• Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi called on the government to declare the recent calamity in Kerala’s Wayanad a national disaster.

• Speaking during Zero Hour, Rahul also demanded higher compensation for the people affected.

• There is no provision, whether executive or legal, to officially declare a natural disaster as a national calamity. 

• The current guidelines for the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) and the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) do not include any provision for designating a disaster as a national calamity.

What is a disaster?

• According to Section 2 (d) of the Disaster Management Act, 2005 disaster means “a catastrophe, mishap, calamity or grave occurrence in any area, arising from natural or man-made causes, or by accident or negligence which results in substantial loss of life or human suffering or damage to, and destruction of, property, or damage to, or degradation of, environment, and is of such a nature or magnitude as to be beyond the coping capacity of the community of the affected area”.

• Disasters are often described as a result of the combination of: the exposure to a hazard; the conditions of vulnerability that are present; and insufficient capacity or measures to reduce or cope with the potential negative consequences. 

• Disaster impacts may include loss of life, injury, disease and other negative effects on human physical, mental and social well-being, together with damage to property, destruction of assets, loss of services, social and economic disruption and environmental degradation.

Previous attempts to define national calamity

• In 2001, the National Committee on Disaster Management, chaired by the then Prime Minister, was tasked with defining the parameters for a national calamity. However, the committee did not establish any fixed criteria. 

• Recently, there have been calls from states to classify certain events as national disasters, including the Uttarakhand floods in 2013, Cyclone Hudhud in Andhra Pradesh in 2014, and the Assam floods in 2015, Kerala floods in 2018.

How does govt classify disasters/calamities?

• The 10th Finance Commission (1995-2000) considered a proposal to designate a disaster as a “national calamity of rarest severity” if it impacts one-third of a state’s population. 

• However, the Commission did not define “calamity of rare severity”, stating that such a designation should be assessed on a case-by-case basis. This assessment would consider factors like the intensity and magnitude of the calamity, the level of assistance required, the state’s capacity to manage the situation, and the flexibility of available relief plans.

• The Uttarakhand flash floods and Cyclone Hudhud were subsequently classified as calamities of “severe nature”. When a calamity is designated as of “rare severity” or “severe nature”, national-level support is provided to the affected state government, including additional assistance from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF).

• A Calamity Relief Fund (CRF) is established, with a corpus shared 3:1 between the Centre and the state. 

• If CRF resources are insufficient, additional support can be drawn from the National Calamity Contingency Fund (NCCF), which is entirely funded by the Centre. 

• Additionally, relief measures such as concessional loans or grants for those affected are considered once a calamity is declared as “severe”.

How is the funding decided?

• According to the National Policy on Disaster Management, 2009, the National Crisis Management Committee, chaired by the Cabinet Secretary, handles major crises with serious or national implications. 

• For calamities classified as severe, inter-ministerial central teams are dispatched to the affected states to assess the damage and determine the necessary relief assistance. 

• An inter-ministerial group, led by the Union Home Secretary, reviews these assessments and recommends the amount of assistance from the NDRF or the National Calamity Contingency Fund (NCCF). 

• Based on these recommendations, a high-level committee, chaired by the Finance Minister and comprising the Home Minister, Agriculture Minister, and Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission, approves the central assistance.

Disaster management in India

• While the primary responsibility of disaster management rests with the states, the central government supports the efforts of state governments by providing logistical and financial support.

• However, the National Policy on Disaster Management put in place at the Centre, state and district levels will help the states manage disasters in an effective manner. 

• The Disaster Management Act, 2005 included provisions for the constitution of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) for the purpose of specialised response to natural and man-made disasters.

• The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), headed by the Prime Minister of India, is the apex body for disaster management in India. 

• Setting up of NDMA and the creation of an enabling environment for institutional mechanisms at the state and district levels is mandated by the Disaster Management Act, 2005.

• The State Disaster Management Authority was established in the state under the chairmanship of the Chief Minister with eight other members under section 14 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005 by a government notification in June 2008. It is the apex body for disaster management in the state.

• At the district level, District Disaster Management Authorities have been created.

• It lays down the policies, plans and guidelines for disaster management for ensuring timely and effective response to disaster and long-term disaster risk reduction.

• India is also a signatory to the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR) that sets targets for disaster management.

(The author is a trainer for Civil Services aspirants.)