{"id":121227,"date":"2026-08-27T11:17:04","date_gmt":"2026-08-27T05:47:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=121227"},"modified":"2026-08-27T11:17:04","modified_gmt":"2026-08-27T05:47:04","slug":"heatwaves-as-disasters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/heatwaves-as-disasters\/","title":{"rendered":"Heatwaves as Disasters: How States Can Access Full Disaster Fund"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><b>Heatwaves as Disasters Latest News<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Recently, the Ministry of Home Affairs informed the Lok Sabha that <\/span><b>heatwaves and lightning<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> have been added to India&#8217;s list of notified natural calamities, expanding the total list to <\/span><b>14.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This follows a recommendation by the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/16th-finance-commission\/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>Sixteenth Finance Commission<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (FC-XVI) and operational guidelines issued on June 30.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Combined with the 2024 amendment to the Disaster Mitigation Fund guidelines, heatwaves are now eligible for the full State Disaster Risk Management Fund pool.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>India&#8217;s Disaster Finance Architecture<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Under <\/span><b>Article 280<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of the Constitution, the Finance Commission recommends arrangements for disaster management funds.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The FC-XVI recommended <\/span><b>\u20b92.04 lakh crore<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for State disaster funds over the five years from 2026-27 to 2030-31 \u2014 nearly 28% higher than the previous Commission&#8217;s allocation.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This corpus is split into two components:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u2014 \u20b91.6 lakh crore, meant for immediate response, relief, and reconstruction following a disaster<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>State Disaster Mitigation Fund (SDMF)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u2014 the remaining amount, meant to fund longer-term interventions that reduce the risk of a climate event escalating into a disaster<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These funds are available to all States, with inter-State distribution determined by a formula incorporating a <\/span><b>disaster risk index<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (accounting for hazard frequency, intensity, exposure, and vulnerability) along with States&#8217; expenditure during the previous Commission&#8217;s tenure.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Separately, the FC-XVI recommended <\/span><b>\u20b979,406 crore for national disaster funds<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> over the same period, which States can access when a disaster&#8217;s severity exceeds their own resources \u2014 as Kerala did following the 2024 Wayanad landslides.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Heat&#8217;s Earlier Disadvantage<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Heat previously occupied an awkward position in this system.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">States could notify a heatwave only as a &#8220;local disaster&#8221; and draw on the SDRF \u2014 but subject to a cap of just 10% of their annual allocation, and only after establishing separate compensation norms for loss of life or crop damage.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Other notified disasters like floods and cyclones faced no such ceiling. The new notification removes this asymmetry, placing heatwaves on par with other disasters.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>India&#8217;s Growing Heat Exposure<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India&#8217;s exposure to extreme heat is rising sharply. Using 35 indicators spanning climate change, exposure, and vulnerability, experts estimate that over <\/span><b>57% of Indian districts<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u2014 home to roughly three-fourths of the population \u2014 face <\/span><b>high to very-high heat risk<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The number of hot days annually has increased, alongside a rise in very warm nights and relative humidity, which reduces the human body&#8217;s ability to recover after heat exposure.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>What States Can Now Fund<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/national-disaster-management-authority-ndma\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">National Disaster Management Authority<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> has directed all States, districts, and cities to develop Heat Action Plans (HAPs) that map heat risk and vulnerability and identify short, medium, and long-term interventions.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So far, 300 cities and districts across 23 heatwave-prone States have HAPs.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, implementation has lagged due to limited technical capacity, competing priorities, and inadequate funding \u2014 a 2023 review found that 79% of HAPs simply asked city departments to self-allocate funds, without dedicated financing.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The new Central notification provides two clearer financing routes:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Under the SDRF:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> States can provide relief and compensation for heat-related losses<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Through the SDMF:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> States can finance longer-term risk-reduction measures such as cooling shelters and early-warning systems<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">State Disaster Management Authorities and State Emergency Operations Centres will serve as the nodal agencies managing both funds.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>The Road Ahead: Four Priorities<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Expand heat planning<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While 12 States have notified heatwaves locally, only about 300 cities and districts have HAPs \u2014 leaving roughly 4,800 urban local bodies and 800 districts without one.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Heat-specific SDMF guidelines are still awaited, though existing norms require risk and vulnerability assessments before projects can be proposed \u2014 precisely the groundwork HAPs are designed to provide.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Convert plans into fundable projects<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">States need model mitigation proposals tailored to local climate and geography.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Since many local bodies lack the technical capacity to prepare such proposals, research institutions, NGOs, and philanthropic organisations could offer technical support and risk capital to help translate plans into appraisable projects.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Strengthen health surveillance<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Accurate loss-and-damage data will now determine relief payouts.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Health Ministry&#8217;s surveillance system, covering over 51,000 reporting units, recorded 4,853 heatstroke cases and 20 confirmed heatstroke deaths between March 1 and July 26 \u2014 but it does not capture the broader burden of heart, lung, and kidney conditions aggravated by heat.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Link heat solutions to other schemes and adopt fast-payout tools<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">States should identify convergence with existing government development programmes and deploy pre-agreed instruments like parametric insurance, which pays out automatically once a set temperature threshold is crossed.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Similar tools already exist for other hazards \u2014 Nagaland, for instance, operates rainfall insurance that pays out when rainfall crosses a defined threshold.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Conclusion<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The formal notification of heatwaves as a natural calamity marks a significant step in aligning India&#8217;s disaster finance architecture with its growing climate risk profile.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, expanded funding eligibility alone will not suffice \u2014 States must urgently scale up Heat Action Plans, build technical capacity to convert plans into fundable projects, strengthen health surveillance, and adopt innovative instruments like parametric insurance to ensure this financial window translates into effective, on-ground heat resilience.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>S<\/b><strong>ource: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.downtoearth.org.in\/climate-change\/india-updates-disaster-list-to-include-heatwaves-and-lightning-after-finance-commission-push\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">DTE<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/epaper.thehindu.com\/reader\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">TH<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Heatwaves as Disasters now give Indian States wider access to disaster funds for relief, mitigation, Heat Action Plans and long-term climate resilience.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":121247,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[9818,60,22,59],"class_list":["post-121227","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","tag-heatwaves-as-disasters","tag-mains-articles","tag-upsc-current-affairs","tag-upsc-mains-current-affairs-tag","no-featured-image-padding"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121227","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=121227"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121227\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":121259,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121227\/revisions\/121259"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/121247"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=121227"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=121227"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=121227"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}