The Indian government Sunday decided to enact a law on disaster management and install an early warning system to prevent calamities like the Dec. 26 tsunami, according to Indo-Asian News Service.
Though the government said the tsunami disaster was being treated as a national calamity, Indian Defense Minister Pranab Mukherhjee said there was no proposal to scale down the Republic Day function on Jan. 26.
All political parties at the meeting wanted a law on disaster management and an early warning system, Mukherjee said.
The government has agreed to table a bill on disaster management in the next session of parliament, BJP leader Sushma Swaraj told reporters.
"It has also been decided to undertake a massive adoption program to find new homes for the orphaned children," Mukherjee said.
However, the government is yet to complete an assessment of the number of children who lost their parents.
At least 10,012 people were killed and 5,624 are still missing after tidal waves lashed the country's southern coast and island territories Dec. 26.
Other decision taken at the meeting were building houses for fishermen at a safe distance from the shores, initiating adequate measures to provide psychological counseling to tsunami survivors, roping in NGOs in rehabilitation efforts and maintaining the ecological balance.
The defense minister said the government was still of the view that it had the resources to meet the relief efforts, but would be availing loans from the World Bank and Asian Development Bank for development projects in the affected areas.
Over 600,000 people are still housed in relief camps across the affected areas. The government has pledged an immediate assistance to the tsunami-hit states and union territories.
(Xinhua News Agency January 9, 2005)
