Media role in disaster management praised
By: Obaid Abrar Khan
ISLAMABAD: National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and Jang Group on Wednesday arranged first NDMA Media Awards at National Press Club to commemorate the hard work done by the media community during Floods-2011.
Federal Minister for Information and Broadcast Qamar Zaman Kaira was the chief guest on the occasion. Other guests included Syed Muhammad Ali Gardezi, Secretary Ministry of Climate Change, Dr Zafar Iqbal Qadir Chairman NDMA and Shahryar Khan Secretary National Press Club
Federal Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira distributed awards among the best performers in disaster reporting and coverage during the Floods-2011.Dr. Zafar Iqbal Qadir said that NDMA has always taken media along in every aspect of the disaster management. The NDMA believes in transparency and media is the best tool, he said.
He further averred that the NDMA will continue this noble and encouraging cause and will look forward to collaborate and contribute with the media. He said that it was the media that went the extra mile and brought the truth to the nation.
He said the NDMA has taken a long road to strengthen its infrastructure. Now the disaster management has grown its roots to the district level. The disaster response force is now efficient than ever.
He also credited the government for fortifying NDMA’s response and mitigation structure. He said the NDMA has taken a number of steps to shift its paradigm from disaster response to preparedness and mitigation and it has been apparent.
He also thanked Sarmad Sufyan, Director Jang Group for taking his precious time to bring this idea to reality. He also thanked Jang Group for partnering with the NDMA in this noble cause. The chairman then distributed certificates of excellence to media personnel for their tireless efforts during the floods in 2011.
Syed Muhammad Ali Gardezi, Secretary, Ministry of Climate Change, said the NDMA will continue its support and help to the nation in national catastrophes. He said that increase in disaster response forces in all districts will certainly encourage the mitigation and response efforts. Over the years, NDMA has become a strong institution.
However, the media’s collaboration is very crucial in disaster response. Efforts of the government can strengthen the institution but the help of active media is necessary to boost the efficacy of relief and preparedness operations.
Shahryar Khan, Secretary Press Club opened the ceremony officially. He offered his gratitude to NDMA and Jang Group for arranging such an auspicious event to encourage media community’s diligence in the matter. He also appreciated NDMA’s transparent approach to every aspect of the operations; the media awards were a clear example. He further stated that National Press Club is honored to scrutinize the media nominees.
Following are the media persons who received awards from NDMA were Tahir Khalil, Obaid Abrar Khan, Zarqoon Shah, Ameen Ahmed, Zahid Gishkori, Munir Ahmed, Asma Razaq, Essa Khokhar, Ibrahim Surangi and Saqib Mahdi.
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