Parliament Question: Emergency alerts

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1451 TO BE ANSWERED ON 12TH FEBRUARY, 2026 EMERGENCY ALERTS 1451 SHRI S. KALYANASUNDARAM:

Will the Minister of Communications be pleased to state:

(a) whether Government is aware that the vulnerability in telecom and broadcasting infrastructure in cyclone and flood-prone regions of Tamil Nadu, particularly coastal and delta areas, have disrupted dissemination of emergency alerts during recent disasters;

(b) the details of Central-assistance provided under the Disaster-Risk and Resilience-Assessment Framework (DRRAF) for strengthening communication and broadcasting infrastructure in the State;

(c) whether funds have been allocated to integrate Cell Broadcast (SACHET) and multi-hazard early warning systems with last-mile public communication networks; and

(d) the steps proposed to ensure uninterrupted emergency alerts and resilient public information systems during cyclones and extreme rainfall events? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE FOR COMMUNICATIONS AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT (DR. PEMMASANI CHANDRA SEKHAR)

(a) The Government is aware that telecom and broadcasting infrastructure in cyclone- and flood- prone regions of Tamil Nadu, particularly in coastal and delta areas, is vulnerable to disruption during extreme weather events. However, during the recent cyclone and flood events in Tamil Nadu, the Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) based SACHET system was successfully used to disseminate emergency alerts to the public.

(b) Total Central-assistance that has been provided for strengthening communication infrastructure in the State of Tamil Nadu as on 31.12.2025 is Rs 1,883.00 Cr under BharatNet and other Mobile projects through Digital Bharat Nidhi (DBN) schemes.

(c) Yes, MHA has allocated an amount of ₹99.82 crore for implementing PAN India Cell broadcast solution.

(d) To ensure uninterrupted dissemination of emergency alerts and to strengthen resilient public information systems during cyclones and extreme rainfall events, multiple measures have been undertaken. Periodic testing of emergency alert mechanisms, including Cell Broadcast alerts, is conducted by C-DOT, in coordination with concerned stakeholders, to ensure operational readiness and system resilience. Further, geographically redundant Disaster Recovery (DR) systems have been established in addition to the primary Data Centre (DC) for the CAP-based SACHET system, ensuring continuity of operations in the event of system failures or disasters. To enhance reliability and redundancy in alert dissemination, multiple communication channels have been integrated, including location-based SMS through telecom networks, satellite-based dissemination, and internet- based platforms such as the SACHET mobile application, public web portal, and browser-based notifications.

***** 1