Shah addresses NDRF’s 20th Raising Day

VIJAYAWADA: Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah visited Vijayawada to grace the 20th Raising Day ceremony of the National Disaster Response Force.

He inaugurated and laid foundation stones for projects amounting to Rs 220 crore. These projects were the South Campus of the National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM), the 10th NDRF Battalion, and the Regional Response Centre at Supaul Campus.

He launched the new Integrated Shooting Range at Hyderabad’s National Police Academy and inaugurated the Regional Forensic Science Laboratory in Tirupati. Shah said that since 2014, the disaster management approach under Prime Minister Narendra Modi has changed from relief-orientated to rescue-centric and proactive. He attributed the improvement in disaster response to seamless coordination between local and national stakeholders, including Gram Panchayats, police, and the NDRF.

Shah praised the NDRF for making a zero-casualty score two years in a row with two major storms and also for doing globally appreciated work in Nepal, Indonesia, and Türkiye.

He said that the Central government had allocated more funds for disaster management from Rs 12,500 crore of the 12th Finance Commission to Rs 61,000 crore of the 14th.

Under Modi, India has become a global leader in disaster-resilient infrastructure through initiatives like the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), now comprising 48 member countries.

Shah mentioned public awareness initiatives, including Apps, portals, and the Common Alert Protocol, which are expanding to accommodate multiple languages.

Shah praised Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu for his support: land for the 10th Battalion of NDRF and the South Campus of NIDM.