Disaster Risk Reduction in India: Why Prevention Still Gets Less Money Than Relief
An analysis published for the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction (13 October) asked whether India spends enough on preventing disasters, as opposed to responding to them.
India has become much better at saving lives. A 1999 super cyclone in Odisha killed nearly 10,000 people. When Cyclone Fani hit Odisha in 2019, about 1.2 million people were evacuated in under 48 hours, and the official death toll was 64.
But disasters still cause heavy losses. In 2026, floods in Assam killed about 100 people, cloudbursts in Jammu and Kashmir killed about 31, and lightning in Jharkhand killed 14. The OECD estimates that disasters cost India about 0.4% of GDP every year.
The Sixteenth Finance Commission set aside about ₹2.84 lakh crore for disaster management for 2026–31. About ₹1.64 lakh crore is for state response and relief, and about ₹40,880 crore for state mitigation (prevention). This works out to roughly ₹4 for response for every ₹1 for prevention.
The Commission also recommended adding heatwaves and lightning to the list of disasters notified for relief funding.
The analysis suggested turning early warnings into local action, building climate-proof infrastructure, making disaster plans that fit local hazards, and funding communities (panchayats, forest committees, self-help groups) to protect natural buffers like mangroves and wetlands.
Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015–2030)
The Sendai Framework is a global plan, agreed by United Nations member countries, to reduce the damage that disasters cause. It was adopted on 18 March 2015 in Sendai, Japan, and runs until 2030. Its main idea is that countries should not just react after a disaster, but should reduce the risk before it strikes. It sets 7 global targets and 4 priorities for action. It is voluntary and non-binding, which means countries are encouraged, not legally forced, to follow it.
The analysis argues that India's spending is still tilted towards relief, while Sendai's third priority asks countries to invest in risk reduction. Its ideas, like linking early warnings to farmers' and fishers' decisions and protecting mangroves, match Sendai's targets on early warning access and on cutting economic losses.
Disaster Response and Mitigation Funds: NDRF, SDRF, NDMF and SDMF
India pays for disaster work through four special funds created under the Disaster Management Act, 2005. Two are for response (helping people after a disaster): the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) and the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF). Two are for mitigation (reducing damage before a disaster): the State Disaster Mitigation Fund (SDMF) and the National Disaster Mitigation Fund (NDMF). How much money goes into these funds is decided every five years on the advice of the Finance Commission.
The analysis uses the Sixteenth Finance Commission's numbers to show that relief still gets about four times as much as prevention. Its call for more investment in mitigation, early warning and community action is really a call to use the SDMF and NDMF more fully.
Disaster Management Act, 2005
The Disaster Management Act, 2005 is India's main law for dealing with disasters. It created a three-level system of authorities: the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), chaired by the Prime Minister; State Disaster Management Authorities, chaired by Chief Ministers; and District Disaster Management Authorities, headed by the District Collector or Magistrate. It also set up the National Disaster Response Force and the National Institute of Disaster Management, and provided for disaster response and mitigation funds.
The funds and authorities created by this Act are the channels through which the money discussed in the analysis is spent. The call to fund panchayats and local plans links to the district authorities that the Act makes responsible for local preparedness.
- Disasters cost India about 0.4% of GDP every year (OECD estimate)
- Sixteenth Finance Commission (2026–31): about ₹2.84 lakh crore for disaster management; about ₹1.64 lakh crore state response and about ₹40,880 crore state mitigation; ratio about 4:1
- Heatwaves and lightning recommended for the notified disaster list
- 1999 Odisha super cyclone: nearly 10,000 deaths; Cyclone Fani (2019): 1.2 million evacuated in under 48 hours, 64 deaths
- Early warning system: more than 134 billion SMS alerts in over 19 languages; cell-broadcast alerts being rolled out nationwide
- Ahmedabad Heat Action Plan (India's first): estimated to have averted about 1,190 deaths a year in its early years
- International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction: 13 October