NDRF trains over 66 lakh in disaster resilience

Over 66 lakh people across the country have been imparted basic disaster preparedness and combat training by the NDRF till now as part of its efforts to create effective response against calamities like earthquakes and floods, a latest data has said.

The premier disaster response force conducts four types of awareness modules -- community awareness programmes, school safety programmes, familiarisation exercises and mock drills -- round the year.

The data accessed by PTI stated that a total of 66,27,069 people were the beneficiaries of these programmes organised in all the regions of the country since the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) was raised in 2006.

A total of 1,0193 sessions were held during the same period by the force, the data said.

NDRF Director General Sanjay Kumar said the aim of the exercises is to make a disaster-resilient society and prepare the local population in effectively tackling any kind of a man-made or natural calamity.

"Over 66 lakh people from across all age groups have been trained till now as part of these awareness-creating programmes. The frequency of these sessions increases when we are not undertaking active operations," Kumar said.

He said the sessions inform the participants about the do's and don'ts and the first responder steps that should be undertaken in anticipation and during a disaster. These sessions have seen an increase over the last year and we propose to hold more such demo classes, the DG said.

The NDRF is the federal disaster contingency force and had undertaken a total of 2,095 operations all over the country till now.

It is currently deployed and pre-positioned in a number of flood-affected and prone states.

The NDRF, raised in 2006, has 12 battalions with a strength of over 13,000 personnel and is based in various states.