Centre tables amendments to disaster management Act in LS

Union minister Nityanand Rai on Wednesday tabled a bill proposing amendments to the disaster management Act, 2005 in the Lok Sabha

Union minister Nityanand Rai on Wednesday tabled a bill proposing amendments to the disaster management Act, 2005 in the Lok Sabha, saying the Centre is working on the policy of “zero casualties” during disasters in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pledge of making India a developed country by 2047.

Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai said the legislation seeks to legally establish the National Crisis Management Committee and several other panels. (PTI)

Moving the Disaster Management (Amendment) Bill, 2024 for consideration and passage, Rai, Union minister of state for home affairs, said the legislation seeks to legally establish the National Crisis Management Committee and several other panels.

“India faces a variety of disasters across seasons. The government is working on the policy of ‘zero casualties’ in line with PM Narendra Modi’s pledge of making India a developed country by 2047,” Rai said, adding that since the Modi government has come to power, losses have come down due to able disaster management techniques.

The bill also focuses on strengthening the functions of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA), the minister said.

“States faced difficulties in implementing the Disaster Management Act of 2005. The proposed amendment is based on overcoming the difficulties flagged by states to the Union home minister,” Rai added.

Opposing the bill, Congress lawmaker Shashi Tharoor described it as “disaster”, alleging it would lead to centralisation of power in the hands of the Union government.

The legislation seeks to weaken the national executive committee and state executive committees related to disaster management, he said, claiming the bill is constitutionally untenable as it lacks on various fronts, is “ill thought out” and will lead to “overlapping”.

Asking the government to withdraw the bill, Tharoor said: “…far from strengthening and making effective our crisis management mechanisms, and far from bringing more clarity and convergence to our prevailing disaster management instruments and institutions, it exacerbates the problem.”