The Lok Sabha today passed the Disaster Management (Amendment) Bill, 2024. The Bill amends the Disaster Management Act, 2005 and intended to strengthen the efficient working of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the State Disaster Management Authorities (SDMA). The bill empowers the NDMA and SDMA to prepare the disaster plan at national level and state level instead of the National Executive Committee and the State Executive Committee. The Bill also empowers the state government to constitute a separate Urban Disaster Management Authority for state capitals and cities with a municipal corporation. The Bill will provide for creation of disaster database at national and state level.
Replying to a debate on the Bill, Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai said, the Bill will ensure that effective mitigation and preparedness measures are undertaken. He said, the legislation has clarity on duties and responsibilities of the organisations. Rejecting the allegations of the opposition, the Minister said, there is no state in the country which was not provisioned funds towards State Disaster Relief Funds SDRF. He said, from 2004 to 2014 the budget provision for SDRF was only 38 thousand crore rupees. Mr Rai said, from 2014 to 2024 it went up three times to one lakh 24 thousand crore rupees. He said, the idea towards allocating money into the SDRF is to ensure that states are adequately prepared to respond to disasters. The Minister added that National Disaster Response Fund allocation also saw a jump of three times in the last ten years. He emphasised Government’s commitment to strengthen every concerned department and office for effective disaster management by enabling greater synergy and uniformity in operating procedures.
Participating in the discussion today, Ram Shiromani Verma of Samajwadi Party opposed the Bill saying that states should be given more freedom to act against disasters and relief measures. He said the compensation released under the Relief Fund should be enhanced. He added that the survey of areas susceptible to disasters should be mapped.
Member from DMK Kanimozhi stressed on prioritising early warning and prevention of disasters. She emphasised that if the warning is given much in advance, the lives of people could be saved by moving them to safer areas. She also argued that the proposed amendment is detrimental to the state governments’ rights and a dent on federal structure. She also called for preparation of detailed terrain and landscape database vulnerable to flood and other calamities. She added that this data should be shared with states. She also said the proposed Disaster Response Force has no clear financial resource linkage.
TDP MP Kesineni Sivanath welcomed the Bill saying the setting up of Urban Disaster Management Authority will empower disaster management activities. He said the setting up of authority at the district level will localise disaster management.
Dinesh Chandra Yadav of JDU said that the Bill’s proposals are based on a task force recommendation. He said the new sections introduced in the Bill will strengthen the Disaster Management Authority. He, however, said that global warming and its counter effects should be part of disaster management.
Congress MP Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka pointed at the lack of manpower in the Authority. He said that instead of its full strength of 80557 members, the Authority only has a strength of only 14197 members. He said there is a need to prepare a risk assessment report. He also charged that the proposed amendment will centralise all Commands and thereby deprive inter sector collaboration.
50 members of Lok Sabha participated in the discussion.
