NDRF, a force raised by bringing on deputation personnel from paramilitary forces, is the first responder in case of any natural or man-made disaster and at present 10 battalions of the force are deployed in various parts of the country for such emergencies.
"Two more battalions for the force have been sanctioned by the Union Home Ministry. They will be culled out from the border guarding Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB)," NDRF Director General P M Nair told reporters here.
Each NDRF battalion has a strength of 1,149 personnel and these men are armed with gadgets and devices used for mitigating and rescuing people affected by disasters.
Nair said the force is also preparing a blueprint to include a small women component in its battalions for use in operations.
At present the 10 NDRF battalions are based in Guwahati (Assam), Kolkata (West Bengal), Cuttack (Odisha), Vellore (Tamil Nadu), Pune (Maharashtra), Gandhinagar (Gujarat), Bhatinda (Punjab), Ghaziabad (Uttar Pradesh), Patna (Bihar) and Vijaywada (Andhra Pradesh).
The DG said an 'All India National Disaster Response System' with active participation from state governments will also be launched soon.
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