To provide relief to the disaster-prone regions, there are national and state authorities on every level. These authorities provide disaster-related aid to the affected people. These authorities were created following the Disaster Management Act 2005. All the authorities work following the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) which is the apex body for Disaster Management in India.
The following are the Legal Institutional frameworks of Disaster management following the amendment of the Disaster Management Act 2005.Â
NDMA has the following responsibilities:
NDRF or National Disaster Response Force is a specialized force that assists relevant state governments during a disaster situation. It consists of Paramilitary and Armed forces. It plans its deployment based on the SDMA and NDMA discussions as well as provide food, immediate health care and other requirements based on the situation.
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 The NDRF has demonstrated its importance in achieving this vision through highly skilled rescue and relief operations, regular and intensive training and re-training, familiarization exercises within the respective NDRF Battalions’ areas of responsibility, mock drills, and joint exercises with various stakeholders.
SDMA or State Disaster Management Authority is the state-controlled Disaster Management authority that works in hand with the NDMA to provide relief and assistance to the victims of any disaster in a particular state. Every state has its SDMA which is handled by the Chief Minister of the state. It also forms the SEC or the State Executive Committee which assists the SDMA in various disaster-related actions and tasks.Â
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The SDMA also coordinates with the NDRF to plan rescue missions and relocate people from the affected area. The SDMA prepares arrangements for supplies, equipment and funding for use during unwanted situations. They are also responsible for spreading awareness on disaster management in disaster-prone regions of the state and providing guidelines to the people on how to prepare themselves during a disaster.
DDMA or District Management Authority provides district planning, coordination and implementation of district management policies in a district. It works following the guidelines provided by the NDMA. The DDMA is carrying out various activities such as awareness generation, training, mock drills, and so on for all stakeholders – the government, non-governmental organizations, and the community as a whole – as authorized by the State Disaster Response Fund’s Annual Allocation for Capacity Building.Â
Local Authorities such as Panchayati Raj, Municipalities, Legal Arrangement Boards and Town Planning authorities control the locals in the region. It works under the DDMA and assists in providing possible aid during disaster events.
Every authority formed at the district, state and national level have a particular role in disaster management. These authorities are responsible for spreading awareness related to disaster protocol as well providing relief to disaster-prone areas. It forms a reliable force to build a disaster-resilient nation.