Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said dangers like avalanches, landslides, floods, and storms are going to increase everywhere in the future due to climate change. Keeping this in mind, governments and the society at large should move firmly towards the goal of zero casualty by using scientific principles for the development of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) as its budget has increased from ₹66,000 crore to ₹2 lakh crore in 10 years.
Mr. Shah, who was speaking at the successful return of the second mountaineering expedition ‘Vijay’ of NDRF in New Delhi, said that the government still has to increase its efficiency in many areas by delivering results, such as forest fires. “Saving human lives is not our only objective during forest fires, but we have to bring experiments happening all over the world on how to save forests and what we can do so that there is no fire on the ground. We need to prepare ourselves more for the floods caused by cloudburst,” he added.
The Union Minister said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has left no stone unturned and never looked at the budget for the development of the NDRF, training and providing modern resources to the force. “We should create a force in India that is first in the field of disaster management in the entire country. The PM himself is very concerned and aware of disaster management and the success achieved by India in this field is the result of this. He said that in 10 years between 2004 and 2014, a total budget of ₹66,000 crore was allocated to SDRFs and NDRF for disaster relief, which increased to ₹2 lakh crore in 10 years from 2014 to 2024,” he added
Union Home Minister Amit Shah poses for group photograph during the flag-in ceremony of mountaineering expedition Vijay, accomplished by the NDRF, in New Delhi, on June 29, 2024. | Photo Credit: PTI
This, Mr. Shah said, shows how prepared the Indian government is for a disaster. He added that the Union government is providing scientific support to the NDRF in every way, be it ‘Dial 112’, Mausam, Damini, Meghdoot, other mobile applications or early warning systems.
“There was a demand for risk and hardship allowance for NDRF personnel for a long time and the Government of India under the leadership of PM Modi has accepted this demand yesterday. Now, 16,000 personnel of NDRF will get risk and hardship allowance at the rate of 40%,” he said.
Mr. Shah said the Centre has also decided that a team of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) will participate in all outdoor and indoor games in national and international-level sports competitions. He said the entire roadmap to achieve this has been prepared and soon the Central government will come up with a model for its implementation. He said the government wants to introduce and stabilise sports as a culture in CAPFs.
“In the last 10 years of Prime Minister Modi’s tenure, the best practices from around the world have been put in place in India to deal with disasters. The work of creating a winning alliance of NDRF and NDMA through training, raising the morale of the force, forming the force, providing adequate numbers of the force, ensuring the availability of the force’s personnel everywhere in such a large country and advance information for disaster assessment has been done,” the Minister said.
If any disaster strikes anywhere in the country or the world, everyone looks up to the NDRF, he claimed.
The NDRF personnel increases the morale of the people trapped in the disaster manifold.
He said that just as 35 jawans have aligned themselves with the goal of moment-to-moment awareness to achieve success in this mountaineering expedition. “The NDRF must align itself with the goal of zero casualty, and achievement should never become a reason for satisfaction, but it should become a reason to set more difficult goals -- whether it is Turkey or Syria, Biporjoy or Michaung, the ropeway incident or the rescue of climbers, the tunnel incident or the triple disaster in Japan or the earthquake in Nepal, wherever NDRF personnel have gone, they have returned with a good start and it is a matter of great pride for the entire country,” Mr. Shah said.
The Home Minister also witnessed Photo and Disaster Management Equipment Gallery. The exhibition showcased the state-of-the-art equipment and technologies used by NDRF rescuers during operation. A briefing was also given by the team leaders who were involved in various disaster response incidents in India and Turkey.
The Union Minister took interest in various operations conducted by NDRF in flood water rescue, landslides, collapsed structure search and rescue, chemical-cum-biological radiological nuclear response mechanism (CBRN), mountain rescue, borewell rescue, cyclone response etc. He was also shown various initiatives taken in improvising equipment by the NDRF for better utilisation. Several dignitaries, including the Union Home Secretary and Director General, NDRF, were present on the occasion.
The Home Minister hailed NDRF jawans for their successful expedition to 21,625 high Mount Manirang. He said that operations by our jawans, who have decided to show indomitable courage to go to such heights, increases the efficiency of both the individual and the force. “Such arduous campaigns inculcate the habit of accomplishing goals, conquering and overcoming unimaginable difficulties to reach the goal.,” he said.
