Painting competition for school kids on disaster management
A national-level painting competition for school children will be held next month during the Asian Ministerial Conference for Disaster Risk Reduction (AMCDRR) 2016 to make them aware about natural and man-made calamities.

This competition will be based on themes related to disaster risk reduction and aims to make children aware of its need and importance. It also aims at bringing to the fore their understanding of risks and ways to address them.

The conference is being organised from November 3-5 here by the Central government in collaboration with the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR), an official statement said.

Children are a nation''s future, and they need to be exposed to notions of safety from all kinds of hazards - small everyday hazards to major natural hazards like floods and earthquakes - early in their lives to ensure their holistic growth.

Children''s participation would also lead to a greater involvement of their parents and society resulting in better prepared communities, the statement said.

The State Disaster Management Authorities (SDMAs) will organise the first level of the competition. Each participating state will send its three best participants for the national level competition.

At the national level competition, a jury will select three winners who will be rewarded cash prizes, a certificate of recognition and a memento. Three consolation prizes will also be awarded.

AMCDRR will set the direction of implementation and monitoring of Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR) in the region.

The Framework was adopted by 187 countries, including India, at the 3rd UN World Conference on DRR in March 2015.

It recognises children as agents of change and advocates that they should be given the space and modalities to contribute to DRR, the statement said.