Date: 2025-08-19Category: Not ApplicableState: Union GovernmentCountry: India
Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah chairs the meeting of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Home Affairs on 'Disaster Management and Capacity Building' in New Delhi
**Policy Summary: Disaster Management and Capacity Building in India**
On August 19, 2025, Union Home Minister Amit Shah chaired a meeting of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) focusing on ‘Disaster Management and Capacity Building’ in New Delhi. The discussion centered on the Modi government's shift from a relief-centric to a rescue-centric approach in disaster management, emphasizing capacity building, speed, efficiency, and accuracy as the four key pillars.
Significant policy and institutional decisions have been implemented over the last decade, resulting in a reported 98% reduction in cyclone damage and a substantial decrease in heatwave casualties. Noteworthy examples include the handling of Cyclone Biparjoy in Gujarat (2023) and Cyclone Dana in Odisha (2024), which resulted in zero casualties. A strategy is currently being formulated to address the increasing occurrences of cloudbursts and landslides.
The Modi government has adopted a multi-dimensional approach that includes financial, institutional, and structural strengthening. The Disaster Management Amendment Bill 2024, guided by Prime Minister Modi's 10-point agenda, prioritizes transparency, responsibility, efficiency, and synergy. Key initiatives include:
* Increased funding for State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) and National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF): allocation increased from Rs. 66 thousand crores (2004-2014) to Rs. 2 lakh crore (2014-2024). Specifically, Rs. 1,28,122 crore has been allocated for SDRF and Rs. 54,770 crore for NDRF for the period 2021-22 to 2025-26.
* Establishment of National Disaster Mitigation Fund (NDMF) and State Disaster Mitigation Fund (SDMF): Rs. 13,693 crores allocated for NDMF and Rs. 32,031 crores for SDMF for the period 2021-22 to 2025-26.
* Reduced response time for Inter-Ministerial Central Teams (IMCT): average deployment time decreased from 96 days to 8 days. 83 central teams have been dispatched in the last 10 years with an average of 8 days.
* Implementation of the National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project (NCRMP): construction of multipurpose cyclone shelters, training of 92995 community volunteers and government officials, and establishment of Early Warning Systems in 5 Coastal States.
* Community-level capacity building through Aapda Mitra Scheme and Yuva Aapda Mitra Scheme: training of one lakh community volunteers in 350 disaster-prone districts.
* Modernization and expansion of fire services: allocation of Rs 5000 crore for setting up new fire stations, strengthening training centers, and capacity building.
* Improved early warning systems: India Meteorology Department (IMD) and Central Water Commission (CWC) now provide accurate flood and cyclone forecasts 7 days in advance, utilizing a Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) via SMS and Coastal Sirens. Emphasis on promoting the "SACHET App" for early disaster warnings.
The meeting underscored the importance of raising disaster prevention awareness at the district and gram panchayat levels. Members of the Committee acknowledged the government's progress in disaster management. Information on disaster management apps, guidelines, and central government disaster fund releases to states over the last 10 years will be disseminated to all Members of Parliament.
Key Entities Referenced
Ministry of Home Affairs: The Indian government ministry responsible for internal security and disaster management.
Amit Shah: The Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation of India.
Disaster Management and Capacity Building: The topic of discussion in the Parliamentary Consultative Committee meeting, focusing on improving disaster preparedness and response.
National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA): The apex body for disaster management in India, responsible for policy making and guidelines.
National Disaster Response Force (NDRF): A specialized force in India responsible for disaster response and relief operations.
Odisha: A state in India that was affected by super cyclone in 1999 and Cyclone Dana in 2024
Gujarat: A state in India that was affected by Cyclone Biparjoy in 2023
Disaster Management Amendment Bill 2024: An amendment bill related to disaster management that emphasizes transparency, responsibility, efficiency, and synergy.
Ministry of Home Affairs
Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation
Shri Amit Shah chairs the meeting of the
Parliamentary Consultative Committee for the
Ministry of Home Affairs on 'Disaster Management
and Capacity Building' in New Delhi
Modi government's disaster response policy is based
on four pillars of capacity building, speed, efficiency
and accuracy
Modi government has adopted financial, institutional
and structural strenghtening along with a multi-
dimensional approach in disaster management
A strategy is being formulated to deal with
cloudbursts and landslides
Home Minister stressed the need to spread
awareness about disaster prevention at the district
and gram panchayat level
Union Home Minister thanked the members of the
committee for raising important topic of 'Disaster
Management’ and ‘Capacity Building' and giving
valuable suggestions in the meetingMembers appreciated the steps taken by the
Government in the field of disaster management
The NDMA has done important work in the use of
technology and policy making and the NDRF is
implementing it very well on the ground
Posted On: 19 AUG 2025 9:43PM by PIB Delhi
Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Shri Amit Shah chaired a meeting of the Parliamentary
Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Home affairs (MHA) on ‘Disaster Management and Capacity
Building’ in New Delhi, today. The meeting was attended by Ministers of State for Home Affairs, Shri
Nityanand Rai and Shri Bandi Sanjay Kumar, Members of the Committee and Union Home Secretary, along
with senior officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs, National Disaster Management Authority
(NDMA),National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Director General (Fire Services, Civil Defence& Home
Guards) and National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM).
