Lockdown Extended

• 15 Apr 2020

Why in News

Recently, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has issued an order under the Disaster Management (DM) Act, 2005.

• The order has directed the Chairman of the National Executive Committee, that existing lockdown measures be continued to be implemented in all parts of the country till May 3,2020.

Key Points

• The order is in response to the Prime Minister’s announcement that the lockdown measures imposed to contain the spread of Covid-19 pandemic would have to be extended till May 3,2020.
• The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has issued the order to all States and Union Territories (UTs) that with the extension of the lockdown, all restrictions that have been imposed in various sectors, and on various activities, will continue to remain in force.
• The first set of such guidelines to be followed by States for containment of Covid-19 pandemic was issued on March 24,2020 under the Disaster Management (DM) Act, 2005, invoked for the first time in the country.
• The DM Act, 2005 is a national law that empowers the Central Government to declare the entire country or part of it as affected by a disaster and to make plans for mitigation to reduce “risks, impacts and effects” of the disaster.
  
  • Covid-19 has been declared as a national disaster.

National Executive Committee

• A National Executive Committee (NEC) is constituted under Section 8 of the DM Act, 2005 to assist the National Disaster Management Authority in the performance of its functions.
• Union Home secretary is its ex-officio chairperson.
• NEC has been given the responsibility to act as the coordinating and monitoring body for disaster management, to prepare a National Plan, monitor the implementation of National Policy etc.

National Disaster Management Authority

• NDMA is the apex statutory body for disaster management in India, under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
• The NDMA was formally constituted on 27^th September 2006, in accordance with the Disaster Management Act, 2005 with the Prime Minister as its Chairperson and nine other members, and one such member to be designated as Vice-Chairperson.
• Mandate: Its primary purpose is to coordinate response to natural or man-made disasters and for capacity-building in disaster resiliency and crisis response. It is also the apex body to lay down policies, plans and guidelines for Disaster Management to ensure timely and effective response to disasters.
• Vision: To build a safer and disaster resilient India by a holistic, proactive, technology driven and sustainable development strategy that involves all stakeholders and fosters a culture of prevention, preparedness and mitigation.

Source: TH