The United states Agency for International Development on Friday praised Indian initiatives in disaster preparedness saying that the country was capable of becoming a leader in disaster response in the region.
"With the successful implementation of initiatives in disaster preparedness and mitigation, I am confident that India will soon become a leader in disaster response in the region," USAID India Mission Director George Deikun said.
His comments came as seismic experts and engineers from the US and India met in New Delhi for five days to review progress on the Indian Earthquake Safety Initiative, a model programme for seismic evaluation and retrofitting critical lifeline buildings in Delhi.
The programme is supported by USAID and the Union Home Ministry and has five buildings - the Delhi Secretariat, the Delhi Police Headquarters, the Guru Tegh Bahadur Hospital, the Ludlow Castle School and the Divisional Commissioner Office - under its review.
"I hope that this effort will make the city of Delhi a safer place to live," Deikun said as he congratulated the experts on their accomplishments over the past seven months.
Experts are finding feasible solutions for making the Delhi buildings more resistant to earthquakes.