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Current Affairs 19/12/23

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  1. Indian Heritage
  • Culture
  • Modern Indian history
  • The Freedom Struggle
  • Post-independence
  • Indian Society

A. population and associated issues

B. poverty and developmental issues

C.urbanization

   7. Geographical features

8.Indian Constitution

9. Polity

10. Governance

A. institutions

B. regulatory

C. Government policies

Foreign Trade Policy 2023

Foreign Trade Policy 2023 (FTP 2023) was launched on 31st March 2023 in New Delhi by the Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Shri Piyush Goyal. The Key Approach to the policy is based on these 4 pillars: (i) Incentive to Remission, (ii) Export promotion through collaboration – Exporters, States, Districts, Indian Missions, (iii) Ease of doing business, reduction in transaction cost and e-initiatives and (iv) Emerging Areas – E-Commerce Developing Districts as Export Hubs and streamlining SCOMET policy. It focuses on emerging areas like dual use high end technology items under SCOMET, facilitating e-commerce export, collaborating with States and Districts for export promotion. The new FTP is introducing a one-time Amnesty Scheme for exporters to close the old pending authorizations and start afresh. The FTP 2023 encourages recognition of new towns through “Towns of Export Excellence Scheme” and exporters through “Status Holder Scheme”.

The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry implemented the Advance Authorisation Scheme under the FTP 2023, which allows duty-free import of inputs for export purposes. To make the norms fixation process more efficient, the DGFT has created a user-friendly and searchable database of Ad-hoc Norms fixed in the previous years. These norms can be used by any exporter without requiring a Norms Committee review as outlined in the FTP 2023.

An initiative to issue system based automatic ‘Status Holder’ certificates under FTP 2023 was launched on 9th October 2023. Now the exporter will not be required to apply to the office of DGFT for a Status Certificate and the export recognition will be provided by the IT system based on available Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics (DGCIS) merchandise export electronic data and other risk parameters. This perspective is a paradigm shift in doing things as it not only reduces compliance burden and promotes ease of doing business but also recognizes the need and importance of collaboration within the Government. The Status Holder certification program provides credibility to the Indian exporters in the international markets. In addition, it provides certain other privileges including simplified procedures under FTP 2023 and priority custom clearances on self-declaration basis, exemption from compulsory negotiation of documents through banks, exemption from filing Bank Guarantee for FTP schemes etc.

D. role of NGOs

E. measures

11. Social Justice

A. Welfare schemes

Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH

National Horticulture Mission (NHM) is one of the sub schemes of Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) which is being implemented by State Horticulture Missions (SHM) in selected districts of 18 States and 6 Union Territories.For availing benefits and assistance under the scheme, farmers / beneficiaries should contact the Horticulture Officer of concerned district.Operational Guidelines, cost norms of different interventions being promoted under the mission, contact details of Mission Directors etc.

Horticulture Mission for North East & Himalayan States (HMNEH) is one of the sub schemes of Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) which is being implemented by State Horticulture Missions (SHM) in the North Eastern States and Himalayan States. For availing benefits and assistance under the scheme, farmers / beneficiaries should contact the Horticulture Officer of concerned district.Operational Guidelines, cost norms of different interventions being promoted under the mission, contact details of Mission Directors etc. are available on HMNEH web site. National Horticulture Board (NHB) is implementing various schemes under Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) in all States and UTs.

For availing benefits and assistance under NHB scheme, farmers / beneficiaries should contact the Regional Office of NHB or NHB Headquarters. Operational Guidelines, cost norms of different interventions being promoted by NHB, contact details etc. are available on NHB web site.

