Amit Shah said India is now a global leader in disaster management due to NDMA, NDRF.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday said India has become a global leader in the field of disaster management due to the excellent works carried out by the NDMA, NDRF and others.
Addressing a conference of the relief commissioners and disaster response forces of all states and Union Territories (UTs) here, Shah also said 10 years ago, the approach of the disaster mitigation organisations was for minimum casualties and after 10 years, the approach is to achieve the target of zero casualties.
“Whenever the history of India’s disaster response will be written, the last 10 years of the Modi government will be recorded as a transformative decade. In these 10 years, we have made significant achievements in all four areas — capacity, efficiency, speed and accuracy,” he said.
The home minister said the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has effectively carried out policy, subject structure, research work, dissemination of various exercises to the public, development of several applications, and overall coordination and policy-related work.
In the last 10 years, NDMA, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) have strongly positioned India to become a global leader in the field of disaster management, he said.
Shah said in the last two years, work has been done to create a platform of ideas with a whole-of-government approach by bringing together workshops and meetings of all the agencies related to relief and disaster management.
“When the heads of all the disaster relief teams discuss on a single platform, many shortcomings are removed and the country also benefits in being prepared to deal with a disaster,” he said.
The home minister also suggested that every year, some districts and tehsils sensitive to disasters should be included in this conference so that the disaster management being considered at the national level gradually reaches the tehsil and district levels as well.
All relief commissioners should prepare a district disaster management plan for every district in their state within 90 days, he said.
He also praised the role of NDMA, saying it has effectively carried out policy, subject structure, research work, dissemination of various exercises to the public, development of several applications and overall coordination and policy-related work.
Shah said the NDRF has earned nationwide recognition, built a strong reputation and gained respect while the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) has also played a significant role in this structure.
He said due to climate change and global warming, the entire world is grappling with disasters and there is a need to move forward with environmental conservation as a core component.
“In the coming days, while everyone is fully prepared to tackle disasters, there is also need to address their root causes,” he said.
“Not only has our capacity to handle disasters been increased but it has also been enhanced and extended to the tehsil level. Attention has been given to speed, as saving lives during a disaster is of utmost importance,” he said.
The home minister said efficiency has been improved through the use of cutting-edge technology and the dedicated approach of disaster response forces.
Additionally, by providing accurate forecasting and early warnings, society has been made aware and successfully engaged in relief and rescue operations, he said.
Shah said during the Modi government’s tenure, there has been a significant shift in the approach related to disaster management.
Earlier, the approach was relief-centric, but now, the goal of “zero casualty” has been successfully achieved and the focus has shifted from relief-centric to a comprehensive and integrated approach, he said.
He emphasised the importance of anticipating future disasters, conducting advanced research, compiling global ideas in this field and adapting them to suit India’s geographical conditions.
The home minister said in the last decade, India has made significant efforts for financial empowerment and greatly increased the government’s budget.
“We have also pursued institutional empowerment deliberately and by design, along with structural empowerment. Combining all these, we have also adopted a multidimensional approach as a policy,” he said.
Shah said from 2004 to 2014, the budget of the SDRF was Rs 38,000 crore, which increased to Rs 1.44 lakh crore from 2014 to 2024. Similarly, the budget of the NDRF was Rs 28,000 crore from 2004 to 2014, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi increased to Rs 84,000 crore.
“Overall, we have nearly tripled the total budget from Rs 66,000 crore to Rs 2 lakh crore,” he said.
