Union Home Minister Amit Shah has assured the people of Kerala that the Government of India will provide all possible assistance and spare no effort for the rescue, relief, and rehabilitation following the Wayanad tragedy. Replying to a calling attention in the Lok Sabha today regarding the loss of lives and property due to landslides and floods in various parts of the country, Mr Shah said that in this hour of tragic incident, be it the government of India or political parties, it is a time of standing like a rock with the government of Kerala and people of the state, especially with the people of Wayanad. He said the government of India is committed to it. Mr Shah informed the House that the world’s most modern early warning system was established after 2014 in this country. He added that India is among four to five countries that can forecast an early warning for a calamity seven days before. He said various types of early warning systems have been established in the country for two thousand 300 crore rupees for the safety of the people.

Elaborating on disaster management and saving lives, the Home Minister said that before 2014, there was only one way to respond to disaster, which was rescue and rehabilitation work. He said that after the Narendra Modi government came to power, along with rescue work, preparation was done in advance so that no life was lost.

On the issue of dissemination of early warnings to Kerala, Mr Shah said that on the 18th of July, there was a forecast that Kerala’s western coast would face above-normal rainfall and on the 23rd and 25th of July, there would be heavy rain. The Home Minister said that on 23rd July, eight teams of the NDRF were sent to the region in advance. Mr. Shah said that the Government of India has made every effort for relief and rescue, and every vertical is present in the region. He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is himself monitoring the situation. 

Earlier intervening in the discussion, Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai said that the Centre has issued 33 advisories towards the management of high-risk disasters, including floods and landslides. He said that the state governments can make preparations according to the advisories. He informed that the government has implemented a Common Alerting Protocol Scheme for 354 crore rupees to disseminate disaster-related information and forecasts to the people through SMS.

Initiating the discussion, K. C. Venugopal of Congress said that the government of India should support the States in case of disaster-related tragedies.  He said the Wayanad tragedy is a painful incident, and some strong measures should be taken for assistance, rescue operations, and rehabilitation.

Other members also participated in the discussion.