Guwahati : The Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), in partnership with the Department of School Education and UNICEF Assam, inaugurated the Great Assam School Shakeout Programme (GASSP) in Guwahati on International ShakeOut Day. The initiative represents a major stride towards embedding school safety and disaster preparedness across the State, in line with the National School Safety Policy (NDMA, 2016) and the Assam DRR Roadmap 2030.
The second phase of the two-day State-Level Training of Trainers on Social and Behaviour Change for DRR commenced alongside the GASSP launch. Participants included Field Officers from 16 districts and Project Officers (DMs) from 16 government departments.
The event was inaugurated by Shri Keshab Mahanta, Minister for Revenue and Disaster Management, Government of Assam, who stressed the significance of fostering a culture of safety among students and educators. He recalled the earthquakes of 1897 and 1950, noting that a similar event today would cause severe devastation. The campaign aims to raise awareness among students, empowering them as messengers of safety within their communities.
In her welcome remarks, Smt. Meenakshi Das Nath, ACS, Secretary, Revenue & DM Department and Additional CEO, ASDMA, highlighted the government’s commitment to creating safe learning environments through disaster risk reduction in education.
Special addresses were given by Smti. Anuja Bhuyan, ACS, Joint Secretary, Department of School Education, who underscored the need to instil and sustain a culture of safety through collaboration, and Dr. Madhulika Jonathan, Chief of Field Office, UNICEF Assam & Northeast, who reaffirmed UNICEF’s ongoing partnership with ASDMA to advance child-centred resilience and behavioural change.
During the launch, animated videos on disaster preparedness and IEC booklets on earthquake and fire safety were released, and volunteer kits were distributed to DDMA representatives for field-level implementation of GASSP on 29 October 2025.
Under GASSP, 1,936 schools across 35 districts, involving over seven lakh students, will carry out earthquake and fire evacuation drills on 29 October 2025, commemorating the Great Assam Earthquake of 1950 and International ShakeOut Day. The exercises will be organised by DDMAs with support from School Disaster Management Committees, Focal Point Teachers, and volunteers from Aapda Mitra, CQRT, DDRF, Civil Defence, and the Red Cross.