MoS Nityanand Rai praises NDRF for missions in adverse conditions

NEW DELHI: Minister of state in the home ministry Nityanand Rai on Thursday praised the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) for making its mark in the field of disaster management by having rescued nearly 1.5 lakh persons and evacuating 7.5 lakh to safety in its 8,500 rescue missions so far, and said the force had gone beyond its call of duty, “especially during Amphan” when it “did so much to save Bengal, probably in the face of negative support it was getting”.
Even as Rai’s mention of “negative support” during relief and rescue operations in the aftermath of Amphan cyclone that hit West Bengal in 2020 was possibly directed at the state administration, he did not elaborate further on the source of the “negtive support”.
Around 100 people were killed in West Bengal due to the impact of the cyclone, said a PTI report.
“I will request the NDRF that like in the past you have shown courage during disasters by even not caring for your comfort, not caring for your respect, you have gone beyond your call of duty, especially during Amphan and we saw the NDRF did so much to save Bengal, probably in the face of negative support it was getting...”
“Had NDRF not shown the courage...it was not that someone was deliberately putting the lives at risk... but there was less trust on the forecast made by agencies but the NDRF never thought about all this and it decided that if the forecast is there, we have to keep ourselves prepared (to undertake its work in West Bengal),” he said.
Rai said the decisions taken under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to bolster the disaster mitigation and management framework have led to a remarkable improvement in the country’s response to disasters and minimised the loss of life and property. “NDRF is the country’s only force that responds expeditiously to disasters with trained rescue personnel, latest technological aids and state-of-the-art equipment. Whether it is building collapse, floods, cloudburst, landslides or train accidents, NDRF expertise and response has been appreciated by all,” said the MoS.
According to an update shared by Rai, NDRF has been training young volunteers to act as first responders until its trained personnel reach the disaster-struck area. “So far, NDRF regional response centres have trained 10,000 citizen volunteers and are expected to train up to 70,000 more by 2024,” he stated.