National Disaster Management Authority - UPSC Notes

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) is the apex body for Disaster Management in India. Prime Minister heads NDMA. It is a statutory body created under the Disaster Management Act 2005. 

Disaster Management is a significant part of the general studies paper 3 of the IAS Exam. The topics internal security and disaster management are diverse and also important for both the prelims and the mains exams. These topics are also highly linked with current affairs. Almost every question asked from them is related to current events. So, apart from standard textbooks, you should rely on newspapers and news analyses as well for these sections.

National Disaster Management Authority

• NDMA was established through the Disaster Management Act, 2005 enacted by the Government of India, and was formally constituted by Dec 2006.
• It is a Statutory Body for disaster management in the country.
• Mandate: Its primary purpose is to coordinate the response to natural or man-made disasters and for capacity-building in disaster resiliency and crisis response. It is also the apex body to lay down policies, plans and guidelines for Disaster Management to ensure a timely and effective response to disasters.

National Disaster Management Authority Vision

“To build a safer and disaster resilient India by a holistic, pro-active, technology-driven and sustainable development strategy that involves all stakeholders and fosters a culture of prevention, preparedness and mitigation.” 

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Functions of National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA)

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) was established to follow the functions mentioned below:

• Implementing policies related to Disaster Management.
• Approving various plans like:
  • National Plans
  • Plans by different Ministries & Departments of the Indian Government
  • Other plans related to the National Plan.
• Laying down guidelines for State Government Authorities in accordance with the State Plan.
• Laying down guidelines for different Government Authorities in order to integrate the preventive measures for the Disaster or attenuation of its effect in their development plans & projects.
• Coordinating with the workforce and implementing the policies/plans necessary.
• Recommending the provision of funds necessary for mitigation.
• Depending on the Central Government, providing aid and support to the countries in need.
• Laying down guidelines and broad policies for the functioning of the NIDM (National Institute of Disaster Management).

Organisational Structure

• The Prime Minister is the ex-officio chairperson of the NDMA. 
• The Cabinet Minister is the Vice-Chairman.
• The NDMA Secretariat, headed by a Secretary, is responsible for providing secretarial support and continuity.
• Along with this, NDMA has 8 Ministers of State as its Members.

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