Shri Amit Shah Chairs Meeting on 'Disaster Management & Capacity Building' in New Delhi

Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation 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. He said that before 2014, disaster management in India followed a relief-centric model, which the Modi government transformed into a rescue- and prevention-focused approach.

Shah emphasized that India’s disaster response policy now rests on four pillars, capacity building, speed, efficiency, and accuracy, resulting in a 98% reduction in cyclone-related damage and zero casualties in recent cyclones such as Biparjoy (2023) and Dana (2024). Casualties from heatwaves have also significantly reduced.

The Home Minister noted that disaster funding has tripled under the Modi government, with ₹2 lakh crore allocated to SDRF and NDRF from 2014–2024, compared to ₹66,000 crore in the previous decade. For 2021–26, allocations include ₹1,28,122 crore for SDRF, ₹54,770 crore for NDRF, ₹13,693 crore for the National Disaster Mitigation Fund (NDMF), and ₹32,031 crore for State Disaster Mitigation Funds (SDMF).

He highlighted major initiatives such as NDMA’s technology adoption, NDRF’s ground-level execution, cyclone shelters under NCRMP, Aapda Mitra and Yuva Aapda Mitra schemes, modernization of fire services, and the Common Alerting Protocol system for last-mile disaster warnings. The SACHET App, providing early disaster alerts, is also being widely promoted.

Shah said India’s forecasting capabilities for floods and cyclones have improved to 7 days in advance, greatly strengthening preparedness. He assured that detailed information on disaster funds, guidelines, and apps will be shared with all MPs. Committee members appreciated the government’s proactive measures and community-driven disaster resilience programs.