Dehradun, July 30 -- The Indian Army and the Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority (USDMA) on Wednesday held a meeting to discuss means to improve coordination to ensure faster and more effective relief operations during natural disasters, officials said. The meeting between senior representives of both parties was held at the Uttarakhand Sub Area headquarters to discuss a joint strategy to respond to various disaster situations, including those that arose during monsoon. The discussions focused on ensuring a rapid response during the crucial "golden hour" after a disaster, optimal utilisation of resources and strengthening coordination State disaster management and rehabilitation secretary Vinod Kumar Suman said the Indian Army was a consistently reliable partner in Uttarakhand. "Whenever a major disaster situation has arisen in the state, the Army has played a pivotal role in relief and rescue operations with sensitivity, promptness and professional competence," he said. Suman requested the Army to upload details of equipment, machinery and other resources that could be used for relief operations on the India Disaster Resource Network (IDRN) portal. Speaking to reporters, he said the state government and USDMA were committed to establishing stronger coordination mechanisms with the Army and would provide all possible departmental support on disaster management issues. Detailed discussions were also held on the Army's participation in Quick Response Teams (QRTs) formed in various districts of the state. Officials also deliberated on ways to utilise the ex-servicemen to strengthen the state's disaster management and emergency response system....