India announces new schemes to strengthen disaster management system

NEW DELHI, June 13 (Xinhua) -- India's Home Affairs Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday announced new schemes worth more than 80 billion Indian rupees (972 million U.S. dollars) in a bid to strengthen disaster management system in the country.

The minister announced the new schemes at a meeting with officials in charge of disaster management from different states in New Delhi.

The three major schemes include projects to expand and modernize fire services in states and to reduce the risk of urban flooding in the seven most populous cities including Mumbai, Chennai, and Kolkata, and a national landslide risk mitigation project for various regions in the South Asian country.

"The nature of disasters has changed, their frequency and intensity have also increased, that's why we have to sharpen and widen our preparations," Shah said at the meeting.