The Ministry of Home Affairs issued the NDMP to streamline the roles of ministries, departments and local bodies in disaster management. The plan aligns with the Disaster Management Act, 2005 and the National Policy on Disaster Management (NPDM) 2009.
Key Developments (2016‑2019)
- Initial framing of the NDMP in 2016, providing a unified disaster‑risk framework.
- Comprehensive revision in 2019 after consultations with all stakeholders, incorporating newer global commitments.
- Integration of the Prime Minister’s Ten‑Point Agenda on Disaster Risk Reduction into the plan.
- Emphasis on social inclusion, technology, and international cooperation.
Important Pillars of the Revised NDMP
- Conformance with national legal mandates: Disaster Management Act, 2005 and NPDM 2009.
- Alignment with global frameworks: Sendai Framework, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the Paris Agreement.
- Implementation of the Ten‑Point Agenda covering development integration, risk coverage, women’s leadership, risk mapping, technology, academia, social media, local capacity, learning from disasters, and international coordination.
- Social inclusion as a cross‑cutting principle.
- Mainstreaming of disaster risk reduction across all sectors.
Exam Relevance
Disaster management is a recurring topic in GS2 (Polity & Governance) and GS3 (Environment & Climate Change). Understanding the legal framework (Disaster Management Act), policy documents (NDMP, NPDM), and international commitments (Sendai Framework, Paris Agreement) helps answer questions on disaster risk reduction, climate resilience, and inter‑governmental coordination. The Ten‑Point Agenda highlights governance‑centric priorities such as women’s leadership and technology, useful for essay and case‑study questions.
Way Forward
- Strengthen capacity at district and block levels through regular training and mock drills.
- Operationalise risk‑mapping using GIS and satellite data, linking it with urban planning.
- Promote public‑private partnerships for insurance coverage of vulnerable households and SMEs.
- Institutionalise post‑disaster learning mechanisms to feed lessons into policy revisions.
- Enhance coordination among ministries, academia, and civil society as envisaged in the Ten‑Point Agenda.
Overall, the revised NDMP and the Ten‑Point Agenda provide a structured roadmap for India’s disaster risk reduction, aligning national action with global commitments and offering ample material for UPSC preparation.