‘National Disaster’ Tag

• Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to declare the destruction caused by heavy rains in the state a national disaster.
• Rain-related occurrences in Himachal Pradesh cost the state Rs 10,000 crore during monsoon.
• According to the state emergency operation center, 418 people have died (265 in rain-related incidents and 153 in road accidents) since the onset of monsoon on June 24 till September 9, while 39 are missing.

ABOUT NATIONAL DISASTER

• There is no official or well-defined classification of “national disasters.”
• The 2005 Disaster Management Act defines a “disaster” as “a catastrophe, mishap, calamity, or grave occurrence in any area, arising from natural or man-made causes, or by accident or negligence, resulting in substantial loss of life or human suffering, or damage to, and destruction of, property, or damage to, or degradation of, the environment, and is of such a nature or magnitude as to be beyond the coping capacity of the community.”
• The Act established the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), which would be led by the Prime Minister, as well as State Disaster Management Authorities (SDMAs), which would be led by respective Chief Ministers.
• In India, an integrated Disaster Management setup was to be built in collaboration with district-level authorities.
• The Act also resulted in the formation of the National Disaster Response Force.

NATIONAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY (NDMA):

• The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) is the apex statutory body for disaster management in India.
• The NDMA was formally constituted on 27 September 2006, in accordance with the Disaster Management Act, 2005 with Prime Minister as its Chairperson and nine other members, and one such member to be designated as Vice-Chairperson.