 Coconut Development Board (CDB) is implementing various schemes under Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) in all Coconut growing states in the country.For availing benefits and assistance under CDB, farmers / beneficiaries should contact the Regional Office of CDB or CDB Headquarters. Operational Guidelines, cost norms of different interventions being by CDB, contact details are available on CDB web site. Central Institute for Horticulture (CIH) was established at Medi Zip Hima, Nagaland in 2006-07 for providing technical back stopping through capacity building and training of farmers and Field functionaries in the North Eastern Region.CIH now one of the sub schemes of MIDH. However, CIH is not implementing any schemes directly. contact details are available on CIH web site.

Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY-RAFTAAR)

Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) – Remunerative Approaches for Agriculture and Allied sector Rejuvenation (RAFTAAR) aims at making farming a remunerative economic activity by strengthening the farmers‟ efforts, risk mitigation and promoting agri-business entrepreneurship.

Basic Features

  1. To incentivise the states so as to increase public investment in Agriculture and allied sectors.
  2. To provide flexibility and autonomy to states in the process of planning and executing Agriculture and allied sector schemes.
  3. To ensure the preparation of agriculture plans for the districts and the states based on agro-climatic conditions, availability of technology and natural resources.
  4. To ensure that the local needs/crops/priorities are better reflected in the agricultural plans of the states.
  5. To achieve the goal of reducing the yield gaps in important crops, through focussed interventions.
  6. To maximize returns to the farmers in Agriculture and allied sectors.
  7. To bring about quantifiable changes in the production and productivity of various components of Agriculture and allied sectors by addressing them in a holistic manner

Government e-Marketplace

A function was held by Government e-Marketplace (GeM) in partnership with Self-Employed Women’s Association, Bharat (SEWA Bharat) to commemorate the success of “Womaniya on Government eMarketplace (GeM)” on 14th January 2023 in New Delhi. Launched in 2019, the “Womaniya” initiative has sought to encourage the participation of women entrepreneurs and self-help groups (SHG) from the informal sector on the GeM portal and facilitate the sale of their products directly to various Government buyers, sans intermediaries.

GeM organized the â€˜à€•à„à€°à„‡à€€à€Ÿ-à€”à€żà€•à„à€°à„‡à€€à€Ÿ à€—à„Œà€°à€” à€žà€źà„à€źà€Ÿà€š à€žà€źà€Ÿà€°à„‹à€č 2023’ on 26th June 2023 to recognize the outstanding performance of government buyers and sellers in the public procurement process through GeM. GeM organized Buyer-Seller Workshops in all the 75 districts of Uttar Pradesh from 12th June 2023 till 31st August 2023 to enhance the understanding of GeM’s functionalities among buyers and sellers in the State, as well as provide a platform to address any queries or concerns they may have.

Rashtriya Gokul Mission

he Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying is implementing Rashtriya Gokul Mission for development and conservation of indigenous breeds, genetic upgradation of bovine population and enhancement of milk production and productivity of bovines thereby making milk production more remunerative to the farmers since 2014 throughout the country. The scheme is continued under revised realigned schemes of the Department from 2021-2022 to 2025-2026.

The Scheme is implemented with the following objectives:

  1. To enhance productivity of bovines and increasing milk production in a sustainable manner using advance technologies
  2. To propagate use of high genetic merit bulls for breeding purposes.
  3. To enhance Artificial insemination coverage through strengthening breeding network and delivery of Artificial insemination services at farmers doorstep.
  4. To promote indigenous cattle & buffalo rearing and conservation in a scientific and holistic manner

Major achievements made under the Rashtriya Gokul Mission (RGM) is at Annexure-I

(d) Under Rashtriya Gokul Mission funds have been released for setting up of 16 Gokul Grams as Integrated Indigenous Cattle development Centres with the aim of conservation and development of indigenous bovine breeds in a scientific and holistic manner.

The objectives of Gokul Gram are as under:

  1. To promote indigenous cattle rearing and conservation in a scientific manner.
  2. To enhance productivity of indigenous breeds and increase economic returns from animal products in a sustainable manner.
  3. To propagate high genetic merit bulls of indigenous breeds.
  4. To encourage appropriate technology for use of Draught Animal Power.
  5. To provide balanced nutrition and integrated animal health care.
  6. To optimize modern Farm Management practices and promote Common Resource Management.
  7. To promote Green Power and Eco technology.

