Disaster Mitigation Projects in India

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Context: The Union Home Minister Amit Shah led a committee convened to review disaster mitigation projects.

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The committee sanctioned several projects aimed at mitigating and preventing natural disasters including urban flooding and glacial lake outbursts.
Funding Approval: A total of nine proposals were sanctioned, drawing funds from both the National Disaster Mitigation Fund (NDMF) and the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF).
- During the current financial year, ₹6348 crore was released to 14 states under the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF).
- Additionally, ₹672 crore was released to six states under the State Disaster Mitigation Fund (SDMF), and ₹4265 crore to 10 states under NDRF.
Urban Flood Management: Projects approved for urban flood management in six cities (Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, and Pune) across Telangana, Gujarat, Karnataka, West Bengal, and Maharashtra.
- The total allocation for these projects is ₹2514.36 crore.
Expansion and Modernization of Fire Services: Three project proposals were sanctioned for Assam, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu.
- The total budget for these initiatives is ₹810.64 crore.
Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) Mitigation: A project aimed at mitigating GLOF risks in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh was approved with a budget of ₹150 crore.
Yuva Aapda Mitra Scheme (YAMS):
- The scheme received approval for a budget of ₹470.50 crore from NDRF.
- It aims to train 1300 Aapda Mitra Volunteers as Master Trainers and 2.37 lakh volunteers in 315 disaster-prone districts. These volunteers are from organisations like NCC, NSS, NYKS, and BS&G.
Previous Approvals and Allocations:
- In November 2023, an integrated solution for flood management in Chennai was approved at ₹561.29 crore.
- Overall, ₹5000 crore has been allocated under NDRF, with ₹1691.43 crore already approved for 11 states.

What is Disaster Management?

Disaster management refers to the systematic approach of planning, organising, coordinating, and implementing measures to prevent, prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters.
It involves a range of activities and strategies aimed at reducing the impact of disasters on human lives, infrastructure, and the environment.
It includes the sum total of all activities, and measures which can be taken up before, during and after a disaster. A typical disaster management continuum consists of:
- A pre-disaster Risk Management Phase: This includes prevention, mitigation and preparedness.
- Post-disaster Crisis Management Phase: This includes relief, response, rehabilitation, reconstruction and recovery.

Disaster Management in India

The Government of India enacted the Disaster Management (DM) Act, of 2005, which envisaged the creation of a three-tier structure comprising the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), State Disaster Management Authorities (SDMAs) and District Disaster Management Authorities (DDMAs).

Level	Details
Institutional framework at the National Level	Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA): At the national level, overall coordination of disaster management vests with the MHA. It coordinates with disaster-affected states, line ministries, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM), Home Guards and Civil Defence, and Armed Forces etc. National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA): It is the apex body for disaster management, constituted under the DM Act, 2005 and headed by the Prime Minister of India. It is responsible for laying down the policies, plans, and guidelines for disaster management. National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (NPDRR): It is a multi-stakeholder and multi-decision-making body on disaster management. It is chaired by the Union Home Minister with other ministers as its members. National Executive Committee: Constituted under the DM Act, 2005 and chaired by the Union Home Secretary it acts as the coordinating and monitoring body for disaster management in India. The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS): It is involved in decision-making if the disaster has serious security implications. National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM): It is the nodal agency responsible for human resource development, capacity building, training, research, documentation and policy advocacy in the field of disaster management. National Disaster Response Force (NDRF): The NDRF is a specialist response force that can be deployed in a threatening disaster situation or disaster. The general superintendence, direction and control of this force is vested in and exercised by the NDMA and the command and supervision of the Force vests in the Director General of the National Disaster Response Force.
Institutional Framework at State Level	State Disaster Management Authority: The DM Act, 2005 mandates the creation of a State Disaster Management Authority with the Chief Minister as the ex-officio Chairperson. It is responsible for laying down the State Disaster Management Policy and approving the State DM Plans in accordance with the guidelines laid down by the Union. State Executive Committee: It is responsible for coordinating and monitoring DM-related activities in the state. The Chief Secretary of the state is its ex-officio chairperson. It lays down the guidelines for the preparation and implementation of national and state DM plans.
Institutional Framework at the District Level	At the district level, the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), headed by the District Collector/District Magistrate, is responsible for the overall coordination of disaster management efforts and planning.
Local Authorities	Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRI), Municipalities, District and Cantonment Boards, and Town Planning Authorities, which control and manage civic services, ensure capacity building of their employees for managing disasters, carrying out relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction activities in the affected areas. They also prepare their disaster management plans as per the national and state guidelines.