India has achieved 'Zero Casualty' target in disaster response: HM Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday said under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the country has achieved the target of 'Zero Casualty' during disasters in the past 10 years, bringing it close to becoming a global leader in crisis management.

Addressing the annual conference of Relief Commissioners and Disaster Response Forces of States and Union Territories, HM Shah said, “In the last 10 years, we have achieved a lot in four areas of capacity, speed, efficiency and accuracy.”

“Speed is of the essence in any operation related to disaster management. Timely response to a disaster and saving lives is the most important objective for which we have made big strides through the training of the workforce and introduction of technology and advance warning system for the community,” he said.

"Though the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) works under my ministry, I can confidently say that it has built a strong image, earned recognition, and gained respect across the country,” said HM Shah.

The NDRF has also worked hard to train jawans of the State Disaster Relief Force (SDRF), he said.

He praised the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), NDRF and Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) for bringing India closer to becoming a global leader in disaster management.

HM Shah said that till a decade ago, disaster management was limited to offering relief after a calamity, however, over the decade, India’s disaster management is moving forward with a ‘Zero Casualty Approach’ which has even surprised the global community.

The Union Minister stressed on research to improve advanced warning systems for disaster response and mitigation.

“We have succeeded in redefining our disaster response from reactive to proactive over the decade,” said HM Shah, adding that ‘Bhagidhari’ has been the foundation of improving the response system.

“Starting from the Central government to State governments and to local bodies, a unified approach has been adopted for disaster response. Now, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, we are even involving the community in the effort,” he said.

HM Shah said that in the coming decade, each of the youth in the country will be equipped with the capability to join disaster response.

Highlighting the multi-dimensional approach of the government, the Home Minister said the budgetary allocation for disaster response forces has also been increased threefold over the past decade.

“In the case of NDRF, the allocation was Rs 28,000 crore between 2004 and 2014, but during 2014 and 2024 it was raised to Rs 84,000 crore,” he said.

For the SDRF, the budget between 2004 and 2014 was Rs 38,000 crore, but between 2014 and 2024 it was increased to Rs 1.44 lakh crore, he said.

Coalition for CDRI, an international organisation launched by PM Modi, is a global partnership of 49 members dedicated to climate and disaster-resilient infrastructure solutions.

It is a partnership of national governments, UN agencies and programmes, multilateral development banks and financing mechanisms, the private sector, and academia. CDRI advances the cause of climate and disaster-resilient infrastructure (DRI).

HM Shah stated that over the past two years, workshops of all agencies related to relief and disaster management have been brought under one platform, adopting a 'Whole of Government' approach to create a think tank to work in a unified manner.

He said this has helped address shortcomings and prepare the entire country to fight the disasters. Additionally, a multi-stakeholder approach and inter-agency coordination have been effectively achieved.

The Home Minister said that due to climate change and global warming, the entire world is grappling with disasters.

He highlighted that NDMA has done commendable work in policy frameworks, research, disseminating various training materials, developing apps, and overall coordination.

HM Shah said that during the Modi government’s tenure, there has been a significant shift in the approach related to disaster management.

He emphasised the importance of anticipating future disasters, conducting advanced research, compiling global ideas in this field, and adapting them to suit India’s geographical conditions.

The Union Home Minister said, “India has achieved a great deal in the development of early warning systems. Timely preparedness has been integrated with the calendar, a scientific approach has been evolved for active prevention and mitigation, and we have also achieved significant success in disaster risk reduction.”

He said that by pursuing the goal of 'Minimum Casualty', the Modi government has amazed the entire world by achieving the target of 'Zero Casualty' in 10 years.

He said that in 1999, a super cyclone hit Odisha, in which 10,000 people lost their lives, whereas in 2019, during Cyclone Fani in Odisha, only one person died.

Later, during Cyclone Biparjoy in Gujarat, there were zero casualties — not even a single human or animal died.

He said this demonstrates that if local units, the public, the state, the Centre, all departments, scientists, and security personnel work together, great achievements can be attained.