Government and NGOs agreed to set-up One Platform for Disaster Preparedness in Puri, Odisha

Government departments and more than 20 NGOs in Puri district agreed to set up a regular and structured coordination mechanism at district and block levels, so that disaster preparedness is planned together well before an emergency. The decision came at a District Level Government and NGO Coordination Meeting held at the Special Circuit House, Puri, organised by Caritas India with the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), Puri, and the district nodal NGO JJS.

About 60 participants took part, including BDOs and ABDOs from different blocks, JEE officials, representatives of NACs and the Municipality, and NGO functionaries.

Participants settled on six areas for action. NGOs will support communities and local institutions in preparing, updating and implementing Village Disaster Management Plans and Gram Panchayat Disaster Management Plans, especially in disaster prone areas. Government and NGOs will hold more joint awareness programmes, mock drills, community trainings and early warning activities. Advisories, warnings and field updates will be shared on time. Roles will be defined in advance to avoid duplication. Review meetings will be held at least once every quarter at block and district levels to track progress and close gaps.

Mr. Sarat Chandra Behera, IAS, Additional District Magistrate, Puri, said government brings administrative authority, technical resources and institutional mechanisms, while NGOs bring community networks, local knowledge and a presence on the ground. He asked NGOs to stay closely linked with district and block administration so their work supports government programmes, especially during emergencies.

Mr. Anushrav Gantayat, OAS, Deputy Collector (Emergency), described NGOs as a bridge between communities and the administration. They can spread early warnings, prepare people for evacuation, identify vulnerable groups and mobilise local resources. He urged NGOs to share their capacities and areas of work with the administration, and stressed that coordination must be set up before a disaster, not during one.

Mr. John Lima called for a move from separate organisational efforts to a community centred approach covering the full disaster management cycle, from prevention to building back better. Mr. Ashok Kumar Rath, DPO, OSDMA, said village and panchayat plans must be participatory, based on risks the community itself identifies, and connected to the district’s wider disaster management system. Dr. Sanju Dai, DPHO, Puri, added that public health must be part of preparedness planning, with health authorities, administration and NGOs acting together.

Mrs. Bharati Chakra led the closing discussion on the way forward. She urged organisations to turn the discussions into field action with regular follow up and accountability, and to align their work with local plans and priorities.

Caritas India brings experience that Puri has seen first hand. After Cyclone Fani struck in 2019, its relief and recovery response reached more than 50,000 people with shelter, food, hygiene support and livelihood restoration. It has also handed over 308 cyclone resilient houses across four blocks of the district.

In Odisha, the organisation works on disaster risk reduction, nutrition and food security, and livelihoods, with a special focus on the most marginalised. Under its Empowering Communities for Resilience Building in Odisha project, it trained 120 teachers, school staff and School Safety Committee members on disaster preparedness in May 2026. It has also run a full scale evacuation drill with district disaster authorities, a village disaster management committee and a school safety committee, showing that agencies and communities can act as one system.

The meeting ended with a shared commitment to deepen partnerships between government and civil society and to promote community led preparedness across Puri district.