Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has decided to designate the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) as the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and develop it into a dedicated disaster response agency with enhanced operational capabilities, infrastructure and manpower in a phased manner to strengthen disaster management across the state.
The decision was reiterated at 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 on Tuesday. The Minister also directed that a separate battalion and an officer-in-charge be established to exclusively command the force.
Pujari said the objective is to transform ODRAF into a professionally equipped and dedicated disaster response force capable of handling all types of natural disasters. He directed officials to operationalise the transition at the earliest in line with the provisions of the Disaster Management (Amendment) Act, 2025, which mandates the establishment of a State Disaster Response Force in every state. He noted that the Governing Body of the Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA) has already recommended designating ODRAF as Odisha’s SDRF in accordance with the operational framework issued by the National Disaster Management Authority.
Reviewing ODRAF’s performance during the recent floods, the Minister praised the force for its services under challenging conditions. As of August 4, ODRAF had deployed 59 teams comprising 674 trained personnel across nine flood-affected districts, supported by 59 rescue boats.
According to official figures, the force carried out nearly 58 hours of night rescue operations and rescued 1,393 people, including 852 men and 541 women. It also evacuated 19 pregnant women, shifted six snakebite victims to healthcare facilities, conducted 25 emergency medical evacuations, rescued 213 livestock and cleared 18 fallen trees to restore road connectivity. Overall, ODRAF provided 490 hours of uninterrupted rescue and relief services during the flood response.
Commending the courage and professionalism of the personnel, Pujari said their efforts had significantly strengthened Odisha’s disaster response capacity and reinforced public confidence in the state’s preparedness. He stressed the need for further institutional strengthening and systematic capacity building to enhance operational efficiency.
As part of the expansion plan, the proposed SDRF headquarters will be established at the upcoming Disaster Management Building (Biparjyaya Parichalana Bhawan). The force will also be expanded from the existing 20 units to 30 units with the addition of 10 new units to be strategically deployed across the state for quicker emergency response.
The Minister directed OSDMA, in coordination with the Police Department, to prepare a comprehensive Standard Operating Procedure covering operational responsibilities, training, infrastructure, equipment, recruitment and human resource management. He also called for detailed documentation of operational challenges faced during the recent flood response to improve future preparedness.
Reviewing the post-flood situation, Pujari instructed officials to expedite damage assessment in all affected districts and complete the evaluation of crop losses, agricultural land, vegetable cultivation, houses, schools, Anganwadi centres and other public infrastructure so that compensation and assistance can be provided to affected beneficiaries without delay.
The meeting was attended by OSDMA Managing Director Rajesh Prabhakar Patil, Advisor Kamal Lochan Mishra, Executive Director Susmita Behera, Financial Advisor-cum-Executive Director Siddhartha Shankar Acharya and other senior officials.
