Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi released the National Disaster Management Plan (NDMP). This is the first ever national plan prepared in the country.
Minister of Home Affairs Shri Rajnath Singh, Minster of State for Home Affairs Shri Kiren Rijiju, and senior officers of the Prime Minister’s Office, Ministry of Home Affairs and National Disaster Management Authority were present during the function.
Following are the highlights of the NDMP:
- The NDMP has been aligned broadly with the goals and priorities set out in the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.
- The Vision of the Plan is to “Make India disaster resilient, achieve substantial disaster risk reduction, and significantly decrease the losses of life, livelihoods, and assets – economic, physical, social, cultural and environmental – by maximizing the ability to cope with disasters at all levels of administration as well as among communities.
- For each hazard, the approach used in this national plan incorporates the four priorities enunciated in the Sendai Framework into the planning framework for Disaster Risk Reduction under the five Thematic Areas for Actions:
- Understanding Risk
- Inter-Agency Coordination
- Investing in DRR – Structural Measures
- Investing in DRR – Non-Structural Measures
- Capacity Development
- The Response part of the Plan has identified eighteen broad activities which have been arranged into a matrix to be served as a ready reckoner:
Early Warning, Maps, Satellite inputs, Information Dissemination
Evacuation of People and Animals
Search and Rescue of People and Animals
Medical Care
Drinking Water/ Dewatering Pumps/ Sanitation Facilities/ Public Health
Food & Essential Supplies
Communication
Housing and Temporary Shelters
Power
Fuel
Transportation
Relief Logistics and Supply Chain Management
Disposal of Animal Carcasses
Fodder for livestock in scarcity-hit areas
Rehabilitation and Ensuring Safety of Livestock and other Animals, Veterinary Care
Data Collection and Management
Relief Employment
Media Relations
- The Plan has also incorporated a Chapter on Strengthening Disaster Risk Governance. The generalized responsibility matrix given in this section summarizes the themes for strengthening Disaster Risk Governance and specifies agencies at the Centre and State with their respective roles. The matrix has six thematic areas in which Central and State Governments have to take actions to strengthen disaster risk governance:
Mainstream and integrate DRR and Institutional Strengthening
Capacity Development
Promote Participatory Approaches
Work with Elected Representatives
Grievance Redress Mechanism
Promote Quality Standards, Certifications, and Awards for Disaster Risk Management
- The National Disaster Management Plan (NDMP) provides a framework and direction to the government agencies for all phases of disaster management cycle.
- The NDMP is a dynamic document in the sense that it will be periodically improved keeping up with the emerging global best practices and knowledge bases in disaster management.
- Globally, the approach towards post-disaster restoration and rehabilitation has shifted to one of betterment reconstruction. The NDMP provides a generalized framework for recovery since it is not possible to anticipate all the possible elements of betterment reconstruction.
- The Plan also highlights that the disaster risk reduction will be achieved by mainstreaming the requirements into the developmental plans.