Amit Shah to Chair Meeting with State and UT Ministers: India’s Disaster Management Strategy

New Delhi (June 6, 2023): Union Home Minister Amit Shah will chair a meeting with ministers of Disaster Management of the states and Union Territories (UTs) on Tuesday. The day-long meeting will also be attended by Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla along with senior officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).

The meeting is expected to discuss the current status and future prospects of disaster management in India, with a focus on preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery. The meeting will also review the implementation of various schemes and initiatives of the MHA, NDMA, and NDRF related to disaster management.

India faces multiple disasters and challenges every year

India is one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world, facing various natural and man-made hazards such as floods, cyclones, earthquakes, landslides, droughts, forest fires, industrial accidents, terrorist attacks, and pandemics. According to the MHA’s annual report for 2020-21, India witnessed 321 major natural disasters during 2015-20, affecting over 1.5 billion people and causing over 10,000 deaths.

In addition to these disasters, India also faces several emerging challenges such as climate change, urbanization, population growth, environmental degradation, and cyber threats that pose significant risks to its development and security. These challenges require a holistic and integrated approach towards disaster management that involves all stakeholders at different levels.

The meeting is part of PM Modi’s vision for disaster management

The meeting is learned to be part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s holistic vision towards disaster management that aims to make it relief-centric, early warning-centric, proactive, and early preparedness-based. The Prime Minister has emphasized the need to adopt a multi-dimensional strategy for disaster management that includes prevention, protection, mitigation, response, and resilience.

The Prime Minister has also stressed the importance of enhancing the capacity and capability of the states and UTs in disaster management through effective coordination, cooperation, and collaboration with the central government and its agencies. He has also urged the states and UTs to adopt best practices and innovations from within the country and abroad in disaster management.

The meeting will showcase the achievements and challenges of disaster management in India

The meeting will provide an opportunity for the state and UT ministers to share their experiences, achievements, and challenges in disaster management with the Home Minister and other central officials. The meeting will also highlight the achievements and challenges of the MHA, NDMA, and NDRF in disaster management during 2020-21.

Some of the notable achievements of these agencies include:

• Providing timely assistance and relief to the states and UTs affected by various disasters such as cyclones Amphan, Nisarga, Nivar, and Tauktae; floods in Assam, Bihar, Kerala, and Karnataka; earthquakes in Gujarat and Mizoram; landslides in Uttarakhand; forest fires in Uttarakhand and Odisha; locust invasion in Rajasthan; a gas leak in Visakhapatnam; train accident in Aurangabad; glacier burst in Chamoli; boat capsizing in Bihar; building collapse in Maharashtra; fire incidents in Delhi, Gujarat, and Telangana; among others.
• Coordinating and facilitating the COVID-19 response activities such as lockdown enforcement, migrant movement management, quarantine facility management, contact tracing, testing, vaccination, oxygen supply management, etc.
• Conducting various capacity-building programs for disaster management such as training courses, workshops, webinars, mock drills, etc. for various stakeholders such as state/UT officials, district officials, urban local bodies, Panchayati raj institutions, civil society organizations, media persons, etc.
• Developing various guidelines, manuals, standard operating procedures (SOPs), action plans, etc. for disaster management such as National Disaster Management Plan (NDMP), National Disaster Response Plan (NDRP), National Guidelines on COVID-19 Management (NGCM), SOPs on COVID-19 Vaccination (SOPCV), Action Plan on Chemical Disasters (APCD), etc.
• Implementing various projects and schemes for disaster management such as National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project (NCRMP), National Earthquake Risk Mitigation Project (NERMP), National Landslide Risk Management Project (NLRMP), National School Safety Programme (NSSP), National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF), State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), etc.
• Enhancing the technological and operational capabilities of the NDRF such as acquiring new equipment, vehicles, boats, aircraft, drones, etc.; establishing new battalions, regional response centers, training centers, etc.; deploying NDRF teams for international missions such as Beirut blast, Mozambique cyclone, etc.

Some of the challenges faced by these agencies include:

• Lack of adequate funds, resources, and manpower for disaster management at various levels.
• Lack of awareness, preparedness, and compliance among the public and private sectors for disaster management.
• Lack of coordination, cooperation, and communication among various stakeholders for disaster management.
• Lack of data, information, and knowledge management for disaster management.
• Lack of research, innovation, and technology development for disaster management.

The meeting is expected to address these challenges and suggest ways to overcome them in the future.

The meeting will set the agenda for disaster management for the next five years

The meeting will also set the agenda and targets for disaster management for the next five years till 2028. The MHA has fixed targets for every five years and every year till 2047, for which it is working with full readiness. Some of the targets for 2028 include:

• Reducing the mortality and economic losses due to disasters by 50%.
• Enhancing the resilience and adaptive capacity of the states and UTs to climate change impacts by 50%.
• Increasing the coverage and quality of early warning systems for disasters by 100%.
• Increasing the coverage and quality of disaster risk reduction (DRR) education and awareness by 100%.
• Increasing the coverage and quality of disaster risk assessment and mapping by 100%.
• Increasing the coverage and quality of disaster risk insurance and financing by 100%.
• Increasing the coverage and quality of disaster-resilient infrastructure and services by 100%.
• Increasing the coverage and quality of disaster response and recovery systems by 100%.

The meeting will also review the progress made towards achieving these targets and identify the gaps and challenges in doing so.

The meeting is expected to be a milestone in India’s journey towards becoming a disaster-resilient nation. It will also showcase India’s commitment and leadership in disaster management at the global level. 

Photo Source- ANI