Vinod Bhat
New Delhi: The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) imparted disaster response training to over 25,800 personnel and volunteers across the country in 2025, the Centre informed the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.
In a written reply, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai said a total of 716 training courses were conducted during the year for NDRF personnel, State Disaster Response Forces (SDRFs), Civil Defence members, Home Guards, Fire Services personnel and community volunteers.
According to the data shared, 399 courses were organised for NDRF rescuers, benefiting 12,517 personnel, while 163 programmes were conducted for SDRFs covering 5,781 beneficiaries. Civil Defence volunteers underwent 102 training courses involving 3,178 participants, while 1,590 personnel from Home Guards and Fire Services were trained through eight programmes. Additionally, 44 courses were held for community volunteers, benefitting 2,791 people.
The minister said that special training modules have also been developed for rural and hilly areas under the Community Awareness and Capacity Building initiative of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). These modules focus on disaster risks such as Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs) and landslides, with tailored manuals for different target groups.
Capacity-building programmes are being conducted for state and district officials, while Panchayati Raj Institution members and local communities are being sensitised through village-level task forces, field visits to past disaster sites and practical skill-development sessions. Local-language information and awareness material is being disseminated with the involvement of NGOs, youth clubs and local institutions.
Rai said the effectiveness of the training programmes is evaluated through post-training tests, practical demonstrations and scenario-based exercises, along with structured feedback from participants to improve future training modules.
