Assam Govt Launches Digital Platform for Reporting Damage During Disasters

The Assam Government on Wednesday launched the Disaster Reporting and Information Management System (DRIMS), a digital platform for online reporting of damages incurred during various disasters.

The digital platform was launched by the Chief Secretary of Assam, Dr Ravi Kota, IAS, at Assam Administrative Staff College (AASC) in Guwahati's Khanapara.

DRIMS is a state-of-the-art initiative of the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) for accurate reporting and assessment of damages caused by disasters and disbursal of aid to those affected by them.

This platform has been developed in collaboration with UNICEF, efficiently captures critical impact indicators of damages during disasters, which helps to deliver relief and rehabilitation grants expeditiously to the affected beneficiaries. It also tracks damages to crops, loss of livestock etc. expediting post-disaster restoration efforts.

After the launch of DRIMS, Dr Ravi Kota released the Handbook on Financial Assistance During Disasters. He also inaugurated the State Level Training Programme on Incident Response System for responders which is being conducted by the National Institute of Disaster Management.

The disaster assistance handbook will empower people to understand their entitlements during and after disasters thereby enabling greater demand and access to assistance especially for children and women in affected communities.

Speaking on the occasion Dr Kota hailed the efforts of the Assam State Disaster Management Authority in Disaster Mitigation and response especially during the floods. He highlighted that as Assam is prone to multiple disasters, it’s a great beginning to have all the information at one online platform.

Earlier Shri Gyandendra Dev Tripathi, IAS, CEO of ASDMA welcomed all the dignitaries and participants. Speaking on the features of DRIMS he said that it is an upgrade of FRIMS with myriad of modern technology features for multi disaster reporting.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Arjan De Wagt, UNICEF India’s Deputy Representative for Programs stated “What has impressed me the most about this system is the efficiency of data verification and compilation, which helps save the precious time of field workers on the ground.”

Addressing the event, Dr Madhulika Jonathan, Chief of Field Office for Assam and NE states, UNICEF India stated "Assam has a complex disaster and climate risk landscape. DRIMS is a groundbreaking digital solution which is built on the Flood Reporting Information System and sets a higher standard for disaster management in India.”

The ceremony ended with Shri Alakananda Medhi, ACS, State Project Coordinator, ASDMA proposing the vote of thanks.

Shri Rajiv Ranjan Mishra, IAS (Retd), Chief Technical Advisor, NIUA(National Institute of Urban Affairs); Dr. B. Kalyan Chakravarthy IAS, Principal Secretary, Labour Welfare: Shri John Ekka, IAS, Principal Secretary, Tourism; Ms Aruna Rajoria, IAS, Agricultural Production Commissioner; M.S. Manivannan, IAS, Commissioner & Secretary, GAD graced today’s program with their presence.

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