Indian experiences and initiatives

India is a large country and has had more than its share of major natural hazards like drought, floods, earthquakes and cyclones throughout its history of civilization. The ten years period of the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (IDNDR), therefore, came as a good opportunity for the country to look back at what had been done in the past, take new initiatives during the Decade, and plan ahead for reducing the impact of the natural hazards on its people, settlements and economic development. Various initiatives are being taken by the Government of India with active and ongoing collaboration of leading research institutions, autonomous bodies, universities, policy analysis agencies, non-governmental organizations, bilateral aid agencies, multilateral financial institution, and most importantly the community based organizations.