 Atal Jyoti Yojana

the Union Minister for New & Renewable Energy and Power has informed about the installation of street lights under Atal Jyoti Yojana (AJAY).

The Phase-I of Atal Jyoti Yojana (AJAY) for installation of solar street lights (SSLs) with partial funding from MPLADS Fund was launched in September 2016 for implementation up to 31.03.2018. Till 31.3.2018, sanctions were issued by respective District Magistrates (DMs) for installation of around 1.45 lakh SSLs by utilising MPLADS Fund under AJAY Phase-I. Within the timelines allowed for installation of SSLs, a total of around 1.35 lakh SSLs could be installed.

The Phase-II of Atal Jyoti Yojana (AJAY) was launched in December 2018 for implementation within a period of one year, which was later extended till 31.3.2021. However, due to outbreak of COVID-19, the Government had suspended MPLADS Fund for two years i.e. for FY 2020-21 and FY 2021-22 and accordingly, the AJAY Phase-II, which was partially funded through MPLADS Fund, was discontinued w.e.f. 01.04.2020 for new sanctions.

SVAMITVA Scheme

Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR) is implementing SVAMITVA Scheme to provide Record of Rights (RoRs) to village property owners. The scheme aims to demarcate inhabited (Abadi) land in rural areas through the latest surveying drone technology.  It is a collaborative effort of MoPR, State Revenue Departments, State Panchayati Raj Departments and Survey of India. The scheme covers multifarious aspects, viz., facilitating monetization of properties and enabling bank loan; reducing property related disputes and comprehensive village level planning.  It is the stepping-stone towards achieving Gram Swaraj in true sense and making rural India Atma Nirbhar. MoPR has advocated the use of SVAMITVA property cards as an instrument for availing bank loan.  Details of discussions on the bank ability of “Record of Rights” under the SVAMITVA Scheme

B Health

C. Education

D. Human Resources

E. poverty and hunger

12. International relations

A. India and its neighbourhood

B. groupings and agreements

Bilateral Cooperation

India-USA

India and the United States held the 13th Ministerial-level meeting of India – United States Trade Policy Forum (TPF) in Washington, DC, on 11th January 2023. Union Minister of Commerce and Industry and the U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador co-chaired the meeting. The Ministers launched a new working group on “Resilient Trade” to deepen bilateral dialogue on a range of issues that can enhance the resiliency and sustainability of the trade relationship by strengthening resilience in global supply chains, especially in the critical sectors.

Several rounds of meetings were held this year to resolve all the seven ongoing disputes at the World Trade Organization (WTO) between India and USA. Six disputes were resolved during the visit of the Prime Minister to USA in June 2023 and last one was resolved in September 2023 during visit of the President of the United States for G20 Summit.

The India-US Commercial Dialogue meeting held on 10th March 2023 in New Delhi was co-chaired by the Union Minister of Commerce and Industry and US Secretary of Commerce. One of the major outcomes was signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on establishing semiconductor supply chain and innovation partnership facilitating a collaborative mechanism between the two governments on Semiconductor Supply chain resiliency and diversification in view of US’s CHIPS and Science Act and India’s Semiconductor Mission. An MoU on “Enhancing Innovation Ecosystems through an Innovation Handshake” was signed between the two countries on the 14th of November 2023 in San Francisco to further strengthen start-up ecosystems of both countries. The leaders’ Joint Statement during the historic official State Visit of Prime Minister in June 2023 announced the establishment of the “Innovation Handshake”.

