National Disaster Response Force

About National Disaster Response Force:

• It was established under section 44 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005.
• It is aimed at specialized response to natural and man-made disasters.
• Initially established in 2006 with 8 Battalions, the NDRF has now expanded to 16 Battalions, drawn from the CAPF, viz Border Security Force, Central Reserve Police Force, Central Industrial Security Force, Indo-Tibetan Border Police, Sashastra Seema Bal and Assam Rifles.
• Role: It is a multi-skilled and highly specialist force capable of dealing with all types of natural and man-made disasters like Floods, Cyclone, Earthquakes, Landslides, Building-collapse, Trains and road accidents etc.
• The strategic deployment of NDRF resources, characterized by “proactive availability” and “pre-positioning” during imminent disaster situations, has proven instrumental in mitigating damages caused by natural calamities across the country. 
• It has been very active in responding to natural disaster under multi-lateral and bi-lateral agreement at International level.
  • The NDRF teams responded during triple disaster (Earthquake, Tsunami and Radiation Leakage) of Fukushima, Japan in 2011 and during Earthquake in Nepal in 2015.
• It functions under the purview of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and is headed by a Director General.

Q1:What is the main role of the National Disaster Response Force?

The prime task of NDRF is to provide specialized response during disasters. During normal situations, NDRF upgrades its skills by rigorous training, regular practice and mock drills.

Source: PIB