The Indian Red Cross Society (IRCS) has launched a Postgraduate Diploma (PGD) in Disaster Prepare-dness and
Rehabilitation
programme in affiliation with the Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha Unive-rsity (GGSIPU). Inaugurating the programme, Anbumani Ramadoss, chairman, IRCS and Union minister for health and family welfare, said that IRCS has been active in responding to disasters and has developed technical and practical expertise in the field of disaster
management. He announced that the ministry would recommend an increment for officials enrolling for the course. Around 30 candidates have been selected for the first batch including doctors, engineers and even Supreme Court judges. Speaking about the programme, K K Aggarwal, vice chancellor, GGSIPU, remarked, ' Disaster management has to be treated as a subject in itself and adopting adhoc methods will not enable us to deal with the adversities in a proper manner. The new PGD programme in Disaster Preparedness and
Rehabilitation will cover different areas of disaster management including awareness, preparation, mitigation, management, rehabilitation and so on.' The one-year programme will be taught on a part-time basis. Education will be imparted through lectures, demonstrations and field visits to disaster-affected areas. "The topics for the programme include - different types of disasters, how to prepare for it, how to assess a disaster and risk, the various agencies involved in disaster management, logistics and insurance, among others," informed Jayalakshmi, additional course director, IRCS.