The Disaster Management Act, 2005 (Act No. 53 of 2005) is a landmark legislative Act of the Parliament of India, containing 11 chapters and 79 sections, enacted to provide for the effective management of disasters. It received the President's assent on December 23, 2005. The Act was a direct response to the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, which highlighted the lack of a coordinated, structured, and legally backed disaster management framework in India. The legislation solved the problem of a reactive, relief-centric system by mandating a paradigm shift to a proactive approach emphasizing prevention, mitigation, and preparedness.
The Act's core mechanism is the creation of a multi-tiered institutional structure: the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), chaired by the Prime Minister; the State Disaster Management Authorities (SDMAs) (Section 14), chaired by the Chief Minister; and the District Disaster Management Authorities (DDMAs). The NDMA is responsible for laying down policies, plans, and guidelines for disaster management. Key provisions include the establishment of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) (Section 44–45) for specialist response and the creation of the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Funds (SDRF) for financing relief. The Act connects to the National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM) (Section 42) for capacity building.
The Act was recently amended by the Disaster Management (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which was passed by Parliament in March 2025. A significant change is that the NDMA and SDMA are now empowered to directly prepare the national and state disaster management plans, a function previously held by the National Executive Committee (NEC). The amendment also provides for the constitution of Urban Disaster Management Authorities and the creation of a national disaster database.