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 thenumber 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 beavailing 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 theaffected
areas. The government has pledged an immediate assistance to the tsunami-hit
states and union territories.