Shimla, July 4 -- Himachal Pradesh chief secretary Kamlesh Kumar Pant on Friday stressed on strengthening the institutional mechanisms, community participation and technological interventions to build a disaster-resilient Himachal Pradesh. He was presiding over the post disaster review seminar organised by the National Disaster Management Authority and the Himachal Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority. Highlighting the importance of community-based disaster management, Pant said that local communities are always the first responders during any disaster. Therefore, empowering citizens through awareness programmes, capacity-building initiatives and volunteer networks is essential for creating resilient communities. He laid special emphasis on the Aapda Rakshak Yojana, stating that the initiative aims to develop a trained cadre of community volunteers capable of providing immediate assistance during emergencies until professional response teams reach the affected areas. Meanwhile, Himachal Pradesh education minister Rohit Thakur on Friday said, "The experiences of 2023 and 2025 have taught us valuable lessons. Based on those experiences, detailed guidelines have been issued to district administrations and the education department so that preventive measures are taken well in advance and risks to students and school infrastructure are minimised," Thakur said....