New Delhi, June 29 (Bureau) Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday welcomed the second mountaineering expedition ‘Vijay’ of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) here and said that such strenuous operations and habit of conquest by jawans, makes both the individual and the force great. The team comprising 35 personnel had successfully climbed the 21,625 feet high Mount Manirang in Himachal Pradesh, an official statement said. He said that such arduous campaigns inculcate the habit of accomplishing goals, conquering and overcoming unimaginable difficulties to reach the goal. It is the habit of victory that makes a person and force great and is the biggest source of walking on the right path in a person’s life, becoming victorious and increasing confidence. Shah said that some jawans have achieved success in this operation today, but in the true sense, this success belongs to the entire NDRF.
These jawans have not only conquered the heights of Mount Manirang but have worked to boost the morale of the entire force. He said that mountaineering is not just a skill but an art of living and mastering this art forms an education for the whole life. Shah said that the unfurling of the Tricolour at a height of more than 21,600 feet by these jawans has been a matter of great achievement for the entire force. “If we have to reach the pinnacle of success, then we have to pursue a consistent goal throughout life, only then success is achieved,” Shah said.. Hailing the NDRRF Shah said that at one time, the approach to disaster in India was only relief-centric, but under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a zero casualty approach is being adopted for disaster management, not a relief-centric approach. Shah added that in the last 10 years, the best practices from around the world have been put in place in India to deal with disasters. The work of creating a winning alliance of NDRF and NDMA through training, raising the morale of the force, forming the force, providing adequate numbers of the force, ensuring the availability of personnel everywhere in such a large country and advance information for disaster assessment has been done.
“Just as our 35 jawans have aligned themselves with the goal with moment-to-moment awareness to achieve success in this mountaineering expedition, our force must align itself with the goal of zero casualty,” the Home Minister said. Urging the force to move towards zero casualty goal, Shah said, “In the future, due to climate change, dangers like avalanches, landslides, floods and storms are going to increase everywhere and keeping this in mind, we should move firmly towards the goal of Zero Casualty by resorting to science”. Shah said that the Modi government has left no stone unturned and never looked at the budget for the development of the NDRF, training and providing modern resources to the force. The Home Minister also witnessed photo and disaster management equipment gallery. The exhibition showcased the state-of-the-art equipment and technologies used by NDRF rescuers during operation.