Taskforce to review NDMA functioning: Govt

Government has decided to review the functioning of National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and has constituted a task force for the purpose, the Rajya Sabha was informed today.
"Government of India has decided to constitute a task force to inquire into National Disaster Management Authority ...We are reviewing it (functioning of NDMA)," Minister of State for Home Mullapally Ramachandra said while replying to a question in this regard.
"My information is that the Government of India has received the report and we are examining it," he said.
Admitting to the shortcomings pointed out by CAG in the functioning of NDMA, the Minister said, "I am fully aware of revelations made by the Comptroller and Auditor General. Of course, there are complaints from some other sources about the functioning of National Disaster Management Authority."

To a supplementary question on whether there was any specific information by the Indian Meterological Department about cloudburst that led to the Uttarakhand disaster, the Minister said the warning was only "general".
"According to information given by the Indian Meteorological Department, they had issued a general warning of very heavy rains and thundershowers at isolated places on the 15th and 16th June, 2013, in the state of Uttarakhand," Ramachandran said.

"The warning was of general nature. The meteorological centre at Dehradun has specified the areas of heavy rainfall in Char Dham and issued advisories to the state government as well as other government departments," he said.

About India's preparedness for a nuclear disaster, he said the issue is "very serious" and government is looking into it.
"Definitely, it is a very serious issue and the Government of India is pondering over the matter...Prime Minister has taken special interest in such matters and he held several rounds of discussion with scientists about impending dangers out of such a nuclear holocaust," he added.