NEW DELHI: A restructured National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), the apex body which deals with natural and man-made disaster in the country, is on the cards. The NDMA has remained headless since June after its vice-chairman and members appointed by the erstwhile UPA Government stepped down in June following the change of guard at the Centre.
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday said that the organisation would be revamped soon to meet the new challenges posed by disaster management. The Home Minister admitted that an effective communication system was necessary to deal with disasters like the recent deluge in Jammu & Kashmir, where all communication links with the rest of the country got snapped which brought the entire machinery to a grinding halt.
According to Rajnath, lack of connectivity had delayed the rescue and relief operations. As part of the proposed revamp, the government has downgraded the status of the NDMA vice-chairman, who earlier enjoyed Cabinet rank, to the rank of Secretary.
Interestingly, P K Mishra, Additional Principal Secretary to the PM, who had recommended a complete overhaul of the NDMA, was among the invitees to Monday’s NDMA Formation Day festivities. Earlier, Express had exposed chinks in armour of NDMA communication system revealing that emergency communication system for 24X7 Operation Centre was running with a single telephone link.