Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government on Monday reviewed its disaster preparedness at the State Level Natural Disaster Committee Meeting-2026 (SLNCC) held at Lok Seva Bhawan Convention Centre, with Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi reaffirming the state’s commitment to strengthening its “zero casualty” approach to natural calamities.
Chairing the high-level meeting, the Chief Minister said Odisha has developed a “foolproof” disaster management system over the years and stressed the need to maintain and further strengthen it to effectively respond to emerging climate-related challenges.
The meeting, attended by Deputy Chief Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo and Revenue & Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari, focused on improving inter-departmental coordination under a “Whole of Government” approach for better preparedness and response.
Considering the possibility of below-normal rainfall due to the El Niño effect, the Chief Minister directed the Agriculture, Irrigation and allied departments to prepare a coordinated contingency plan to safeguard the Kharif crop. He also instructed officials to closely monitor rainfall patterns, reservoir levels, crop planning and the availability of seeds and fertilizers.
In view of concerns over a possible global fertilizer shortage due to geopolitical tensions, district collectors were asked to closely monitor the supply and distribution of urea and complex fertilizers and ensure adequate availability of nano urea where required. The government has also constituted monitoring committees at the panchayat level to prevent black marketing of fertilizers.
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