India-UAE

India and UAE successfully held the 1st Meeting of the Joint Committee (JC) of the India-UAE CEPA from 11th -12th June 2023 in New Delhi. During the JC, both sides, inter-alia, reviewed the bilateral trade under the CEPA, agreed to operationalize the established committees/sub-committees/technical council under the CEPA, agreed on mutual exchange of preferential trade data on quarterly basis for effective monitoring of the CEPA, discussed various matters related to the implementation of the Agreement and agreed on addressing any issue that may potentially act as a hindrance to CEPA implementation or its usage by businesses on both sides, agreed on creation of a new sub-committee on Trade in Services, and also agreed to set-up a UAE-India CEPA Council (UICC) as a B2B collaboration mechanism, with a focus on MSMEs and start-ups, for building greater economic linkages and optimizing CEPA benefits.

The 11th meeting of the UAE-India High Level Joint Task Force on Investments (‘the Joint Task Force’) was held on 5th October in Abu Dhabi, co-chaired by His Highness Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Managing Director of Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA), and Union Minister of Commerce and Industry. The Joint Task Force was established in 2013 to promote trade, investment and economic ties between India and the UAE. The Joint Task Force has provided an effective mechanism for discussion on opportunities & prospects for investments in both countries as well as resolution of issues faced by investors of the two countries.

India-Africa

Union Minister of Commerce and Industry interacted with 15 ambassadors from key African nations namely Algeria, Botswana, Egypt, Ghana, Republic of Guinea, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Morocco, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda and Zimbabwe on 8th June 2023 in New Delhi. It provided a unique platform for diplomatic representatives to engage in fruitful discussions, strengthen bilateral ties, and forge new partnerships for mutual growth and development. Union Minister of Commerce and Industry addressed the 18th CII-EXIM Bank Conclave on ‘India-Africa Growth Partnership’ on 15th June 2023 in New Delhi.

United Nations Sustainable Development Goals


The Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD), Department of Rural Development (DoRD) has adopted multi-pronged strategies to improve the economic well-being of people in rural areas with the main focus on increasing livelihood opportunities, empowering rural women, providing social safety net skilling of rural youth, infrastructure development etc through its Programmes. In this regard, the Government is implementing a number of targeted programmes such as Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G), Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY NRLM), Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY) and National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP). The Department of Land Resources (DoLR) is implementing Watershed Development Component (WDC) of the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (WDC-PMKSY) with the primary objective to develop rainfed/ degraded lands.

The Resolution of the United Nations General Assembly on 25th September, 2015 established the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). SDG target 1.2 specifically aims at reducing at least half the proportion of men, women and children of all ages living in poverty in all dimensions. NITI Aayog has released the National Multidimensional Poverty Index: A Progress Review 2023. As per this report, 13.5 crore people escaped “Multidimensional Poverty” between 2015-16 and 2019-20. A steep decline has been reported in the number of multi dimensionally poor from 24.85% to 14.96% between 2015-16 and 2019-22. This indicates that India is well on course to achieve the SDG target 1.2 much ahead of 2030.

The proportion of multidimensional poor in 2019-21 being 19.28% in rural areas compared to 5.27% in urban areas. The estimates indicate that rural areas saw a faster reduction in their Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) value, compared to urban areas. The incidence of poverty fell from 32.59% to 19.28% in rural areas compared to a decline from 8.65% to 5.27% in urban areas between 2015-16 and 2019-21. The report is available in the public domain and can be accessed at the following website:

Apart from this, an evaluation of Centrally Sponsored Schemes in Rural Development Sector, including Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana was carried out by NITI Aayog in 2020 which found, inter-alia, that the scheme is well aligned with India’s international goals and is seen to contribute to SDGs 2 & 9 as it addressed the issues of poverty, hunger and infrastructure for growth. Further, the goal of WDC-PMKSY is to ensure sustainable improvement in productivity and livelihood / income potential of land, in particular rainfed cultivated areas and culturable wastelands.

