Rajya Sabha passes the Disaster Management (Amendment) Bill, 2024 | Current Affairs | Vision IAS
News Today Logo

Rajya Sabha passes the Disaster Management (Amendment) Bill, 2024

Posted 26 Mar 2025

2 min read

The bill attempts to take the fight against disasters from a reactive approach to a proactive one and also beyond to an innovative and a participatory approach.

Key Highlights of the Bill

  • Preparation of disaster management plans: National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) will prepare disaster management plans.
  • Functions of NDMA and SDMA: Adds new functions like periodic review of disaster risks (including extreme climate events), setting guidelines for minimum relief standards, creating national and state disaster databases, etc.
  • Appointments to NDMA: Empowers NDMA to specify the number and category of officers and employees, with previous approval of the central government.
  • Urban Disaster Management Authorities:  Empowers state governments to constitute a separate authority for state capitals and cities with a municipal corporation.
  • State Disaster Response Force (SDRF): Allows state governments to establish SDRF, define its functions, and set service terms for its members. 
  • Statutory status to existing committees: Provides statutory status to existing bodies such as the National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC) and the High Level Committee (HLC).  
    • NCMC will function as the nodal body for dealing with major disasters with serious or national ramifications.  
    • HLC will provide financial assistance to state governments during disasters.

Disaster Management Act, 2005

  • The Act provides  for  the legal and  institutional  framework  for  the  effective  management  of  disasters. 
  • Institutional Framework: Establishes NDMA, SDMAs, District Disaster Management Authorities (DDMAs) as the bodies responsible for disaster preparedness and risk reduction at respective levels. 
  • Financial Mechanism: Provides for the creation of the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Funds (SDRF), National Disaster Mitigation Fund and similar funds at state and district level. 
  • Tags :
  • Disaster Management (Amendment) Bill, 2024
  • National Disaster Management Authority
  • Disaster Management Act, 2005
  • State Disaster Management Authority
Watch News Today
Subscribe for Premium Features