Disaster Management Framework in India: DM Act, NDMA and the Sendai Framework

What is a disaster?

Definition (DM Act 2005): a catastrophe, mishap, calamity or grave occurrence in any area, arising from natural or man-made causes, or by accident or negligence. It results in substantial loss of life, human suffering, or damage to property or the environment, and is beyond the coping capacity of the affected community.

Key concepts:

• Hazard: a potentially damaging event, such as an earthquake or a cyclone.
• Vulnerability: the susceptibility of people and assets to harm. It is shaped by poverty, housing quality, location and governance.
• Capacity: the resources and skills available to cope.
• Risk = Hazard × Vulnerability ÷ Capacity. A hazard becomes a disaster only when it meets vulnerable people without adequate capacity.

India's exposure:

• About 58.6% of the landmass is prone to earthquakes of moderate to very high intensity.
• About 12% (over 40 million hectares) is flood-prone.
• About 5,700 km of the roughly 7,500 km coastline is prone to cyclones and tsunamis.
• About 68% of cultivable area is vulnerable to drought.
• Hilly areas are at risk of landslides and avalanches.

Evolution of the approach

Before 2005: India's approach was relief-centric. It was led by the Ministry of Agriculture (because of the historical focus on drought and famine), with relief codes and calamity relief funds set by Finance Commissions.

Turning points:

• the Orissa super cyclone (1999), which killed about 10,000 people;
• the Gujarat earthquake (2001);
• the Indian Ocean tsunami (2004).

These pushed a shift to a holistic, proactive approach covering prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response, recovery and "build back better". The High Powered Committee (J.C. Pant, 1999) helped shape the change. Disaster management moved to the Ministry of Home Affairs in 2002, except drought, which stays with Agriculture.

Disaster Management Act 2005

The Act creates a three-tier institutional structure:

Other bodies under the Act:

• NIDM: the National Institute of Disaster Management, for training and research.
• NDRF: the National Disaster Response Force, a specialised force raised from CAPF battalions. It now has 16 battalions.
• Funds: the National and State Disaster Response Funds (NDRF/SDRF) and Mitigation Funds (NDMF/SDMF). The mitigation funds were operationalised following the 15th Finance Commission.
• Plans: national, state and district plans are mandatory, and every ministry must prepare a DM plan.

Disaster Management (Amendment) Act 2025:

• gives statutory backing to the National Crisis Management Committee and the High-Level Committee;
• allows Urban Disaster Management Authorities for state capitals and large cities;
• requires national and state disaster databases;
• empowers states to raise State Disaster Response Forces;
• makes the NDMA and SDMAs responsible for periodic risk assessments.

Check the notified provisions before quoting details.

Finance Commission and disaster funding

The 15th Finance Commission introduced a Disaster Risk Index. It allocated funds in the ratio 80:20 between response and mitigation, and split response funds into relief (40%), recovery and reconstruction (30%) and preparedness and capacity building (10%).

Cost sharing for the SDRF is 75:25 between the Centre and states, and 90:10 for northeastern and Himalayan states. The 16th Finance Commission (report for 2026–31) will revisit this.

National policy and plan

• National Policy on DM (2009).
• National Disaster Management Plan (2016), revised in 2019. It was the first plan aligned with the Sendai Framework, the SDGs and the Paris Agreement.
• Prime Minister's Ten-Point Agenda on DRR (2016). It includes risk coverage for all, from poor households to SMEs to multinationals; women's leadership; investing in risk mapping; using technology; and learning from every disaster.

Sendai Framework for DRR (2015–2030)

Adopted at the Third UN World Conference in Sendai, Japan, it succeeded the Hyogo Framework (2005–15).

Four priorities:

1. understanding disaster risk;
2. strengthening governance to manage disaster risk;
3. investing in DRR for resilience;
4. enhancing preparedness for effective response and to "build back better".

Seven targets: reduce mortality, affected people, economic loss and damage to critical infrastructure; increase national and local DRR strategies, international cooperation and access to early warning. The UN Early Warnings for All initiative (2022) aims for universal coverage by 2027.

Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI): launched by India in 2019, with its secretariat in New Delhi. It focuses on resilient infrastructure, including the Infrastructure for Resilient Island States (IRIS) fund.

Disaster management cycle

• Pre-disaster: prevention, mitigation and preparedness. Examples are hazard mapping, building codes, early warning, drills and insurance.
• During a disaster: response. This covers search and rescue, evacuation, relief and medical care.
• Post-disaster: recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction, building back better.

Community and other stakeholders

Aapda Mitra trains community volunteers. Disaster management also involves:

• NCC/NSS/NYKS;
• the armed forces, as aid to civil authorities;
• NGOs, through Sphere standards;
• the private sector, through CSR and business continuity;
• schools, through the School Safety Policy.

Common prelims traps

• The NDMA is chaired by the PM, and the NEC by the Home Secretary.
• The nodal ministry for disasters is MHA, except drought, which is with Agriculture.
• The Sendai Framework runs 2015–2030, with four priorities and seven targets.
• The NDRF is a force; the NDRF fund is the National Disaster Response Fund. Read the question carefully.

Quick self-test

1. *Why can a moderate earthquake cause more deaths than a stronger one?* Vulnerability: poor construction, density and the timing of the event.
2. *What is "build back better"?* Using recovery to reduce future risk, not just to restore what was there.
3. *Who chairs a DDMA?* The District Collector.

Practice: Mains question

*"India's disaster management has shifted from a relief-centric to a risk-reduction approach." Examine with reference to the DM Act 2005 and the Sendai Framework. (250 words)*

Key terms

• Mitigation: measures that reduce the impact of hazards. Examples are building codes, embankments and land-use planning.
• Preparedness: readiness to respond, through plans, stockpiles, drills and early warning.
• Resilience: the ability of a system to absorb shocks, adapt and recover quickly.
• Residual risk: risk that remains even after mitigation, which is why insurance and response capacity are still needed.
• Disaster risk financing: pre-arranged money for disasters, such as reserve funds, insurance pools and catastrophe bonds.

Analysis: gaps in implementation

Audit reports, including those of the CAG, and parliamentary committees have pointed to recurring gaps:

• many district plans are outdated or copied templates;
• SDMAs and DDMAs lack dedicated staff;
• mitigation funds are underused;
• building codes are weakly enforced by urban local bodies;
• relief norms are not revised in time;
• coordination between line departments is poor.

The NDMA itself has at times functioned without a full complement of members. Experts argue that disaster management must be mainstreamed into every development scheme, for example:

• risk screening of PMAY houses, roads and schools;
• urban master plans that respect floodplains and drainage;
• local bodies empowered and funded to act as first responders.

Insurance penetration for disasters remains low. A national catastrophe risk insurance pool and parametric insurance, in which payouts are triggered by measured rainfall or wind rather than loss assessment, are being explored by several states.

Practice: additional question

*Discuss the role of local bodies and communities in disaster risk reduction, citing examples from India. (150 words)*