The Disaster Management Act, 2005, and its institutions

Before 2005, Indian disaster response was largely relief-driven: governments acted after a disaster and paid compensation. The Disaster Management Act, 2005, passed after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and earlier large disasters, created a legal framework for the whole cycle — prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery — and institutions at national, state and district levels. The Act received presidential assent in December 2005 and came into force in January 2006.

At the top is the National Disaster Management Authority, chaired by the Prime Minister, which lays down policies, plans and guidelines. State Disaster Management Authorities, chaired by Chief Ministers, and District Disaster Management Authorities, headed by District Magistrates or Collectors, carry the same structure downwards. The National Executive Committee, headed by the Union Home Secretary, coordinates response, and the National Institute of Disaster Management provides training and research.

The specialist response force is the National Disaster Response Force, provided for in the Act and initially raised in 2006 with eight battalions drawn from central paramilitary forces; it has since expanded to 16 battalions. State Disaster Response Forces play a similar role at state level. The Act also provides for national, state and district disaster response and mitigation funds, though the adequacy and timely release of funds remain frequent subjects of debate between Centre and states.

Critics note two limits. First, the Act's framework works best for sudden, large disasters and less well for slow-onset crises such as drought or heat, which cross departmental boundaries. Second, plans at district level are sometimes formal documents rather than rehearsed systems, with mock drills, stockpiles and clear local roles. A law creates authority; drills, budgets and local knowledge create readiness. A district plan that has never been tested in a mock drill is a document, not a capability, however well written it may be.