Bill to amend Disaster Management Act introduced in LS

01 Aug 2024 Evaluate

Union minister Nityanand Rai introduced a bill to amend the Disaster Management Act, 2005, in the Lok Sabha (LS) today. The amended bill includes a provision for creating a disaster database at the national and state level for timely disaster assessment and measures. 

The bill also seeks the constitution of an Urban Disaster Management Authority for state capitals and major cities. The disaster database will include fund allocation details, expenditure, and preparedness and mitigation plan as determined by the Centre. Union minister Nityanand Rai asserted that there is no interference in the rights of the states and disaster management is the first responsibility of the states. 

Opposing the bill at the introduction stage, Congress MP Manish Tewari said none of the entries in List 1 or List 2 of the Constitution dealing with central and state subjects deal with the issue of disaster management. He suggested that the government should amend the concurrent list to have a proper entry to cover the issue of disaster management. Tewari also noted that the rule making power of the Centre provided in the bill encroaches the powers of the states.

The bill was tabled in LS as 300 people died in rain-related incidents this week, with Kerala's Wayanad facing the maximum brunt. The Bill is scheduled for introduction in the Rajya Sabha.


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