Tri-Services Humanitarian Relief and Disaster Response Framework
1. Indian Armed Forces safeguard sovereignty yet also act as first responders, delivering humanitarian, medical, and disaster relief, augmenting civilian capacities during major emergencies across India and partner countries.
2. The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami was a watershed for India’s HADR, requiring tri-services coordination; Army, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard mobilised manpower, equipment, and logistics across land, sea, and air.
3. During Operation Seawave on 26 December 2004, the IAF launched search-and-rescue missions with Mi-8 helicopters from Car Nicobar, sustaining intensive Andaman operations using IL-76, AN-32, HS-748 aircraft, and helicopters.
4. After the tsunami, about 20,900 personnel were deployed; 40 naval/coast guard ships, 34 aircraft, and 42 helicopters participated; 28,734 people were rescued on the mainland, and over 6,000 stranded persons were evacuated from islands.
5. Operation Castor aided Maldives after the tsunami: INS Mysore, INS Udaygiri, and INS Aditya sailed to Malé with helicopters, water purification plants, medical teams, supplies, and relief equipment.
6. Operation Rainbow assisted Sri Lanka after the tsunami: a Dornier aircraft delivered a medical team and 600 kg of supplies to Colombo on 26 December; naval vessels reached Galle and Trincomalee on 27 December.
7. The Disaster Management Act, 2005 governs domestic response through NDMA, SDMAs, and DDMAs; states hold primary responsibility while the Centre provides support; the NCMC under the Cabinet Secretary oversees command, control, and coordination.
8. International HADR policy follows the Prime Minister’s 10-point DRR agenda (Agenda 10); NDMA issued International HADR Guidelines in October 2024, stressing sovereignty, transparency, accountability, ethics, and inclusivity as operational principles.
9. The MEA is the nodal ministry for overseas HADR; its Rapid Response Cell, established in 2021, coordinates with NDMA, NDRF, Armed Forces, and the Airports Authority, enabling faster diplomatic and logistics integration.
10. The MHA operates a 24×7 Integrated Control Room for Emergency Response, coordinating with NDRF, NDMA, and MEA for HADR activities; NDMA manages central control room operations and mission coordination nationwide.
11. Operation Samudra Setu began on 5 May 2020; over about 55 days, the Indian Navy repatriated 3,992 citizens by sea using INS Jalashwa, Airavat, Shardul, and Magar, covering around 23,000 km.
12. Operation Ganga during the Ukraine conflict (Feb–Mar 2022) evacuated 18,282 citizens through 90 flights, including 76 commercial and 14 IAF flights, with government funding ensuring zero evacuation cost.
13. Operation Dost responded to the 6 February 2023 Türkiye–Syria earthquake; India sent over 250 personnel and more than 135 tonnes of aid on five C-17 aircraft, and established an army field hospital at Iskenderun with specialist teams.
14. Operation Brahma, after the 28 March 2025 Myanmar earthquake, delivered around 750 tonnes of aid; a field hospital treated over 2,500 patients; six aircraft and five naval ships transported relief material.
15. Operation Sagar Bandhu was launched on 28 November 2025 after Cyclone Ditwah in Sri Lanka; it delivered 1,058 tonnes of relief, evacuated 264 people by Mi-17 helicopters, and opened a Bailey Bridge on 23 December.
Must Know Terms :
1.Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR)
HADR: Relief support activated when civilian capacity is strained, focused on life-saving assistance, evacuation, medical care, logistics, and restoration of essential services. Overseas assistance is routed through the Ministry of External Affairs, which receives the request and coordinates with national disaster-management authorities, armed forces, civil aviation and port/airport operators. The Home Ministry maintains a 24×7 emergency control-room mechanism for coordination with national response forces and state administrations. Standard military contributions include airlift/medevac (Air Force), sealift and offshore evacuation (Navy), engineering and medical units (Army), and maritime search-and-rescue (Coast Guard). During Cyclone Fani (May 2019), deployment figures included 19 Army columns, 09 Engineering Task Force, 27 aircraft/helicopters, and 16 armed forces ships for relief and rescue operations.
