Role of department of agriculture and cooperation in disaster management

1. ROLE OF DEPARTMENT OF
AGRICULTURE AND
COOPERATION IN DISASTER
MANAGEMENT

2.  The Department of Agriculture and
Cooperation (DAC) in the Agriculture
Ministry is the nodal department for all
matters concerning natural calamities
relief at the Centre. In the DAC, the Relief
Commissioner functions at the nodal
officer to coordinate relief operations for
all natural calamities.

3.  For ensuring appropriate policy and
administrative response to natural
calamities, a clear identification of the
nodal organization and the pattern of inter-
action between the different Government
functionaries would be necessary.

4. Natural Calamities - Inter Action
Pattern.
 Relief Commissioner
The Relief Commissioner will be
assisted in the discharge of his duties by
the Additional Relief Commissioner and an
Emergency Operations Centre (Control
Room) in the DAC. The Control room will
function full scale round the clock after
receipt of first information about the
occurrence of a major natural calamity for
the period specified by the Relief
Commissioner for dealing effectively with
the crisis arising out of a natural calamity.

5. Control Room
 The present arrangements in the DAC for receiving
messages outside office hours are by way of a Night
Duty Cell and a telex facility, once a major natural
calamity occurs, a Control Room with full complement
of staff for round the clock functioning will be brought
into operation. The Control Room is intended to be the
nerve centre of all emergencies and will, therefore, be
adequately equipped and optimally located.
Immediately on the occurrence of a major natural
calamity, the members of the Crisis Management
Group (CMG) and the Control Room first shift
functionaries (duly identified in advance) required for
full scale functioning of the Control Room. The Duty
Officer of the Control Room will be an official of
sufficient maturity to grasp the seriousness or
otherwise of the information reports and convey to the
Agriculture Secretary/Relief Commissioner/ Additional
Relief Commissioner accordingly.

6. Duty officer's Functions
 The charter of duties of the Duty Officer will
clearly indicate the course of action that he is
required to take on receipt of messages of a
particular nature. The duty officer will have in
his possession the names, addresses and
telephone numbers of all members of the
Crisis Management Group and the essential
personnel of the Control Room. He will also
have the particulars of their alternates and
also the telephone numbers of the Control
Rooms of all the State Governments with

7. Control Room Equipping
 The personnel managing the full scale
Control Room would be drawn from the
DAC for emergency duties. The officers in
charge of Night Duty and Telex facility and
also Control room staff shall be given
advance briefing and training in the tasks
to be performed by them.

8. Control Room Responsibilities
The Control Room will:
 collect and transmit information concerning a
natural calamity and relief;
 keep close contact with the Govts. of the States
affected by a calamity;
 interact with other Central Ministries/Deptts. in
connection with natural calamities and relief;
 maintain records containing all relevant
information relating to action points and contact
points in Central Ministries/Deptts./ State
Governments; and
 perform such other functions and duties as may
be entrusted by the Relief Commissioner.

9. Dealing with first information
 The Control Room on receipt of the first information with
regard to occurrence of any major natural calamity will
immediately transmit the information to the following:-
 Secretary to the President,
 Secretary to the Prime Minister,
 P.S. to Agriculture Minister,
 P.S. to Minister of State(A&C),
 Cabinet Secretary,
 Secretary(A&C),
 Secretary, Rural Development,
 Secretary, Water Resources,
 Secretary, Power,
 Secretary, Civil Supplies,

10.  Secretary, Health,
 Secretary, Communication,
 Secretary, Surface Transport,
 Secretary, Science & Technology,
 Home Secretary,
 Defense Secretary,
 Secretary, I&B,
 Secretary(Food),
 Relief Commissioner,
 Joint Secretary (Scarcity Relief),
 Joint Secretary (Policy Planning),
 Agriculture Commissioner, and
 Animal Husbandry Commissioner.

11.  The first information report and the
subsequent periodical reports generated
by the Control Room will also be sent to
the Officers indicated by the Relief
Commissioner from time to time.

12. Designating Nodal Officers
 Every Ministry/Department of Central Govt.
dealing with the primary or the secondary
relief functions referred to in 'National Policy'
would designate an officer not below the rank
of a Joint Secretary as the nodal Officer with
an alternate for dealing with matters
concerning natural calamities and relief.
These nodal officers shall furnish information
to the Relief Commissioner through the
Control Room of the DAC on such periodicity
as may be determined by relief
Commissioner.