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MHA Issues Notification For Enhanced Disaster Response Framework
The Union Ministry of Home Affairs, in an effort to recalibrate the country's disaster management process, has delegated responsibilities across Central ministries and departments, which will act as nodal agencies in the event of a disaster
Sep 24, 2025 · 2 min read
With rising challenges primarily due to climate change and other man-made disasters, the Central government has decided to overhaul and enhance India’s preparedness and response mechanism. As part of the endeavour, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has issued a notification under which, for the first time, specific Central ministries and departments have been designated as nodal agencies.
This essentially means that the disaster management framework is being shifted from a centralised model to a distributed and specialised structure. The notification aims to recalibrate India’s disaster management process.
Why Is It Important?
This year, many parts of India were affected by major floods, cloudbursts, and extreme heat.
According to the World Bank, more than 60 per cent of India’s agriculture is rain-fed, making the country highly dependent on groundwater. “Even without climate change, 15 per cent of India’s groundwater resources are overexploited,” it said.
Extreme weather conditions have become rampant in India. For the last few years, India along with several other countries have been experiencing floods, extreme heatwaves, leading to droughts and pollution. This would severely disrupt lives and livelihoods, and even dent the economic growth of the country.
The government has taken several steps to address the challenges.
Through the notification, ministries have been assigned clear mandates not just for disaster response, but also for early warning, prevention, mitigation, preparedness, and capacity building.
Until now, the MHA's Disaster Management Division functioned as the central authority, tasked with formulating policies, coordinating with states, and monitoring disaster-prone regions.
Breakdown Of Responsibilities
The Ministry of Defence has been delegated the responsibility of undertaking disaster response in the event of an avalanche or oil spills. The Ministry of Earth Sciences will issue early warnings for cold waves, cyclones, tornadoes, earthquakes, heat waves, lightning, tsunamis, hailstorms, and heavy rainfall.
Biological disasters will be handled by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), and the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare has been entrusted with managing the situation during frost and cold waves, droughts, hailstorms, and pest attacks.
The Ministry of Jal Shakti will handle floods and glacial lake outbursts, while the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs will act during urban floods (excluding early warning), the notification said.
The Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change has been given the duty of handling forest fires and industrial and chemical disasters; the Ministry of Mines will carry out response measures during landslides; and the Department of Atomic Energy will manage nuclear and radiological emergencies, the notification further said.
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