Context: India could soon be a part of the United Nations (UN) mandated international disaster rescue operations as the country’s federal contingency force, NDRF, is expected to obtain a globally recognised standardisation later this year.

Key Points

• The authorisation will be done by the Switzerland-headquartered the International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG).
• The international disaster response force tag is possessed by some of India’s neighbours like China and Pakistan.
• It will be a matter of great prestige for India that its force is known as an international response force.
• The international tag could lead to a cascading effect where NDRF can become a national accreditation agency for state disaster response forces and that also could be UN supported.

About National Disaster Response Force (NDRF)

• The National Disaster Response Force was raised in 2006 to undertake specific tasks of relief and rescue during natural and manmade disasters or life threatening situations.
• It has 12 operational battalions comprising more than 15,000 personnel based across the country at present while four more battalions are taking shape.
• The Disaster Management Act has statutory provisions for constitution of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).

Additional Information

INSARAG

• It was established in 1991 to facilitate coordination between the various international Urban Search and Rescue Assistance (USAR) teams who make themselves available for deployment to countries experiencing devastating events.
• It is a network of more than 90 countries and organisations under the UN umbrella to deal with urban search and rescue related issues.

INSARAG is mandated to

• Render emergency preparedness and response activities more effective and thereby save more lives, reduce suffering and minimize adverse consequences.
• Improve efficiency in cooperation among international USAR teams working in collapsed structures at a disaster site.
• Promote activities designed to improve search-and-rescue preparedness in disaster-prone countries, thereby prioritizing developing countries.
• Develop internationally accepted procedures and systems for sustained cooperation between national USAR teams operating on the international scene.
• Develop USAR procedures, guidelines and best practices, and strengthen cooperation between interested organizations during the emergency relief phase.