Cyclone Nivar: National Crisis Management Committee reviews preparedness of the states

The cyclone Nivar is to make landfall between Mamallapuram and Karaikal of Tamil Nadu. It is to hit the coastal areas of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Puducherry. The National Crisis Management Committee recently reviewed the status of cyclone held through video conferencing.

National Crisis Management Committee

The committee was set up by Government of India in the wake of natural calamity. It gives instructions to the Crisis Management Group. The Crisis Management Group consists of nodal officers from varied ministries.

Disaster Response Team

Around six National Disaster Response Force are deployed in parts of Tamil Nadu.

National Disaster Response Force

It is a force constituted under the Disaster Management Act, 2005. The Ministry of Home Affairs is the nodal ministry to manage natural disasters. The force has 12 battalions. It includes three central reserve Police Fore, three Border Security Force, two Indo-Tibetan Border Force and two Sahastra Seema Bal.

The NDRF operates under the National Disaster Management Authority.

National Disaster Management Authority

It is an apex body that lays down policies for disaster management. It was constituted in 2006 under the Disaster Management Act, 2005. As the bodies constituted under an act of Parliament are statutory body, National Disaster Management Authority is a statutory body. The chairperson of the authority is the Prime Minister of India. The main objective of the authority is to build a safe and disaster resilient India.

Concerns and Challenges in Disaster Management in India

According to CAG report there are delays and completion of projects undertaken by the National Disaster Management Authority. The numbers were higher in border areas such as Assam, eastern Uttar Pradesh and North Bihar. This is mainly because these regions require long term solutions for flood problems.

According to Comptroller and Audit General report 2015, the Kerala floods in 2018 and Chennai floods in 2015 brought in several changes to address disaster situation. This was mainly because these two floods are till date considered as man-made disasters. Therefore, there is need to predict possible disasters that might arise due to climate change and changing lifestyle in the country.

Month: Current Affairs - November, 2020