India is taking a leadership role in implementing an agreement signed by all South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) states on rapid response to natural disasters — visible in the humanitarian and technical assistance India extended to Nepal immediately after an earthquake struck the Himalayan nation on Saturday.
An agreement has been signed by all Saarc states – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Nepal, Bhutan and India. Early warning system will include information sharing on cyclones, floods, tsunami etc. India is committed to provide technical assistance to all member states, besides manpower and financial support. New Delhi had also ratified a UN protocol in Sendai, Japan, recently which commits the Asian giant towards extending financial and technical assistance to smaller countries in the region.
The initiative will include setting up a regional monitoring system, assessment and early warning systems and standby arrangements for disaster relief, the kind India has deployed in Nepal.
Source: Times of India
