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- Context:Amends the 2005 Act in April 2025 to address modern challenges.
- Key Provisions:
- Introduces specific protocols forurban disasters and climate change-induced risks.
- Strengthens the coordination between the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and State authorities (SDMAs).
Key Institutional Changes
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- Statutory Status for Existing Bodies:The Act provides formal statutory backing to the National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC), which previously functioned as an administrative arrangement.
- State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) Powers:It empowers SDMA Chairpersons (usually the Chief Minister) to exercise the powers of the Authority during emergencies, subject to ex-post facto approval, ensuring faster decision-making.
- Disaster Management Authority for Union Territories:It creates a dedicated structure for UTs, with the Lieutenant Governor or Administrator acting as the Chairperson.
Focus on Urban Disaster Management
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- Urban Disaster Management Authorities (UDMAs):For the first time, the law mandates the creation of UDMAs in major metropolitan cities (like Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru).
- Integration with Master Plans:City authorities are now legally required to integrate disaster “mitigation plans” into their urban master plans and building bylaws to tackle issues like urban flooding and heatwaves.
Centralized Database and Technology
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- National Disaster Database:The Act mandates the creation of a centralized, real-time database containing information on resource availability, risk mapping, and past disaster data.
- Early Warning Systems:It provides a legal framework for a “unified early warning system” that requires telecom and media service providers to broadcast emergency alerts without delay.
Financial Frameworks
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- Mitigation Funds:It clarifies the distinction between Response Funds (for immediate relief) and Mitigation Funds (for long-term risk reduction), mandating that a specific percentage of the State budget be allocated to mitigation.
| Feature | Description / Provision | Key Officials |
|---|---|---|
| Urban DM Authorities (UDMA) | Empowers States to create separate authorities for state capitalsand cities with a municipal corporation to handle city-specific risks. | Chair: Municipal Commissioner Vice-Chair: District Collector |
| State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) | Formally empowers State Governments to constitute their own specialist response force (similar to the NDRF) and define its service terms. | State Government (Nodal Authority) |
| National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC) | Grants statutory status to the NCMC as the nodal body for disasters with national or serious ramifications. | Chair: Cabinet Secretary |
| High-Level Committee (HLC) | Grants statutory status to the HLC to approve financial assistance from the National Disaster Mitigation Fund. | Chair: Union Minister of Home Affairs (or Minister in-charge of DM) |
| Regulatory Powers | Empowers the NDMA to make its own regulations under the Act (subject to Central Government approval). | NDMA |
| NDMA Appointments | Empowers the NDMA to specify the number and category of its own officers, employees, and experts, rather than relying on Central Government provision. | NDMA (with Central approval) |
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- Decentralization:The creation of UDMAs is a major shift from “District-centric” to “City-centric” management for metropolitan areas.
- Institutional Strength:By giving the NCMC and HLC statutory status, the Act moves these bodies from mere administrative committees to legally recognized entities with defined powers.
- Operational Autonomy:The NDMA now has more say in its internal staffing and expert consultancy, allowing it to adapt to specific technical needs like climate modeling or cyber-disaster management.
- Key Institutional Hierarchy (2025 Amendment)
| Body | Status | Chairperson | Primary Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| NDMA | Statutory (since 2005) | Prime Minister | Policy, Plans, and Regulations |
| NCMC | Statutory (since 2025) | Cabinet Secretary | Executive Coordination during Major Crises |
| HLC | Statutory (since 2025) | Union Home Minister | Approval of Financial Relief & Mitigation Funds |
