“Each reform strengthens another, where all elements converge to improve people’s opportunity”: Dr. P. K. Mishra during Centre for Public Policy’s Silver Jubilee Foundation Day Lecture
The 7th lecture of the CPP Foundation Day Lecture Series was themed on ‘From Gujarat to Myanmar: Evolution of India’s Disaster Management Policy and Practice during the last 25 years’
9 July, 2025, Bengaluru: “Today, India’s disaster management evolution has resulted in a systemic and integrated approach combining technology, institutional capacity, community engagement and social protection. These achievements position India not just as a regional leader, but as owning a global best practice model in disaster risk management”, observed Dr. Pramod Kumar Mishra, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister of India, while delivering the 7th lecture of the CPP Foundation Day Lecture Series earlier today, on the topic: ‘From Gujarat to Myanmar: Evolution of India’s Disaster Management Policy and Practice during the last 25 years’. The event was hosted by the Centre for Public Policy (CPP) at Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIMB), which is celebrating its Silver Jubilee this year.
Serving in various key positions in the Government, Dr. P.K. Mishra has made significant contributions to policy formulation and programme/project management, in areas including agriculture, disaster management, power sector, infrastructure financing, regulatory issues, among many other sectors of public governance. During his talk, he shared his own experiences in working with the Government and in formulation of policies.
Terming the Gujarat earthquake of 2001 as the structural break for disaster management in India since it brought about a sea change in thinking and action, Dr. Mishra described how disaster management in our country has evolved over the years. “Disaster management is not an isolated phenomenon since it affects the development of a nation. Earlier, the approach in our country was one of response and relief. Search and rescue skills were low. But the Gujarat earthquake, and multiple other disasters after that, taught us valuable lessons in terms of disaster management. Policies and procedures have evolved dramatically in the last 25 years. Today, India’s financing of risk reduction framework is widely acclaimed globally – it is considered to be unique which is recommended to be followed by other countries. It is reflected in the fact that during the Myanmar earthquake earlier this year, Indian forces were involved in crucial disaster management and relief measures.”
“In the wake of the Gujarat earthquake, rehabilitation initiatives were put in place with a focus on infrastructure and livelihood. The Gujarat State Disaster Management Authority was formed. Decisive steps were taken in institutionalizing disaster management, regulatory reforms were introduced, training was organized, and there was knowledge dissemination. All these measures led to a comprehensive reconstruction and recovery program which was implemented successfully. There were far reaching changes in institutional structure at the state as well as the national level.”
Explaining further, Dr. Mishra said, “India has had policies on disaster management from several decades. Even during the pre-independence era, there were administrative arrangements. After independence, relief and response activities continued to evolve. In the context of the Gujarat earthquake, the Government of Gujarat introduced a recovery program which was distinguished by medium and long term perspectives, which were possibly the most crucial and far-reaching initiatives in recent times. At the national level, administrative and legislative frameworks were put in place. Some of these include the Disaster Management Act of 2005, creation of the National Disaster Management Authority, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Calamity Relief Fund, etc. The 15th Finance Commission too made provisions for risk mitigation, recovery and reconstruction.”
Hailing these policies to have achieved the intended objectives, Dr. Mishra informed that disaster related mortality has come down in our country, thanks to technology, early warning system, improved relief delivery, real time data collection, post disaster need assessment, etc. “The Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure is another achievement, focusing on infrastructure.”
With a word of caution against complacency, Dr. Mishra pointed out that the challenge ahead lies in sustaining the momentum, deepening preparedness in new risk zones, embedding climate resilience in all aspects of our development efforts, etc. “Cyber security is another important arena. All the stakeholders of disaster risk governance need to work in concert to be most effective. Encouraging and reinforcing one another in pursuit of a common goal, will lead to resilience of the people on ground. We need to continue our focus on climate change and geopolitical factors. Local level and community preparedness have to be enhanced. We also need well-designed laws, recalibration of our risk management system, and greater agility and specialization for our institutions. Remember, each reform strengthens another, where all elements converge to improve people’s opportunity.” His talk was followed by a brief interaction with the audience.
