The Chief Minister's Office of Odisha on 9 July 2026 highlighted the state's growing international stature in disaster risk reduction, noting that Puri successfully hosted a meeting of the BRICS Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group — an occasion that placed Odisha's preparedness model before a global audience.

Context

The CMO's post stated that 'Odisha's proven leadership in disaster management is earning global recognition,' pointing to the BRICS DRR Working Group meeting in Puri as evidence of that recognition. The coastal town, situated in a district long exposed to Bay of Bengal weather systems, served as the venue where the state's experience in evacuation, shelter management and inter-departmental coordination was presented to member-nation delegates.

The announcement was made under the campaign hashtags #2YearsofLokankaSarakar and #BikasharaDharaOdishaSara, framing the international engagement as part of the current government's two-year record in office.

Policy Backdrop

Odisha's reputation in disaster management traces back to the catastrophic 1999 super cyclone, which prompted the state to establish the Odisha State Disaster Management Authority and build a network of multi-purpose cyclone shelters along its coastline. The institutional framework developed over the following two decades became the operational backbone for large-scale evacuations.

The most internationally cited demonstration of that model came during Cyclone Fani in May 2019, when authorities evacuated approximately 1.2 million people in under 48 hours, keeping the death toll to under 90 — a figure that drew commendation from the United Nations and the World Bank as a benchmark for cyclone-prone regions globally. That record has since made Odisha a reference point in multilateral discussions on climate-resilient disaster governance.

BRICS — the grouping of major emerging economies — maintains thematic working groups on disaster risk reduction as part of its broader cooperation architecture, providing a platform for member states to exchange operational lessons and align preparedness standards.

Stakeholders and Impact

For Odisha's coastal communities, who face recurring threats from Bay of Bengal cyclones and seasonal flooding, international validation of the state's systems can translate into greater resource flows, technical partnerships and best-practice adoption. The state's model — combining early-warning dissemination, community-level drills and coordinated shelter logistics — is increasingly being studied by other Indian states and developing nations.

At the national level, India has consistently used platforms such as BRICS and the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure to project its disaster management capabilities as a form of development diplomacy. Odisha's hosting of the BRICS DRR Working Group meeting aligns with that broader strategic posture, positioning a state-level institution as a credible interlocutor in multilateral risk-reduction dialogues.

What's Next

Attention will now turn to any working-group recommendations or joint statements emerging from the Puri meeting and whether they feed into India's national disaster management plan or influence BRICS-level protocols on early warning and evacuation. Odisha is also expected to continue leveraging its track record to attract technical cooperation and funding from multilateral bodies focused on climate adaptation. The government's framing of this event within its two-year governance milestone suggests the international engagement will remain a prominent plank of its public communication going forward.