New Delhi, September 10, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday said India’s approach and methodology towards disaster management have undergone a comprehensive transformation over the past 12 years under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Chairing the third meeting of the Governing Body of the National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM), Shah said the government had transformed the disaster management system by setting a goal of “Zero Casualty” and working towards achieving it.
“We have also successfully faced several disasters with ‘Zero Casualty’, which is a major achievement,” he said.
Shah said disaster management was earlier viewed largely through the prism of relief and rehabilitation. India, he said, has now entered a new era based on three pillars — risk reduction, early warning systems and the goal of zero casualties.
The Home Minister also highlighted the growing adoption of a “Whole of Government” approach, under which different government departments actively respond whenever a disaster occurs.
“With the strength of new research, we should take this process forward with greater speed and ensure continuous monitoring,” Shah said, stressing the need to further strengthen coordination across government departments.
He also linked effective disaster prevention with environmental protection, saying the Modi government had placed special emphasis on the issue.
“Ultimately environmental protection is the most effective means of preventing disasters,” Shah said, adding that environmental protection, risk reduction, resilience and a broad national vision were helping India gradually emerge as a model for the world.
Recalling the evolution of NIDM, Shah said its predecessor, the National Centre for Disaster Management, was once largely inactive at Krishi Bhawan. He said former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee took a historic decision in 2003 to revive the institution and bring it under the Ministry of Home Affairs, considering the broad scope of disaster management and the need for coordination among agencies.
Shah said Prime Minister Modi had subsequently played a significant role in revitalising the institution, with NIDM emerging in its present form with a strengthened and transformed mandate.
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