C.Indian diaspora

13. Economic Development

A. Government Budgeting

Soil Health Management and Soil Health Card Schemes

The Government of India is implementing Soil Health Management & Soil Health Card Schemes under the National Project on Soil Health & Fertility of National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture since the year 2014-15. Soil health card provides information to farmers on nutrient status of their soil along with recommendations on appropriate dosage of nutrients to be applied for improving soil health and its productivity. So far, 23.58 crore soil health cards have been distributed to farmers. Now, these schemes have been merged as Soil Health & Fertility component of Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY). The guidelines for implementation of various activities have been issued to the farmers from time to time regarding the health of the soil under the scheme. Based on the recommendations on Soil Health Card (SHC), the trainings & demonstrations are conducted to create the awareness among the farmers for adopting the recommendations on judicious use of chemical fertilizers including secondary and micronutrients in conjunction with organic manures & bio-fertilizers. So far, 93781 farmer’s trainings, 6.45 lakh demonstrations, 7425 farmer’s melas/ campaigns on soil health card recommendations have been organized across the country.

B. industrial

Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority

In a move to harness export potential of millets to the Gulf Cooperation Countries (GCCs), Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Lulu Hypermarket LLC on 21st February 2023. This will facilitate manufactures to send various samples of millet products to Lulu Hypermarkets, which will be showcased at its various stores.

APEDA organized the Global Millets (Shree Anna) Conference on 18th March 2023 in New Delhi to stimulate the exports of millets from India and provide market linkage to the producers. Around 100 Indian millet exhibitors from different parts of the country and around 100 international buyers from various countries like the USA, UAE, Kuwait, Germany, Vietnam, Japan, Kenya, Malawi, Bhutan, Italy and Malaysia were invited to the Conference.

In a major boost to fruits exports prospects, APEDA has facilitated the export of the first trial shipment of the following: (i) fresh pomegranate to the USA through air route in August 2023;  (ii) fresh bananas to the Netherlands via a sea route on 9th November, 2023 from Baramati, Maharashtra; and (iii) water chestnut from LBSI Airport Varanasi to UAE on 20th November 2023.

Spice Board

Spice Board organized the World Spice Congress at Navi Mumbai from the 15th to the 17th of September 2023. World Spice Congress provides an opportunity to get to know this sector in a better way. Trade, sustainability, quality and food safety initiatives, recent developments, concerns and future prospects are discussed and deliberated in detail by the key players of the industry- the producers, traders, processors, exporters and regulators from across the world.

The Government of India notified the constitution of the National Turmeric Board on 4th October 2023. The National Turmeric Board will focus on the development and growth of turmeric and turmeric products in the country.

Tea Board

Tea Board participated in the reverse Buyer-Seller Meet (RBSM) in the “World Food India 2023” with value-added exporters and a number of buyers from countries like UAE, Russia, Egypt, France, Japan, Qatar visited the stalls. Generic Promotion of Assam tea in connection with its completion of 200 years of its journey was done through Audio Video advertisements and advertising (Digital and Static media) was continued at Guwahati International Airport in November 2023.

E.issues

14. Technology

15. Environment

16. Security

17. Disaster Management

AGENDA ON DISASTER RISK REDUCTION

The Prime Minister has enunciated ten-point agenda on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) during the Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (AMCDRR) held in New Delhi in November 2016. The all-inclusive agenda presents a holistic approach to disaster risk reduction and addresses a whole range of issues, from community preparedness to use of technology and international cooperation.

    The Prime Minister’s ten-point agenda on DRR is as under:

  1. All development sectors must imbibe the principles of disaster risk management.
  2. Risk coverage must include all, starting from poor households to SMEs to multi-national corporations to nation states.
  3. Women’s leadership and greater involvement should be central to disaster risk management.
  4. Invest in risk mapping globally to improve global understanding of nature and disaster risks.
  5. Leverage technology to enhance the efficiency of disaster risk management efforts.
  6. Develop a network of universities to work on disaster-related issues.
  7. Utilise the opportunities provided by social media and mobile technologies for disaster risk reduction.
  8. Build on local capacity and initiative to enhance disaster risk reduction.
  9. Make use of every opportunity to learn from disasters and, to achieve that, there must be studies on the lessons after every disaster.

