ABSTRACT
India has been traditionally vulnerable to natural disaster on account of its unique geo-climate conditions. Floods, droughts, cyclones, earthquakes, and landslides have been a recurrent phenomena. About 60% of the landmass is prone to earthquake of various intensities; over 40 million hectares is prone to floods; about 8 % of total area is prone to cyclones and 68% of the areas is susceptible to drought(1). In the decade 1990-2000, an average of about 4344 people lost their lives about about 30 million people were affected by disaster every year(50) The loss in terms of private, community and public assets has been astronomical. The Government of India have adopted mitigation and prevention as essential components of their development strategies. The plan emphasizes the fact that development cannot be sustainable without mitigation being built into development process. Each State is supposed to prepare a plan scheme for disaster mitigation in accordance with the approach outlined in the plan. In brief, mitigation is being institutionalized into development planning. The Finance Commission makes recommendation with regard to devolution of funds between Central Government and State Government as also outlays for relief and rehabilitation. In the present paper authors have made an attempt to highlight the measures, shortcoming, measures taken for the mitigation of the disaster.