Addressing the meeting, Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah said that before
2014, there was a relief-centric approach towards disaster management, which was changed to a rescue-
centric approach by the Modi government, by changing the approach and strategy. He said that in the last 10
years, many major policy-related and institutional decisions have been taken in the field of disastermanagement. He said that the disaster response policy of the Modi government is based on four pillars of
capacity building, speed, efficiency and accuracy. This has resulted in significant prevention during disasters,
from the 1999 super cyclone in Odisha that killed 10,000 people to the 2023 Biparjoy in Gujarat and 2024
Dana in Odisha with zero casualties. The Home Minister said that as a result of the efforts of the Modi
Government in the field of disaster management, there has been 98 per cent reduction in the damage caused
by cyclones and a significant reduction in the casualties of heat waves. The Home Minister mentioned about
the recent cloudburst and landslide incidents in several states and said a strategy is being formulated to deal
with cloudbursts and landslides.
Shri Amit Shah said that in the Modi government, a multi-dimensional approach has been adopted in the field
of disaster management along with financial, institutional, structural strengthening. He said that the focus of
the Modi government is to save people from the losses caused by disasters. He said that on the basis of Prime
Minister Modi's 10-point agenda, the Disaster Management (Amendment) Bill was brought in 2024, which
has been worked upon with transparency, responsibility, efficiency and synergy. The Home Minister
emphasized the need to spread awareness about disaster prevention at the district and gram panchayat level.
Union Home Minister said that Rs. 66 thousand crores were given to SDRF and NDRF in 2004 -2014, which
has been increased almost three times to Rs. 2 lakh crore in the 10 years from 2014-2024. He said that Rs.
1,28,122 crore has been allocated for SDRF and Rs. 54,770 crore for NDRF for the period 2021-22 to 2025-
26. Shri Shah said that the Central Government has also allocated Rs. 13,693 crores for National Disaster
Mitigation Fund (NDMF) and Rs. 32,031 crores for State Disaster Mitigation Fund (SDMF) for the period
2021-22 to 2025-26.
Shri Amit Shah informed that the average time taken to send Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) to
disaster affected states has come down from 96 days to 8 days and in the last 10 years, 83 central teams have
been sent to the states with an average of 8 days. He said that NDMA has done important work in the use of
technology and in policy making, while NDRF has worked well to implement it at the ground level.Under the
National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project (NCRMP) multipurpose cyclone shelters were constructed and
92995 community volunteer and government officials were also trained in cyclone mitigation, besides
establishing Early Warning Systems in 5 Coastal States. He added that the infrastructure created under the
project have proved very useful in saving lives during various cyclones.Shri Amit Shah said that with the implementation of Aapda Mitra Scheme and Yuva Aapda Mitra Scheme,
Government has been paying due attention to develop capacity at community level and ensuring community
participation during disasters. Under the Aapda Mitra scheme one lakh community volunteers have been
trained in 350 disaster prone districts to provide immediate response during different disasters. Government
has also launched a scheme for expansion and modernization of fire services in the States with an outlay of Rs
5000 crore under which States are provided central assistance for setting up of new fire stations, strengthening
of State Training Centers and capacity building etc.
Union Home Minister also informed that for the first-time mitigation funds have been constituted at the
National and State level. The Central Government has also allocated Rs 13,693 crore for the National Disaster
Mitigation Fund(NDMF) and Rs 32,031 crore for the State Disaster Mitigation Fund (SDMF) for the period
2021-22 to 2025-26.Under NDMF, a number of mitigation projects have been approved with an allocation of
Rs 8072 crore.
Home Minister said under the leadership of Shri Narendra Modi ji, India has made significant progress in
early warning dissemination. India Meteorology Department (IMD) and Central Water Commission (CWC)
now give accurate forecasts for floods and cyclones 7 days in advance. For last mile connectivity to
disseminate alert to people, the Union Government has implemented a ‘Common Alerting Protocol’ based on
Integrated Alert System (CAP) across the country through SMS, Coastal Siren etc. The Home Minister
emphasized on maximum publicity of 'SACHET App' which gives early warning of disasters.
Union Home Minister thanked Committee Members for raising an important topic like 'Disaster Management
and Capacity Building' in the meeting and for giving valuable suggestions. The Members appreciated the
significant steps taken by the Government in the field of disaster management. The Home Minister said that
information related to disaster information app, guidelines and information about disaster fund released to
states by the Central Government in the last 10 years will be sent to all MPs.
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RK/VV/PR/PS(Release ID: 2158183)