2.Operation Seawave (2004)
Operation Seawave: India’s large tri-services response after the Indian Ocean tsunami of 26 December 2004, covering mainland support, Andaman & Nicobar operations, and external assistance. Immediate search-and-rescue began on 26 December 2004 with Mi-8 helicopters operating from Car Nicobar airfield, followed by sustained air effort using IL-76, AN-32, HS-748 aircraft and multiple helicopter types for relief airlift, evacuation, and reconnaissance. The overall response scale is recorded as around 20,900 personnel mobilised, with 40 naval/coast-guard ships, 34 aircraft, and 42 helicopters. Recorded outcomes include 28,734 persons rescued on the mainland, more than 6,000 stranded people moved from Andaman & Nicobar to the mainland, and about 6.36 lakh people shifted to safer locations and housed in 930 relief camps. Regional assistance included Maldives support (ships arriving 28–30 December 2004) and Sri Lanka support with medical teams and supplies delivered starting 26 December 2004, and ships reaching Galle and Trincomalee on 27 December 2004.
3.Disaster Management Act, 2005
Disaster Management Act, 2005: The legal basis for India’s disaster governance architecture at national, state, and district levels. NDMA was constituted by executive order on 30 May 2005 and later notified under Section 3(1) on 27 September 2006. The National Executive Committee is constituted under Section 8, chaired by the Union Home Secretary, with secretary-level members from key ministries and the Chief of Integrated Defence Staff as an ex-officio member. The National Disaster Response Force is constituted under Section 44; the current structure is 16 battalions, each with 1,149 personnel. The National Disaster Response Fund is constituted under Section 46 to supplement State Disaster Response Funds in disasters of severe nature when state resources are inadequate. SDRF is constituted under Section 48(1)(a); states may use up to 10% of SDRF for local disasters not in the notified list, subject to state norms and approvals.
4.National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC)
NCMC: The highest-level crisis coordination body chaired by the Cabinet Secretary for major disasters with serious or national ramifications. It coordinates inter-ministerial actions, reviews resource mobilisation, and issues directions for national-level response execution. Statutory recognition for this crisis coordination mechanism was formalised through amendments notified to take effect on 9 April 2025, embedding it more clearly within the national disaster-management legal framework.
5.Rapid Response Cell (RRC)
Rapid Response Cell (RRC): An operational coordination node within the Ministry of External Affairs, used for rapid processing of overseas emergencies and assistance requests. It was established in 2021 and is used for fast inter-ministerial coordination, including linkages with disaster-management authorities, national response forces, armed forces, and air/sea transport stakeholders. In India’s overseas assistance workflow, the RRC functions as a designated point of contact at the Joint Secretary level for receiving a requisition from a foreign government and routing it into the national decision chain and deployment planning.
6.NDMA International HADR Guidelines (October 2024)
NDMA International HADR Guidelines (Oct 2024): A national operational framework for providing overseas humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. It lays out a staged decision and deployment process: requisition receipt and assessment; approval through national decision authorities; specification of assistance type and scale; mobilisation and deployment through defence and logistics channels; centralised coordination through a designated emergency operations mechanism; monitoring and reporting during operations; de-induction on orders; and closure through an after-action report with documented lessons and periodic updating of procedures. The workflow identifies a Joint Secretary-level point of contact in MEA for requisition handling, and it provides a structured link from foreign requisition to national approval and then to operational deployment through defence coordination structures.
