THEBUSINESSBYTES BUREAU

BHUBANESWAR, AUGUST 4, 2026

The Odisha government on Tuesday decided to designate the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) as the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and transform it into a dedicated disaster response force with enhanced operational capabilities, infrastructure and manpower to strengthen the state's disaster management mechanism.

The decision was reiterated during a high-level review meeting on Odisha's disaster management system and infrastructure chaired by Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari at Lok Seva Bhawan here.

The minister said the transformation of ODRAF into a professionally equipped and dedicated State Disaster Response Force would be implemented in a phased manner over a period of time. He also directed officials to establish a separate battalion with an exclusive officer-in-charge to command the force.

Reviewing ODRAF's performance during the recent flood emergency, Pujari lauded the force for its exemplary services under extremely challenging conditions, saying its personnel had displayed exceptional courage, professionalism and commitment while carrying out rescue and relief operations.

According to official figures, as on August 4, ODRAF had deployed 59 teams comprising 674 trained personnel in nine flood-affected districts, supported by 59 rescue boats.

The teams conducted nearly 58 hours of night rescue operations and rescued 1,393 people, including 852 men and 541 women.

Besides rescuing stranded people, the force evacuated 19 pregnant women, shifted six snakebite victims to healthcare facilities, carried out 25 emergency medical evacuation operations, rescued 213 livestock and removed 18 fallen trees to restore road connectivity.

Overall, the force rendered 490 hours of uninterrupted rescue and relief services in flood-affected areas, officials said.

Commending the force, the minister said the personnel's dedicated service had significantly strengthened Odisha's disaster response capacity and reinforced public confidence in the state's preparedness to tackle natural calamities. He stressed the need to further improve ODRAF's operational efficiency through systematic capacity building and institutional strengthening.

Pujari said the Disaster Management (Amendment) Act, 2025, provides for the establishment of a State Disaster Response Force in every state. In line with the operational framework issued by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), the Governing Body of the Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA) has recommended that ODRAF be designated as Odisha's SDRF.

The minister directed officials to operationalise the decision at the earliest and develop the force into a fully dedicated State Disaster Response Force exclusively responsible for disaster response and management.

As part of the proposed expansion, the SDRF Headquarters will be established in the upcoming Disaster Management Building (Biparjyaya Parichalana Bhawan). The force will also be strengthened with 10 additional units, increasing its strength from 20 to 30 units, which will be strategically deployed across the state to ensure quicker emergency response.

Pujari further instructed the OSDMA, in coordination with the Police Department, to prepare a comprehensive Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) covering operational responsibilities, training standards, infrastructure, equipment, recruitment and human resource management.

He also directed officials to document the operational challenges encountered during the recent flood response to improve future disaster preparedness and response strategies.

Reviewing the post-flood situation, the minister instructed officials to expedite damage assessment in all affected districts and complete evaluation of losses relating to crops, agricultural land, vegetable cultivation, houses, schools, Anganwadi centres and other public infrastructure to ensure timely disbursement of compensation and assistance to affected beneficiaries.

The meeting was attended by OSDMA Managing Director Rajesh Prabhakar Patil, Advisor Dr Kamal Lochan Mishra, Executive Director Susmita Behera, Financial Advisor-cum-Executive Director Siddhartha Shankar Acharya and other senior officials.