10. Bring about greater cohesion in international response to disasters.

       The Prime Minister’s ten-point agenda provides practical guidance and added impetus to implement Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR) 2015 adopted by 187 countries, including India.  Each of the ten points on the Prime Minister’s ten-point agenda is aligned with one or more priorities of action of SFDRR.  It requires action by not only disaster management agencies but all parts of the Government at all levels.  Since the enunciation of Prime Minister’s ten-point agenda, the Government has taken many steps towards its implementation.  Steps taken by the Government for implementation and follow-up on Prime Minister’s ten-point agenda are annexed.

Annexure

    Major steps taken towards the implementation of Prime Minister’s ten-point agenda on DRR:

  1. All development sectors must imbibe the principles of disaster risk management.
  2. National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has developed the first National Disaster Management Plan (NDMP) in 2016.  The plan was revised in 2019 and is aligned with the ten-point agenda.  The revised NDMP brings together all the sectors, ministries and departments at Central and State level as well as district level functionaries and defines their respective roles and responsibilities in disaster risk reduction.
  3. NDMA has been reviewing, providing inputs and approving the Disaster Management Plans of different ministries and departments. So far, NDMA has approved 36 disaster management plans of different Ministries / Departments.
  4. In order to ensure that development sectors imbibe the principles of disaster risk management, NDMA has been supporting the development of sector specific standards, codes and guidelines. NDMA has developed the standardization and upgradation of codes and bye-laws of Seismic design of pipelines, performance-based design and seismic design and detailing of new structures for steel buildings.
  5. After the Prime Minister’s announcement that India will work towards establishing the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), a series of global, regional and national consultations were held to forge a consensus around the contours of the coalition. On 23rd September, 2019, the coalition was launched by Prime Minister at the United Nations Climate Action Summit, in New York.  So far, 37 countries and 7 other organizations have endorsed its charter and joined as Members. CDRI is presently supporting 13 Small Island Developing Countries in making their infrastructure systems disaster resilient.  In addition, CDRI is working on integrating disaster resilience in specific development sectors such as Power and Telecommunications.
  • Risk coverage must include all, starting from poor households to SMEs to multi-national corporations to nation states.

NDMA, as per the recommendations of fifteenth Finance Commission, has been working with several national institutions like Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI), General Insurance Corporation of India (GIC Re) and Insurance Institute of India (III) as also with multilateral institutions like Asian Development Bank, United Nations Development Programme and World Food Programme in designing insurance products. 

