National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) Raising Day | 21 Jan 2026

Source: PIB 

Recently, the Prime Minister greeted and commended the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) on its Raising Day on 19th January 2026, marking the formation of the force. 

National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) 

• About: The NDRF was raised on 19th January 2006 under Disaster Management Act, 2005 and has expanded from 8 to 16 battalions, with 18,556 personnel deployed across 68 locations, including Regional Response Centres and Tactical Pre-positioning Locations. 
• Structure: It operates through four operational zones headquartered in New Delhi, with each battalion comprising 18 specialised search and rescue teams, while the NDRF Academy (2018) serves as the apex training institution with a new campus under development at Nagpur. 
• Mandate and Scope: The NDRF is mandated to respond to all natural and man-made disasters, including collapsed structures, floods, Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear(CBRN)  incidents, mountain and rope rescue, medical first response and animal rescue, with forest fire response added in 2022. 
• Global Disaster Response Experience: The NDRF has significant international experience, including operations during the Japan disaster (2011), Nepal earthquake (2015) and Operation Dost in Türkiye (2023), and is currently mentoring a Heavy Urban Search and Rescue team for International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG) certification. 
• CBRN Response & Training: Recognising emerging risks, the NDRF declared 2024 as the “Year of CBRN Preparedness” and conducted national workshops, specialised training, SOP formulation and coordination exercises.