New Delhi, Feb 25 (IANS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday urged the people to become conscious and aware of their own safety and said if they start taking daily precautions seriously, a lot more casualties and risks could be evaded.
While addressing his monthly radio programme "Mann Ki Baat", the Prime Minister said: "If we are not aware of safety in daily life, if we are not able to attain a certain level, it will get extremely difficult during the time of disasters."
Barring natural disasters, many mishaps were a consequence of mistakes and urged the fire brigades to organise mock drills in schools as training and awareness have important role in disaster management, he said.
"There are messages and slogans everywhere about safety measures at work places and on streets. But these message are hardly followed. If we stay alert, abide by the prescribed rules, we shall not only be able to save our own lives but we can prevent catastrophes harming society."
Urging the concerned departments under corporations and municipalities who possess the fire brigades to visit different schools once a week or a month and conduct mock drills, he said it will have dual benefit free of cost.
"First the fire brigade will undergo an exercise in readiness and the new generation will get lessons of being alert," he said.
The Prime Minister said that India was a land of geographic and climatic diversities.
"As far as disasters are concerned, the country has beared different disasters including chemical and industrial mishaps."
Modi lauded the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) for reaching areas hit by earthquakes, floods, cyclones and landslides within no time.
He said an initiative called "Aapada Mitra" has been launched to train volunteers in disaster-prone districts.
Stressing on the need to organise awareness campaign about safety, the Prime Minister said that thousands of people used to die due to heat wave few years ago.
"After that, the NDMA organised workshops on heat wave management as part of a campaign to raise awareness among people. The death count in 2017 due to heat is around 220 which means if people accord priority to safety, we can actually attain safety," he said.
Modi said recently India made an attempt of joint exercise for disaster management where different countries of world on the lines of joint military exercise participated.
"It was a novel humanitarian experiment on a large scale. We will have to turn ourselves into a risk conscious society. In our culture, we often talk of safety of values we now need to realise the values of safety."