What Happened
- The government highlighted key features of the National Disaster Management Plan (NDMP), which was first issued in 2016 and revised in 2019 in consultation with all stakeholders
- The revised NDMP defines the roles and responsibilities of all Central and State level ministries, departments, and district functionaries in disaster risk reduction
- The plan is aligned with four frameworks: the Disaster Management Act, 2005; National Policy on Disaster Management, 2009; the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015–2030); and the PM's Ten Point Agenda on Disaster Risk Reduction
- Equity and social inclusion are recognised as cross-cutting principles; women's leadership in disaster management is emphasised
Static Topic Bridges
Disaster Management Act, 2005 — Institutional Architecture
The Disaster Management Act, 2005 is the primary legislation governing disaster management in India. It establishes a three-tier institutional structure: National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) at the apex, State Disaster Management Authorities (SDMAs) at the state level, and District Disaster Management Authorities (DDMAs) at the district level. The NDMA is chaired by the Prime Minister; SDMAs are chaired by Chief Ministers; DDMAs are chaired by the Collector/District Magistrate.
- NDMA: established under Section 3 of the DM Act; PM as Chairperson; up to 9 members including a Vice-Chairperson; tenure 5 years
- NDMA constituted formally: 27 September 2006 (initially set up by executive order on 30 May 2005)
- National Disaster Response Force (NDRF): established under Section 44 of the DM Act; specialised force for disaster response; currently 16 battalions; headquarters in Delhi
- State Disaster Response Force (SDRF): state-level counterpart; states required to create dedicated SDRF under the Act
- National Executive Committee (NEC): Secretary-level body for coordinating disaster management across central ministries
Connection to this news: The NDMP operates as the operational plan flowing from the DM Act's legal mandate — translating the statutory responsibilities of NDMA, SDMAs, and DDMAs into specific pre-disaster, during-disaster, and post-disaster action protocols.
Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015–2030)
The Sendai Framework was adopted at the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Sendai, Japan, in March 2015. It is a non-binding agreement that succeeded the Hyogo Framework for Action (2005–2015). It has four priorities for action and seven global targets to be achieved by 2030.
- Four Priorities: (1) Understanding disaster risk; (2) Strengthening disaster risk governance; (3) Investing in disaster risk reduction for resilience; (4) Enhancing disaster preparedness for effective response
- Seven Global Targets (to be achieved by 2030): reduce mortality, reduce people affected, reduce economic losses, reduce damage to critical infrastructure, increase national and local strategies, enhance international cooperation, and increase early warning systems
- India co-hosted the Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (AMCDRR) in 2016 where the PM's Ten Point Agenda was presented
- India's national DRR strategy aligned with Sendai; NDMP 2019 revision mainstreamed Sendai targets into sectoral planning
Connection to this news: India's NDMP 2019 revision explicitly aligns the national plan with Sendai Framework's four priorities — making India one of the first countries to translate the global framework into a comprehensive national action plan.
PM's Ten Point Agenda on Disaster Risk Reduction
At the 2016 Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction held in New Delhi, the Prime Minister presented a Ten Point Agenda for disaster risk reduction. This agenda set India's leadership position on global DRR and is incorporated into the NDMP as a guiding framework.
- Key points of the Ten Point Agenda: (1) All development sectors must imbibe the principle of DRR; (2) Work towards risk coverage for all; (3) Encourage greater participation of women in disaster risk management; (4) Invest in risk mapping; (5) Leverage technology; (6) Develop university networks; (7) Use social media and mobile technology; (8) Build local capacity; (9) Learn from each disaster; (10) Bring DRR to every household
- India maintains a National Disaster Risk Index and State Disaster Management Plans
- Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI): launched at the UN Climate Action Summit, September 2019, by India; now has 40+ member countries; focuses on infrastructure resilience
Connection to this news: The Ten Point Agenda elevates DRR from a reactive emergency response function to a proactive development governance principle — the NDMP 2019 embeds this across all ministries' development planning cycles.
Key Facts & Data
- NDMP first issued: 2016; revised: 2019
- Disaster Management Act, 2005: enacted 23 December 2005; NDMA constituted: 27 September 2006
- NDMA: PM as Chairperson; up to 9 members; tenure 5 years
- NDRF: 16 battalions; established under DM Act Section 44
- Sendai Framework: adopted March 2015 (Sendai, Japan); 2015–2030; succeeded Hyogo Framework (2005–2015)
- PM's Ten Point Agenda: presented at AMCDRR, New Delhi, 2016
- CDRI launched: September 2019 by India at UN Climate Action Summit; 40+ member countries