Union cabinet clears 4 new NDRF battalions

SECURITY These will be based in J&K, Himachal, Uttarakhand, NCR

NEWDELHI: The Union cabinet on Thursday gave the nod to raising of four new battalions of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), which will be based in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and the national capital region.

The Union cabinet, at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has given the approval for raising of four additional battalions of the NDRF to strengthen India’s disaster response set up at an estimated cost of ₹637 crore, a government statement said.

The aim is to reduce the response time, keeping in view the vast geographical area of the country, according to the statement.

An NDRF battalion comprises a little over 1,000 personnel.

The statement said these four battalions will initially be raised in the Indo-tibetan Border Police (2 battalions) and one each in the Border Security Force (BSF) and the Assam Rifles.

“Later, these battalions will be converted into the NDRF battalions. Based on the vulnerability profile, these battalions will be positioned in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and the national capital region of Delhi,” it said.

The NDRF has 12 operational battalions at present. It is a specialised force that was raised in 2006 for specific tasks of relief and rescue during natural and man-made disasters and other threatening situations.

The operational battalions are located in Assam, West Bengal, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Punjab, NCR (Ghaziabad), Bihar, Arunachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh.