Lok Sabha Question No. 2068 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-11-29
Subject: International Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Sunil Dattatray Tatkare, Supriya Sadanand Sule, Amol Ramsing Kolhe, A.K.P. Chinraj, Subhash Ramrao Bhamre, Kuldeep Rai Sharma

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2068

TO BE ANSWERED ON 29.11.2019

## International Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure

## 2068.  SHRI SUNIL DATTATRAY TATKARE:

SHRIMATI SUPRIYA SULE:

DR. AMOL RAMSING KOLHE:

SHRI A.K.P. CHINRAJ:

DR. SUBHASH RAMRAO BHAMRE:

SHRI KULDEEP RAI SHARMA:

Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Government  has  established  an  International  Coalition  for  Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI);
- (b) if so, the details and the objectives thereof;
- (c) the  amount  that  India  has  pledged  to  CDRI  to  help  fund  technical  assistance  and research projects;
- (d) whether India has been able to garner support of other countries to design and build infrastructure projects that can withstand the impact of natural disasters and climate change, if so, the details thereof and the benefit that India will derive from the same; and
- (e) the other steps taken by the Government to combat the effects of climate change and related disasters?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI BABUL SUPRIYO)

(a) to (c)

The Government of India has approved the establishment of an International Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) at an outlay of Rs. 480 crore (approx. USD 70 million)  for  a  corpus  required  to  fund  technical  assistance  and  research  projects  on  an ongoing basis over a period of 5 years from 2019-20 to 2023-24. The coalition envisages 3 tiered structures viz Governing Council (GC), Executive Committee (EC) and a Secretariat of the Society. The objectives of CDRI are as follows:

- (i)      The  CDRI  is  to  serve  as  a  platform  where  knowledge  is  generated  and  exchanged on different aspects of disaster and climate resilience of infrastructure.
- (ii)    To bring together technical expertise from a multitude of stakeholders. In doing so, it is to  create  a  mechanism  to  assist  countries  to  upgrade  their  capacities  and  practices,  with

regard  to  infrastructure  development  in  accordance  with  their  risk  context  and  economic needs.

(iii) The work of CDRI is to focus on relevant thematic areas including the four major themes of  a)  Risk  Assessment  for  key  infrastructure  sectors  at  multiple  scales;  b)  Standards, regulation  and  mechanisms  for  enforcement;  c)  Role  of  finance  in  promoting  disaster resilience; and d) Predictable mechanisms for supporting disaster recovery in key infrastructure sectors.

(iv)  Gaps  in  knowledge  and  practice  in  the  above  thematic  areas  act  as  barriers  to  the development  of  resilient  infrastructure.  This  coalition  is  to  provide  a  platform/forum  for countries  at  all  stages  of  development  to  access  knowledge  and  resources  from  other members and to contribute to the resilience of each other's infrastructure.

(d) The charter of CDRI has been shared with 38 countries including G 20 and non-G 20 nations.  So  far  nine  countries  viz.  Afghanistan,  Australia,  Bhutan,  Fiji,  Italy,  Mauritius, Mongolia, Sri Lanka and United Kingdom have conveyed their willingness to join the CDRI in writing. The coalition is to - i). Provide a platform for India to emerge as a global leader on climate Action and Disaster Resilience:

ii).  Complement the International Solar Alliance (ISA) and address adaptation and disaster resilience.

iii). Facilitate India's support to resilient infrastructure in Africa, SIDS and Asia.

iv). Provide access to knowledge, technology and capacity development for infra developers.

v).  Create  opportunities  for  Indian  infrastructure  &  technology  firms  to  expand  services abroad.

(e) National Disaster Management Authority has released guidelines for management of disaster risks for various disasters including likely to be exacerbated due to climate change. The guidelines, inter-alia, contain roles and responsibilities of various stakeholders to manage disaster  risks  from  these  disasters.  The  recent  revised  National  Disaster  Management  Plan (2019)  considers  the  linkage  between  climate  change  in  increasing  disasters  and  aims  to integrate disaster risk reduction with climate change adaptation and mitigation.

The Government is implementing National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) which comprises eight missions in specific areas of solar energy, energy efficiency, water, agriculture, Himalayan ecosystem, sustainable habitat, green India and strategic knowledge on climate change. NAPCC provides an overarching framework for all climate actions. Thirty three  States/Union  Territories  (UTs)  have  prepared  their  State  Action  Plan  on  Climate Change  in  line  with  NAPCC  taking  into  account  State's/UT's  specific  issues  relating  to climate change.

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