Month-long disaster awareness campaign to be held across Himachal Pradesh in October

Shimla, Sep 23 (PTI) The Himachal Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority will organise SAMARTH-2025, a month-long awareness campaign to promote disaster preparedness, safe construction practices and community resilience, from October 1 to 31.

Duni Chand Rana, director-cum-special secretary for disaster management, department of revenue, on Tuesday said that the SAMARTH campaign was first launched in 2011 to commemorate the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction (IDDRR) and has since then grown into a statewide annual campaign.

The IDDRR, designated by the United Nations General Assembly in 1989, is observed globally on October 13 every year to foster a culture of risk awareness and resilience.

"The 2025 theme“ -- Fund Resilience, Not Disasters -- highlights the urgent need to invest proactively in resilience measures to reduce the human, social and economic costs of disasters," Rana said.

He said that over the years, the SAMARTH campaign has evolved into "a people-centric initiative that brings together government departments, institutions and communities to strengthen preparedness and resilience across Himachal Pradesh." Rana said the state-level function is scheduled in Shimla on October 13. During this, a five-day exhibition on disaster preparedness and response equipment, technologies and products will be held at Padam Dev Complex, the Ridge, from October 13 to 17.

As part of the month-long campaign, a wide range of activities will be organised by the state and district disaster management authorities, with active support from line departments, non-governmental organisations, academic institutions, and community organisations.

The campaign will feature awareness drives through multimedia platforms, street plays, folk performances and dissemination of IEC (information, education, communication) materials. School- and college-level competitions, mock drills, and specialised workshops on resilient urban planning and safe construction practices will also be conducted.

Community engagement will be further strengthened through Panchayati Raj Institutions, Aapda Mitras and technical personnel during gram sabha meetings on October 2. PTI COR RUK RUK