  1. Women’s leadership and greater involvement should be central to disaster risk management.
  1. While revising the NDMP, issues relating to women empowerment and their leadership role in disaster risk management has been given prominence.
  2. Participation of women in disaster risk management is increased through imparting training to women as Aapda Mitra volunteers, maintenance and management of Cyclone Shelter Management & Maintenance Committees (CSMMC) in the country through 50% women participation. Out of 94,197 trained Aapda Mitra volunteer, 16,822 are female. 
  3. Key roles to women are ensured in various Task Force Groups related to disaster preparedness and rescue operations, training and mock drills etc. 
  4. Mahila Contingent from Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) are also trained and deployed for National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) for disaster management.
  • Invest in risk mapping globally to improve global understanding of nature and disaster risks.
  1. NDMA has developed a web-based Dynamic Composite Risk Atlas and Decision Support System (Web-DCRA & DSS tool) for cyclone risk mitigation and response planning.  The tool has been successfully used in recent cyclones such as Biparjoy (June, 2023) and Cyclone Michaung (December, 2023)
  2. Government has taken steps to update hazard risk information and make it easily accessible to all infrastructure sectors so that all projects are disaster resilience.
  3. Flood Hazard Atlas have been developed by National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) for flood prone states of West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha, Assam and Uttar Pradesh and for comparatively less flood affected states such as Jammu & Kashmir, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Gujarat, Arunachal Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra.
  1. Building Material & Technology Promotion Council (BMTPC) has developed a digital atlas that captures the vulnerability of various parts of the country to different hazards.  All States and UTs have been sensitised to use this information in project preparation.
  2. NRSC has prepared a comprehensive data set of 28,000 glacial lakes in the Indian Himalayan Region.
  3. National Centre for Seismology has prepared a seismic micro-zonation of Delhi and has supported seismic micro-zonation of several other cities.
  • Leverage technology to enhance the efficiency of disaster risk management efforts.
  1. India Metrological Department (IMD) issues regular and precise weather forecasts & warning bulletins including for cyclones to all the affected/ likely affected States/ UTs.
  2. IMD uses a suite of quality observations from Satellites, Radars and Conventional & Automatic Weather Stations for monitoring of cyclones developing over the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea. It includes INSAT 3D, 3DR and SCATSAT satellites, Doppler Weather Radars (DWRs) along the coast and coastal Automated Weather Stations (AWS), High wind speed recorders, Automatic Rain Gauges (ARGs), Meteorological buoys and ships.
  3. Under the National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project (NCRMP) Early Warning Systems have been installed in the Coastal States, which have proved to be of great help in alert dissemination to the coastal community during recent cyclones.
  4. ‘Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) based Integrated Alert System’ has been initiated with an outlay of Rs. 354.83 Crore, for dissemination of geo targeted early warnings/alerts related to disasters to the citizens of India for all 36 States/UTs using various disseminating medium like SMS, TV, Radio, Indian Railways, Costal Sirens, Cell broadcast, Internet (RSS feed & Browser Notification), Satellite Receiver of GAGAN &NavIC etc., through integration of all alerting agencies, [India Meteorological Department (IMD), Central Water Commission (CWC), Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), Defence Geo-informatics Research Establishment (DGRE), Geological Survey of India (GSI) and Forest Survey of India (FSI)].  In CAP system, the alerts related to various disasters are generated by Alert Generating Agencies like IMD, CWC, INCOIS, DGRE & FSI and moderated by SDMAs of concern States/UTs.  The alerts are sent

to geo targeted areas in regional languages. There is a web-based dashboard to disaster managers for approving/editing alerts and choosing media for dissemination. The system has been used successfully in recent disasters.

  • Emergency Response Support System (ERSS) is a Pan-India single number (112) based emergency response system for citizens in emergencies.  Citizens can request help through Voice Call, SOS, SMS, Email, Web Request and Panic buttons on a mobile app to request for immediate assistance pertaining to events related to Police assistance, Fire, Ambulance, Women protection, Child safety etc. For seeking assistance related to disaster in country, various disaster helpline numbers in States/Districts are operational.  In order to implement the vision of Prime Minister for ‘Single Distress Number for all emergencies across the country’ the Project “Extension of ERSS” with existing single number “112”, has been initiated, which will also cater for emergency call related

to disasters. This project has been designed to leverage technology for a swift response to distress calls related to disaster thus mitigating loss of life and property.

  • The National Disaster Management Information System (NDMIS) has been launched for development of a comprehensive online module for capturing sector-wise data on disaster losses upto district level and to monitor progress on various targets of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR).
  • Develop a network of universities to work on disaster-related issues.

Indian Universities and Institutions Network (IUINDRR-NIDM) has been established, under the aegis of National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM), to highlight the role of education, research and training in disaster resilience and to develop model curricula for DRR with its integration at various levels. The IUINDRR provides a platform for interface between academia and policy. It also provides a platform for collaborative development of knowledge products on disaster risk reduction.  So far, 260 Universities and Institutes have joined the network. 

