Mr. Kamal Kishore, an AIT alumnus has been appointed to the National
Disaster Management Agency (NDMA), India’s top disaster body. A Policy
Adviser in Climate Change and Disaster Resilience at the Bureau for
Policy and Programme Support in the United Nations Development Program
(UNDP), Mr. Kamal graduated with a Master’s in Urban Development
Planning and Environment Management from AIT’s School of Environment,
Resources and Development (SERD) in 1996.
"AIT provided me unique opportunities to build my expertise in the
area of Disaster Risk Reduction,” Mr. Kamal Kishore remarked. While the
academic programme (MSc in Urban Development) allowed me flexibility to
focus my research work on disaster issues, my peer group that
constituted early to mid career professionals from over 12 Asian
countries provided me valuable insights on the ground realities in the
region, he added. “The presence of outreach centers enabled me to build
connections with practitioners. There couldn't have been a better
launching pad," Mr. Kamal Kishore added.
NDMA is chaired by the Prime Minister of India, and all four members
of the Agency enjoy the rank of Secretary in the Government of India.
Mr. Kamal Kishore has guided the formulation of post-disaster recovery
frameworks in India, Iran, Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
An architect from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Mr. Kamal
also worked as Information Officer at the Asian Disaster Preparedness
Council (ADPC) as Information Officer, and as Director of Information
Research and Network Support Unit and Programme Manager of Extreme
Climate Events Programme.
The NDMA announcement of Mr. Kamal Kishore also mentions AIT: http://www.ndma.gov.in/en/kamal-kishore.html
His appointment was widely covered in the India media. Links of
prominent media houses featuring his appointment include:
The Times of India
The Hindustan Times
NDTV
Hindu (I)
Hindu (II)
Business Standard