is not aware of the situation that prevailed on the ground when terrorists had their run. The declining insurgency indices in the area over the last few years seemingly led to a sense of complacency at the unit level. Any operation planned by soldiers or well-trained terrorists — which the cadres under reference seem to have been — is always preceded by preliminary reconnaissance and confirmation of the movement patterns of the adversary. The absence or infrequent presence of troopers at Baisaran and the availability of soft targets in the form of tourists must have emboldened the terrorists. Troops deployed in CI/CT, especially when terror indices are receding, face the challenge of complacency as keeping up the vigil 24 hours a day, seven days a week, is a daunting task. It falls upon the leaders, starting at the platoon, company and battalion levels to make a difference, by keeping the troops involved and motivated. The foundation for sustaining the interest levels of troops and thus their motivation can be laid by leading from the front. Irrespective of the prevalent situation and the various narratives that soldiers may be privy to while deployed on a task, their guard is not supposed to be lowered. Although this is an aspect that is obvious to the unit leadership, it is often taken for granted. The leaders need to make the soldiers feel like they are a part of the big picture. This is achieved by repeatedly emphasising the role that they play in ensuring the security of the area and people. More often than not, due to distractions of various kinds — including the pace of operations, the dynamic situation, and the demanding environment — the leaders overlook the situation inside their command. Such oversight can lead to complacency, and in the worst case, can lead to an episode like Baisaran. In the end, as per the classical teaching of CI/CT, all the tactical operations like ADPs, surveillance, road opening, picketing, etc., ought to be based on psychological operations that hinge on eliciting the support of the local population, the centre of gravity in CI/CT. In order to execute effective psychological operations, the orientation of soldiers to the local population and culture is indispensable. This is what facilitates human intelligence or HUMINT, a necessity for successful CI/CT. Employing soldiers as described above keeps them fruitfully occupied and motivated, since they see themselves as important stakeholders in the campaign against terrorists, and as part of the government. The overall efficiency of security providers is ensured by adhering to the basics that are normally overlooked. Ultimately, it is the agency of the unit leadership which can prevent incidents like Baisaran.
