Shimla: Himachal Pradesh is set to bolster its disaster resilience with a landmark partnership with the French Development Agency (AFD).

 A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed today to implement the ambitious Himachal Pradesh-Disaster Risk Reduction and Preparedness Project (HP-DRRRP), aiming to equip the state with robust tools to tackle natural calamities.

With an external funding of 100 million Euros from AFD, the project seeks to enhance disaster risk management (DRM) and climate change adaptation (CCA) at both government and community levels through an integrated, multi-sectoral approach.

The agreement was signed in the presence of Chief Secretary Prabodh Saxena, with Additional Secretary and PMU Project Director Nishant Thakur representing the state government, and Camille Severac, Deputy Director for India, signing on behalf of AFD.

"This flagship initiative of the Himachal Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (HPSDMA) is a major step towards reducing the state's vulnerability to natural disasters," said Saxena.

Also present were Additional Chief Secretary (Revenue) Onkar Chand Sharma and AFD's Resilience and DRR Sector Portfolio Manager Anshula Menon, who highlighted the importance of the collaboration in ensuring sustainable development while mitigating disaster risks.