India sees early warning for disaster as global public good, inclusive, multilingual, anticipatory, says P K Mishra


PK Mishra, Principal Secretary to Prime Minister
| Photo Credit:
SUSHIL KUMAR VERMA
India has reaffirmed its commitment to translate the voluntary high-Level principles into action through innovation, inclusive financing, and international solidarity for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR).
Taking part in G20 Ministerial Meeting on DRR, P K Mishra, Principal Secretary to Prime Minister, emphasised that early warning systems were not technological luxuries but strategic investments in resilience. He outlined India’s multi-agency architecture integrating meteorological, hydrological, seismic, and oceanographic institutions through a Common Alert Protocol–compliant Integrated Alert System, which had already issued over 109 billion alerts.
He urged the G20 to strengthen interoperable regional platforms, shared data protocols, and joint capacity-building initiatives under the global ‘Early Warnings for All framework’. India, he said, viewed early warning as a global public good, inclusive, multilingual, and anticipatory, an official statement said.
Shift to risk-informed paradigm
In the event on financing DRR, he described India’s constitutionally anchored model under the Finance Commission, which ensured a multi-year, rules-based DRR allocations, decentralised funding to the States and local bodies, and evidence-based prioritisation through a national Disaster Risk Index. Highlighting India’s shift from a relief-centric to a risk-informed paradigm, he showcased innovative local-level mechanisms, dedicated mitigation funds, hazard-specific programmes, and community-based preparedness through Aapda Mitra volunteers that embed resilience directly into public finance and governance.
Concluding the day’s engagements, Mishra reaffirmed India’s commitment to translate the voluntary high-level principles into action through innovation, inclusive financing, and international solidarity, ensuring that resilience becomes the shared language of sustainable development.
Published on October 13, 2025