Cabinet nod for 4 additional NDRF battalions

New Delhi, Aug 9: Aimed at strengthening the disaster response setup in the country, the Union Cabinet on Thursday approved four additional National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) battalions. “The Union Cabinet has given approval for raising four additional battalions of the NDRF at an estimated cost of Rs 637 crore,” said Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad during a press briefing, after a decision was taken in the Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He said that two of the four battalions will initially be raised in the Indo-Tibetan Border Police and one each in the Border Security Force and Assam Rifles. “Based on the vulnerability profile, these battalions will be placed in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Delhi and the National Capital Region. Later, these will be converted into NDRF battalions,” Prasad added.

Created in 2006, the disaster response force currently has 12 battalions stationed across the country for easy deployment during natural disasters and other emergencies. (IANS)