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2mo ago

Centre Classifies Heatwaves and Lightning as Notified Natural Calamities

The move allows states to draw on central disaster funds to pay for relief and heat‑mitigation projects.

The current list of notified disasters has 12 entries: cyclone, drought, earthquake, fire, flood, tsunami, hailstorm, landslides, avalanches, cloudburst, pest attack, and frost and cold waves.

Overview

  • The Centre announced in a Lok Sabha reply on Tuesday that heatwaves and lightning are added to the list of notified natural calamities for the 2026–31 SDRF/NDRF operational period.
  • Government data show 4,853 heatstroke cases and 20 confirmed deaths reported since March 1, with Maharashtra recording 11 deaths and Telangana reporting the most cases at 915.
  • The Home Ministry said a policy framework is now in place so states can apply for relief from the State Disaster Response Fund and National Disaster Response Fund and that mitigation projects can receive disaster‑mitigation funding.
  • Health and disaster agencies have scaled operational tools: the National Heat‑Related Illness and Death Surveillance system is active across more than 51,000 reporting units and the NPCCHH uses IMD heat bulletins while the NDMA issues Heat Action Plan guidance.
  • The change could shift how states pay for cooling centers, occupational protections and urban heat measures and should increase eligibility for central support, though official counts may still understate the full health toll of extreme heat.