Earlier during the event, Prof. Anil B Suraj, Chairperson, N.S. Ramaswamy Pre-doctoral Fellowship as well as the Committee on Diversity and Inclusion and faculty of Public Policy, delivered the welcome address and introduced the Guest Speaker. “His experience is an ideal blend of policy, research and practice. As part of the Prime Minister’s Office, Dr. Mishra is credited with introducing transformative changes and effective monitoring of development initiatives. He has played a key role in mitigating COVID-19 challenges, as Chairman of the Coordination Committee on India’s G20 Presidency, as Secretary to the Government of India, Ministry of Agriculture contributing to path-breaking national initiatives such as the National Agriculture Development Programme (RKVY) and the National Food Security Mission (NFSM), and more. In 2019, he was conferred with the United Nations Sasakawa Award, the most prestigious international award in disaster management. His body of work includes research and publications as well – he has published a number of papers in national and international journals and has participated as an expert in several national and international conferences.”
Prof. Rishikesha T Krishnan, Director, IIM Bangalore, also addressed the audience, congratulating CPP on completing 25 years. Listing the Institute’s achievements in the public policy arena, he added, “IIMB remains true to its mission of not being just a business school but contributing in a much broader way to policy making for diverse sectors. Today’s talk highlighted the fact that disaster management encompasses diverse dimensions like policy, legislation, capacity building, etc. – areas in which IIMB too works. As pointed out by Dr. Mishra, India now has a robust disaster management framework and can play a leadership role in that sphere. He has set out a good agenda for all of us to continue our work in different dimensions of policy and management, and to go into them in great detail.”
Prof. Arnab Mukherji, Chairperson, Post Graduate Programme in Public Policy and Management (PGPPM) and faculty of Public Policy, delivered the vote of thanks. “Dr. Mishra’s talk was very insightful and it is heartening to know that India is being seen as a model for international bodies, in disaster management. It also sets up challenging activities for CPP in terms of training and capacity building, and how closely we can work with the Government to find institutional mechanisms to withstand such areas of national challenge.”
On 10th July 2025, CPP will host a panel discussion on, ‘CPP Experience in Public Policy Research and Education’, with Chairpersons of the Centre since 2000, who will reflect on its evolution, contributions and future directions.
Click here for photo gallery
“Each reform strengthens another, where all elements converge to improve people’s opportunity”: Dr. P. K. Mishra during Centre for Public Policy’s Silver Jubilee Foundation Day Lecture
The 7th lecture of the CPP Foundation Day Lecture Series was themed on ‘From Gujarat to Myanmar: Evolution of India’s Disaster Management Policy and Practice during the last 25 years’
9 July, 2025, Bengaluru: “Today, India’s disaster management evolution has resulted in a systemic and integrated approach combining technology, institutional capacity, community engagement and social protection. These achievements position India not just as a regional leader, but as owning a global best practice model in disaster risk management”, observed Dr. Pramod Kumar Mishra, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister of India, while delivering the 7th lecture of the CPP Foundation Day Lecture Series earlier today, on the topic: ‘From Gujarat to Myanmar: Evolution of India’s Disaster Management Policy and Practice during the last 25 years’. The event was hosted by the Centre for Public Policy (CPP) at Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIMB), which is celebrating its Silver Jubilee this year.
Serving in various key positions in the Government, Dr. P.K. Mishra has made significant contributions to policy formulation and programme/project management, in areas including agriculture, disaster management, power sector, infrastructure financing, regulatory issues, among many other sectors of public governance. During his talk, he shared his own experiences in working with the Government and in formulation of policies.
Terming the Gujarat earthquake of 2001 as the structural break for disaster management in India since it brought about a sea change in thinking and action, Dr. Mishra described how disaster management in our country has evolved over the years. “Disaster management is not an isolated phenomenon since it affects the development of a nation. Earlier, the approach in our country was one of response and relief. Search and rescue skills were low. But the Gujarat earthquake, and multiple other disasters after that, taught us valuable lessons in terms of disaster management. Policies and procedures have evolved dramatically in the last 25 years. Today, India’s financing of risk reduction framework is widely acclaimed globally – it is considered to be unique which is recommended to be followed by other countries. It is reflected in the fact that during the Myanmar earthquake earlier this year, Indian forces were involved in crucial disaster management and relief measures.”
