India, Oct. 27 -- PK Mishra, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, on Tuesday called for a comprehensive approach to disaster risk reduction, emphasising that the next decade must focus on protecting development and reducing economic losses alongside saving lives.

Addressing a meeting here on disaster risk reduction convened by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) and co-chaired by India and the United Kingdom, Mishra highlighted the growing interconnections among climate change, urbanisation, infrastructure expansion and environmental degradation.

He observed that improvements in early warning, preparedness and emergency response have helped save lives, but economic losses remain high. Mishra called for mo...