National Disaster Response Force Raising Day 2022: The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) Raising Day is annually marked on January 19. The NDRF was formed on this day in 2006. It is a specialised, multi-skilled, humanitarian force in India, which has been playing a crucial role in the country’s disaster management and community awareness for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR). In a first, The NDRF inducted a batch of 100 women disaster combatants and rescuers last year. The team, deployed to the banks of river Ganga in Garhmukteshwar town, Hapur district of Uttar Pradesh, were trained as complete rescuers. Every NDRF battalion is sanctioned to have 108 women combatants.
NDRF: Formation
The successive natural calamities from 1990 to 2004 led to the enactment of the Disaster Management Act on December 26, 2005. The result was the formation of the National Disaster Response Force. This was set up to lay down the plans, policies, and guidelines for disaster management.
NDRF: Structure
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) is the parent body of NDRF, which currently consists of 15 battalions from the Border Security Force (BSF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and Assam Rifles.
With more than 13,000 personnel, the battalions of the NDRF have been equipped to respond to natural as well as man-made disasters. They are also trained to respond during chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) emergencies. Each battalion has 18 self-contained specialist search and rescue teams including engineers, technicians, electricians, dog squads and medical/paramedics.
NDRF: Roles
The role of the NDRF is disaster management and community awareness for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) in India.
The personnel in NDRF are trained in flood rescue, rope rescue, collapsed structure search and rescue, and other activities to support people during any calamities.
NDRF: Highlights
The NDRF personnel were deployed during the Odisha floods amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The NDRF put together 6 tons of relief materials, in a short span of time, and sent for the cyclone that hit parts of Fiji.
The personnel of NDRF were involved in extinguishing the Dzukou Valley wildfires at the border of Manipur and Nagaland.
The NDRF has rescued more than 6.7 lakh people during its 3100 operations and saved more than 1 lakh lives.
