Over the years India has been able to establish a holistic Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) apparatus at National, State and District levels. The legal framework and the institutional structure are gradually taking roots in dealing with disaster risk management. Disaster Risk Reduction being a cross-cutting development issue, requires political and legal commitment, scientific knowledge, careful development planning, application of technology, law enforcement, community participation, early warning systems and effective disaster preparedness and response mechanism. There is a need to foster an enabling environment for developing a culture of prevention and to enable concerted measures to facilitate the integration of disaster management into developmental planning in various sectors and at all levels, from the National to the local, through a participatory decision making process.
In pursuit of this goal, Government of India has constituted a multi-stakeholder National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (NPDRR) vide Government’s Resolution No.47-31/2012-DM-III dated 26th February 2013. The National Platform aims to bring together the whole range of India’s disaster risk community from Government, Parliamentarians, Mayors, Media, International Organizations, NGOs, local community representatives, scientific and academic institutions and corporate businesses etc. It will help in sharing of experiences, views and ideas, present findings of research and action and explore opportunities for mutual cooperation in the field of Disaster Risk Reduction. The output from the National Platform will offer a strategic direction and a road map for the formulation of our future National Action Plans on DRR.
The Government of India recognizes the need to evolve a participatory process of decision making in disaster management with active involvement of the Central & State Governments and stakeholders including people representing different interests in the field of disaster management. An institutional mechanism to address this need will not only strengthen the disaster management structure and institutions all over the Country but also will strengthen the federal polity and democratic governance in the larger interest of its people.
Accordingly, a multi-stakeholders and multi-sectoral National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (NPDRR) was constituted by Government of India vide resolution dated 26th February 2013. The original Resolution was amended from time to time in order to have a wider participation of different stakeholders. Recently, the Government of India has undertaken a thorough review in the list of members of NPDRR and it has been decided to consolidate all the previous amendments and to issue a revised comprehensive Resolution on the constitution of the NPDRR.
The NPDRR is chaired by the Union Home Minister and the Minister of State in-charge of Disaster Management in the Ministry of Home Affairs and Vice-Chairman, National Disaster Management Authority is the Vice-Chairperson of the NPDRR. Special Secretary/Additional Secretary/Joint Secretary in-charge of Disaster Management Division in the Ministry of Home Affairs will be the convener of NPDRR. The other members of NPDRR are:
The First Session of NPDRR was organised on the theme of “Mainstreaming DRR in Development: from Risk to Resilience” at the Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi on 13 - 14 May 2013.
The session was inaugurated by Hon’ble Prime Minister of India Dr. Manmohan Singh and addressed by Shri Sushil Kumar Shinde, Hon’ble Union Home Minister, Shri M. Shashidhar Reddy, Hon’ble Vice Chairman, National Disaster Management Authority and Sh. Mullapally Ramachandran, Hon’ble MoS, Ministry of Home Affairs. The session was attended by more than 1000 delegates from Central and State Governments, NGOs, Public Sector, CBOs and other stakeholders.
The Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh inaugurated the two-day second meeting of National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (NPDRR) here today. The theme of the Second meeting of NPDRR is “Disaster Risk Reduction for Sustainable Development: Making India resilient by 2030”. The Union Minister for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, Dr. Harsh Vardhan, the Minister of State for Home Affairs, Shri Kiren Rijiju and Additional Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Dr. P. K. Mishra were also present on the occasion. The NPDRR is a multi-stakeholders National Platform headed by the Union Home Minister and it promotes participatory decision making in disaster management, and strengthens federal policy of our country.
The meeting was attended by over 1000 distinguished guests including State Ministers, Parliamentarians, Heads of Local Self Government, Heads of specialized disaster management agencies, academicians, representatives from private sector organizations, media and civil society organizations.