Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was full of praise for Bangladesh’s community-based cyclone preparedness programme, describing it as ‘a global best  practice’. “The government of Bangladesh launched a large community-based cyclone preparedness programme. It led to a significant reduction in loss of lives from cyclones,” he said in his inaugural speech at the Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi yesterday, according to a press release forwarded by the Bangladesh High Commission in the Indian capital. “It is now recognised as a global best practice,” said the Indian Prime Minister. Ministers, officials and environmental activists from more than 60 countries are taking part in the three-day conference. A Bangladesh delegation led by Disaster Management and Relief Minister Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya is also taking part in the conference.
In his speech Maya said Bangladesh has an efficient early-warning  system and has ‘established a model example before the world communities in disaster risk management’. “We are now able to respond quickly by strengthening preparedness  mechanisms and creating stock of relief materials at even local level,” he said.