New Delhi [India] : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday chaired a meeting to review the situation of the ongoing heatwave in the country and the preparedness for the onset of monsoon at his residence in the national capital.
The Prime Minister was briefed that as per IMD forecasts, the heat wave is likely to continue in parts of Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh. This year, the monsoon is likely to be normal and above normal in most parts of the country and below normal in parts of Peninsular India, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) stated.
PM Modi has instructed that proper drills for preventing and handling incidents of fire must be done on a regular basis. Fire audit and electrical safety audit of hospitals and other public places must be undertaken regularly," he instructed. He also said that regular drills for the maintenance of fire lines in forests and productive utilization of biomass must be planned.
The Prime Minister was informed about the usefulness of the "van agni" portal in the timely identification of forest fires and their management. The Principal Secretary to the PM, Cabinet Secretary, Home Secretary, Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences, DG NDRF, and Member Secretary, NDMA along with other senior officials from PMO and concerned Ministries were also present in the meeting.
With scorching heatwaves gripping several parts of the country, at least 56 deaths from heatstroke have been confirmed in multiple states by the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), sources said on Saturday. The Southwest Monsoon hit the coast of Kerala and advanced into parts of northeast India from Thursday, said the Indian Meteorological Department.
This year's Monsoon onset is two days earlier as the usual date of the onset is on June 1. This year, Kerala experienced widespread pre-monsoon rains. In 2023, rainfall over the country as a whole during the monsoon season (June-September), was 94 per cent of its long-period average.