Key Takeaways
a.Indian Armed Forces, while safeguarding India’s sovereignty and borders, also act as first responders and enablers of national resilience through humanitarian, medical and disaster relief support.
b.The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami was a watershed moment for India’s HADR framework because the disaster’s scale and reach demanded an unprecedented, coordinated tri-services response. The Army, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard deployed extensive manpower, equipment, and logistics across land, sea, and air.
c.3,992 Indians were repatriated by sea over 55 days under Operation Samudra Setu during Covid-19, pandemic.
d.In 2025, the Indian Army deployed 141 columns across 80+ locations in ten states, rescuing 28,293 civilians, providing medical aid to 7,318 people, and delivering relief assistance to 2,617 individuals.
e.Under Operation Brahma in March 2025, a 60-bed Indian Army field hospital in Myanmar treated over 2,500 injured earthquake victims within two weeks; six aircraft, five Indian Naval ships delivered 750 MT of HADR material
f.Operation Sagar Bandhu was undertaken following Cyclone Ditwah in 2025, to restore connectivity in Sri Lanka, evacuate over 2,500 people and delivered 1,058 tonnes of relief material while IAF evacuated 264 survivors including foreign nationals.
MCQ
1. Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations primarily aim to ensure:
A) Long-term reconstruction financing
B) Permanent troop deployment in affected areas
C) Prompt, efficient, coordinated, and responsive reaction when disasters overwhelm civilian capacities
D) Replacement of civilian disaster management institutions
2. The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami is described as a watershed moment for India’s HADR because it required:
A) Single-service coastal policing
B) Unprecedented coordinated tri-services response across land, sea, and air
C) Exclusive reliance on civilian helicopters
D) Only international agencies to lead relief
3. The Indian Air Force operation launched immediately after the 26 December 2004 tsunami is named:
A) Operation Rahat
B) Operation Megh Rahat
C) Operation Seawave
D) Operation HIMRAHAT
4. Operation Seawave initially deployed Mi-8 helicopters from:
A) Agra airbase
B) Car Nicobar airfield
C) Jamnagar airbase
D) Port Blair civil airport only
5. In the 2004 tsunami response, the total personnel deployed from Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard and forces mentioned was about:
A) 9,200
B) 12,500
C) 20,900
D) 50,000
6. Under Operation Castor (assistance to Maldives), which ships were launched for Malé?
A) INS Vikrant, INS Satpura, INS Savitri
B) INS Mysore, INS Udaygiri, INS Aditya
C) INS Jalashwa, INS Shardul, INS Magar
D) INS Sukanya, INS Sandhayak, INS Sharda
7. Under Operation Rainbow (assistance to Sri Lanka), a Dornier aircraft delivered a medical team and 600 kg supplies to:
A) Galle
B) Trincomalee
C) Colombo
D) Jaffna
8. Domestic disaster response in India is governed by which statute?
A) Civil Defence Act, 1968
B) Disaster Management Act, 2005
C) Armed Forces Special Powers Act, 1958
D) Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897
9. The overall command, control and coordination during major domestic disasters is overseen by:
A) NDMA Chairperson
B) National Crisis Management Committee under the Cabinet Secretary
C) NDRF Director General
D) Ministry of Defence Operations Room
10. For overseas HADR engagement, the nodal ministry responsible for diplomatic coordination is:
A) Ministry of Home Affairs
B) Ministry of Defence
C) Ministry of External Affairs
D) Ministry of Health & Family Welfare
11. The Rapid Response Cell (RRC) under MEA was established in:
A) 2014
B) 2018
C) 2021
D) 2024
12. NDMA’s International HADR Guidelines were issued in:
A) October 2022
B) October 2023
C) October 2024
D) October 2025
13. Operation Samudra Setu during COVID-19 repatriated by sea:
A) 669 Indian citizens
B) 3,992 Indian citizens
C) 11,200 Indian citizens
D) 18,282 Indian citizens
14. Operation Ganga (Ukraine, 2022) evacuated:
A) 2,171 people through sea routes
B) 3,992 people over 55 days
C) 18,282 citizens through 90 flights
D) 11,200 people within four hours
15. Operation Brahma (Myanmar, 2025) included establishment of a field hospital that treated over:
A) 1,000 patients
B) 2,500 patients
C) 7,318 patients
D) 28,293 patients
0 comment