  • Utilise the opportunities provided by social media and mobile technologies for disaster risk reduction.
  1. A number of new mobile Applications such as Damini, Mausam, Sachet etc. have been developed for timely dissemination of early warnings and alerts to the common people.
  2. Various social media platforms are extensively used for awareness generation activities, Do’s & Don’ts in the form of text, short films, FAQs are shared from time to time on social media Platforms by NDMA and State Disaster Management Authorities (SDMAs).
  3. NDMA also uses social media channels to update the public on ongoing disaster events and the governments’ response to them. The Social Media is also used to amplify the reach of content delivered on print media (such as OpEd written by NDMA officers) and broadcast media (such as “Aapada Ka Samna” programmes).
  • Build on local capacity and initiative to enhance disaster risk reduction.
  1. In order to deepen disaster preparedness and response capacity at the local level in the country, Aapda Mitra Scheme, having an outlay of Rs. 369.40 Crore, has been launched to train 1,00,000 community volunteers in disaster rescue in 350 multi-hazards disaster prone districts, covering all States/UTs. So far, 94,197 Aapda Mitra volunteers have been trained. Each volunteer – Aapda Mitra or Aapda Sakhi – is given two-week intense training in disaster response (relevant to their area of operations), equipped with an Emergency Responder Kit (ERK), and provided an insurance cover for five years. In addition, each district is provided an Emergency Essential Resource Reserve (EERR) for the use of Aapda Mitra during disasters.
  2. In order to empower citizens to take charge of their own resilience to disasters, NDMA has been producing knowledge products that address their needs. For example,
    1. Home Owner’s guide for Earthquake & Cyclone safety (2019), provides details to those who are constructing a house and who are buying a flat in multi-storey buildings, which are made of either masonry or reinforced concrete (RCC)
    1. Simplified Guidelines for Earthquake Safety (2021), provides minimum requirements that have to be complied with while constructing earthquake resistant house.
  3. Under NCRMP, 24,007 Government officials from various priority sectors viz., Health, Education, Panchayat Raj Institutions, Urban Local Bodies, and Rural Development have been trained through 925 Capacity Building Trainings. 68,988 community representatives have been trained on various disaster response skills viz., First Aid, Search & Rescue, and Shelter Management through 3,421 Shelter Level Trainings.
  4. NDRF regularly conducts Mock Exercises in all 36 States / UTs on community disaster awareness in Floods, Cyclones, Earthquake, Landslide & Chemical,Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) in vulnerable areas with various stakeholders of Disaster Management / Response.  NDRF also conducts School Safety Programme (SSP) to impart training on disaster response to children in vulnerable schools in all 36 States/UTs of India. 
  5. Mock exercises and community awareness programmes are regularly conducted by NDMA and NDRF to create awareness among people.
  • Make use of every opportunity to learn from disasters and, to achieve that, there must be studies on the lessons after every disaster.
  1. In the aftermath of major disasters, NIDM as well as NDMA undertake field visits to document the lessons learned.  Example of such studies include: Biparjoy cyclone (June 2023); Good Practices in COVID response (2022); Gaja cyclone (September 2019); Tamil Nadu Floods (September 2017)
  2. NDMA has issued thirty-three (33) guidelines for management of hazard specific disaster on various thematic and cross-cutting issues. 
  1. Bring about greater cohesion in international response to disasters.
  2. Government has advanced regional cooperation on disaster risk management through active engagement under multiple regional organizations, such as Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical & Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) and Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA). Through these organizations, Government has conducted joint exercises as well as facilitated sharing of good practices in disaster management.
  3. Effective national and international response to disasters was discussed during the deliberations of Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group established under India’s G20 presidency. 
  4. The Government has been providing Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Support to disaster hit countries. Under the spirit of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’, Government of India had extended immediate help to Turkey and Syria, hit by massive earthquake in February, 2023, by dispatching NDRF and medical teams along with relief materials.