First responders for disaster management to be set up in 350 districts: Amit Shah.

The government is working on a programme to set up disaster management volunteers in 350 districts of the country as first responders and mapping the Brahmaputra flood plains to create artificial lakes to mitigate the annual floods in Assam, Home Minister Amit Shah said Tuesday.

Speaking at an event to commemorate the 17th Formation Day of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Shah said: “No matter how much hard work we put into formulating responses and preparing plans, there will never be a time that NDRF and SDRF respond immediately to a disaster. If we need a response within seconds, it can only be done by the people of the country. Only trained Aapada Mitr (volunteers) in every village can achieve this.”