Telangana State seeks calamity tag for heat wave

​New Delhi: Deputy Chief Minister of Telangana, Mahmood Ali, here on Thursday urged the Centre to include heat wave conditions in the list of natural disasters to be tackled on a war footing by the governments. After attending the Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (AMCDRR) 2016, here on Thursday, Mahmood Ali, told media that heat waves were claiming many lives every year in Telangana.

“Several districts would come under intense heat wave conditions every year and this was leading to death by dozens. The Centre should include such conditions too in the natural disasters list and extend help to the States in combating the same and for extending help to people. Ways to counter heat wave conditions must also be devised,” he said.

The Deputy Chief Minister said he had explained to the gathering how the State government effectively handled the recent floods in the State through a coordinated work. He urged the Prime Minister Narendra Modi to get disaster management courses included in college syllabus in the country to provide way for specialised research in the field.

Mahmood Ali said he had later met Union Minister for Minorities Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, and sought additional funds for the welfare of minorities. He said the State government had already established 71 residential schools for minorities and had plans to start more. He invited the Union Minister to visit the State for a first-hand knowledge of the good work being done by the State government.