Odisha government to rejig OSDMA 25 years after the 1999 super cyclone

25 years after the agency was set up after the 1999 super cyclone that killed more than 10,000 people, the state government has announced a significant restructuring of Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA) to shift its focus from preparedness and disaster response to risk reduction and resilience. 

The Revenue and Disaster Management Department issued a formal notification in this regard.

In the light of changing landscapes, it has become crucial to strengthen the organisational structure of OSDMA (Odisha State Disaster Management Authority) in line with national frameworks and guidelines and build its own capacity with a view to move from mitigation, preparedness, response and reconstruction to disaster risk reduction and resilience in a holistic manner,” the notification read.

As per the notification, OSDMA will now have four division-general, capacity building, project & technology, and a finance division with each division headed by an executive director.

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The executive director (general) and executive director (capacity building) will be in the rank of IAS or OAS. The executive director (projects & technology) will be from the engineering departments of the government of Odisha or on deputation from the Telecom department, Government of India.

The executive director (finance) will be in the rank of OFS (SS/SAG) to be sourced from the Government on deputation. In case of OFS (SG) cadre officer is posted, he/she will be designated as chief general manager (F&A).

Out of the total 102 staff positions of OSDMA, 10 posts have been abolished and 37 posts have been created.

Worth mentioning, Odisha was India’s first state to set up a disaster management authority after the 1999 super cyclone. Indeed, it was set up six years before the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) was established, in 2005, following the Indian Ocean tsunami that killed over 25,000 people.