Lok Sabha passes National Disaster Management (Amendment) Bill, 2024

The Lok Sabha passed the National Disaster Management (Amendment) Bill, 2024, on Thursday which aims to improve the country's disaster management system.

The Bill, which amends the Disaster Management Act of 2005, was cleared in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday through a voice vote.

The Disaster Management (Amendment) Bill makes several important changes to the existing law.


The original Act set up key bodies, including the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA), to manage disasters at national and state levels. These authorities have a key role in planning for and responding to disasters.

However, the new Bill gives more responsibilities to these authorities.

What does the Bill aim to change?

One of the major changes is that the NDMA and SDMA will now be directly responsible for preparing national and state disaster management plans. Previously, these plans were prepared with the help of other committees.

The Bill also adds new responsibilities for the NDMA and SDMA, such as reviewing disaster risks, especially those related to climate change, and providing technical support to lower authorities.

Additionally, they will now be tasked with creating national and state-level disaster databases to track risks, funding, and preparedness efforts.

Another important change is that the Bill allows state governments to set up Urban Disaster Management Authorities for cities with municipal corporations. These authorities will be responsible for managing disaster plans in urban areas.

The Bill also empowers state governments to form a State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), similar to the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF). This force will focus on disaster response within the state.

Finally, the Bill gives official status to existing committees like the National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC) and the High-Level Committee (HLC). The NCMC will now deal with major national disasters, and the HLC will manage financial assistance during such events.