Evolution of DM in India
Disaster Management in India has evolved from “Activity based Reactive setup” to a pro active institutional structure, from a relief based approach to a multi dimensional, multi stake holder, proactive holistic approach. Over the past century, the Disaster Management in India has undergone tectonic shift in composition, nature and policy.
DM during British and Post Independence
The beginning of institutional structure for DM can be traced from mid of 1800s following the series of disasters such as famines of Bengal, Bihar Nepal earthquake of 1937. During the British regime, relief departments were setup for emergencies during disasters and policy was relief oriented and activities included designing the relief codes and initializing “Food for Work” programs.
During the Post Independence period, the task for managing the disaster continued to rest with relief commissioners in every state who functioned under Central Relief Commissioner, whose role was limited to delegation of relief material and money in the affected area.
Emergence of Institutional Arrangement in India
A permanent and institutionalized setup began in the decade 1990s with a setup of Disaster Management Cell under the Ministry of Agriculture, following the declaration of the decade of 1990 as the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction by UN.
Disaster Management Framework
Shifting from the relief and response mode, Disaster Management in India started to address the issues of early warning systems forecasting and monitoring for various hazards. Structure for flow of information in the form of warnings, alerts and updates about the oncoming hazards also emerged within this framework.