Union home minister Amit Shah to attend NDMA formation day on September 28

Union home minister Amit Shah will attend the 18th formation day of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on September 28.

Shah will be the chief guest at the event, where he is scheduled to address the gathering of NDMA personnel and others.

Union home secretary, Ajay Bhalla, will also be participating in the event.

The Disaster Management Act was passed by the central government on December 23, 2005, which called for the establishment of the National Disaster Management Authority, headed by the Prime Minister, and State Disaster Management Authorities (SDMAs) headed by the respective chief ministers, to lead and implement a holistic and integrated approach to disaster management in India.

The vision of the NDMA is to "build a safer and disaster-resilient India by implementing a holistic, proactive, technology-driven and sustainable development strategy that involves all stakeholders and fosters a culture of prevention, preparedness, and mitigation."

In order to provide a prompt and efficient response to disasters, the NDMA is mandated to lay down the policies, plans, and guidelines for disaster management.

The NDMA is India's top disaster management body.

The Disaster Management Act of 2005 mandates the setting up of the NDMA and the creation of an enabling environment for institutional mechanisms at the state and district levels.

The NDMA's various responsibilities include establishing policies for disaster management, approving the national plan as well as plans prepared by government ministries or departments in accordance with the national plan, setting guidelines for state authorities to follow when creating the state plan, and laying down guidelines to be followed by the different ministries or departments of the government of India with the intention of integrating the measures for prevention of disaster or the mitigation of its effects in their development plans and projects.

The NDMA also coordinates the enforcement and implementation of the policy and plans for disaster management, suggests funding allocations for disaster mitigation, offers assistance to other countries affected by major disasters as determined by the central government, and takes other actions for disaster prevention, mitigation, and preparedness and capacity building for dealing with threatening disaster situations as it deems necessary.

For capacity building, the NDMA also collaborates closely with the National Institute of Disaster Management. It develops practices, delivers hands-on training and plans disaster management drills. It also provides equipment and training for disaster management cells at the state and local levels.