“In the wake of the Gujarat earthquake, rehabilitation initiatives were put in place with a focus on infrastructure and livelihood. The Gujarat State Disaster Management Authority was formed. Decisive steps were taken in institutionalizing disaster management, regulatory reforms were introduced, training was organized, and there was knowledge dissemination. All these measures led to a comprehensive reconstruction and recovery program which was implemented successfully. There were far reaching changes in institutional structure at the state as well as the national level.”
Explaining further, Dr. Mishra said, “India has had policies on disaster management from several decades. Even during the pre-independence era, there were administrative arrangements. After independence, relief and response activities continued to evolve. In the context of the Gujarat earthquake, the Government of Gujarat introduced a recovery program which was distinguished by medium and long term perspectives, which were possibly the most crucial and far-reaching initiatives in recent times. At the national level, administrative and legislative frameworks were put in place. Some of these include the Disaster Management Act of 2005, creation of the National Disaster Management Authority, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Calamity Relief Fund, etc. The 15th Finance Commission too made provisions for risk mitigation, recovery and reconstruction.”
Hailing these policies to have achieved the intended objectives, Dr. Mishra informed that disaster related mortality has come down in our country, thanks to technology, early warning system, improved relief delivery, real time data collection, post disaster need assessment, etc. “The Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure is another achievement, focusing on infrastructure.”
With a word of caution against complacency, Dr. Mishra pointed out that the challenge ahead lies in sustaining the momentum, deepening preparedness in new risk zones, embedding climate resilience in all aspects of our development efforts, etc. “Cyber security is another important arena. All the stakeholders of disaster risk governance need to work in concert to be most effective. Encouraging and reinforcing one another in pursuit of a common goal, will lead to resilience of the people on ground. We need to continue our focus on climate change and geopolitical factors. Local level and community preparedness have to be enhanced. We also need well-designed laws, recalibration of our risk management system, and greater agility and specialization for our institutions. Remember, each reform strengthens another, where all elements converge to improve people’s opportunity.” His talk was followed by a brief interaction with the audience.
Earlier during the event, Prof. Anil B Suraj, Chairperson, N.S. Ramaswamy Pre-doctoral Fellowship as well as the Committee on Diversity and Inclusion and faculty of Public Policy, delivered the welcome address and introduced the Guest Speaker. “His experience is an ideal blend of policy, research and practice. As part of the Prime Minister’s Office, Dr. Mishra is credited with introducing transformative changes and effective monitoring of development initiatives. He has played a key role in mitigating COVID-19 challenges, as Chairman of the Coordination Committee on India’s G20 Presidency, as Secretary to the Government of India, Ministry of Agriculture contributing to path-breaking national initiatives such as the National Agriculture Development Programme (RKVY) and the National Food Security Mission (NFSM), and more. In 2019, he was conferred with the United Nations Sasakawa Award, the most prestigious international award in disaster management. His body of work includes research and publications as well – he has published a number of papers in national and international journals and has participated as an expert in several national and international conferences.”
Prof. Rishikesha T Krishnan, Director, IIM Bangalore, also addressed the audience, congratulating CPP on completing 25 years. Listing the Institute’s achievements in the public policy arena, he added, “IIMB remains true to its mission of not being just a business school but contributing in a much broader way to policy making for diverse sectors. Today’s talk highlighted the fact that disaster management encompasses diverse dimensions like policy, legislation, capacity building, etc. – areas in which IIMB too works. As pointed out by Dr. Mishra, India now has a robust disaster management framework and can play a leadership role in that sphere. He has set out a good agenda for all of us to continue our work in different dimensions of policy and management, and to go into them in great detail.”
Prof. Arnab Mukherji, Chairperson, Post Graduate Programme in Public Policy and Management (PGPPM) and faculty of Public Policy, delivered the vote of thanks. “Dr. Mishra’s talk was very insightful and it is heartening to know that India is being seen as a model for international bodies, in disaster management. It also sets up challenging activities for CPP in terms of training and capacity building, and how closely we can work with the Government to find institutional mechanisms to withstand such areas of national challenge.”
On 10th July 2025, CPP will host a panel discussion on, ‘CPP Experience in Public Policy Research and Education’, with Chairpersons of the Centre since 2000, who will reflect on its evolution, contributions and future directions.
Click here for photo gallery