Lok Sabha Question No. 3437 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-01-01
Subject: Measures to Deal with CBRN Emergencies
Ministry: HOME AFFAIRS
Asked by: VIJAY KUMAR S.R., ASHOK SHANKARRAO CHAVAN, T. RADHAKRISHNAN, SUDHEER GUPTA, KUNWAR HARIBANSH SINGH, S. RAJENDRAN

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3437

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 01 ST  JANUARY, 2019/ PAUSHA 11, 1940 (SAKA)

MEASURES TO DEAL WITH CBRN EMERGENCIES

3437.     SHRI S.R. VIJAYAKUMAR:

SHRI ASHOK SHANKARRAO CHAVAN:

SHRI T. RADHAKRISHNAN:

SHRI SUDHEER GUPTA:

KUNWAR HARIBANSH SINGH:

SHRI S. RAJENDRAN:

Will the Minister of HOME AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has any stand by plan to protect its citizens from Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) attacks from terrorist or during war and if so, the details thereof;
- (b)  whether  the  National  Disaster  Management  Authority  (NDMA)  has conducted basic training programme for this purpose;
- (c) if so, the details thereof and the number of persons/agencies who have been trained to tackle CBRN emergencies;
- (d) whether the Government has undertaken a review of the threats posed by CBRN weapons in the hands of international terrorist organisations and if so, the details thereof;
- (e) whether the Government has also sought international co-operation on the said issue and if so, the outcome thereof; and
- (f)  the  steps  taken/being  taken  by  the  Government  to  prepare  NDRF  for timely response to any disaster situation in the country?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS (SHRI KIREN RIJIJU)

(a): Ministry   of   Home   Affairs   has   formulated   Standard   Operating

## L.S.US.Q.NO.3437 FOR 01.01.2019

Procedures (SOPs) for terrorist attacks using chemical weapons, radioactive material and biological agents and have circulated them to the stakeholders  and  the  States/UTs  for  implementation  and  formulation  of their own SOPs.

National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has also issued following guidelines on Biological disasters, Chemical Industrial disasters, Nuclear and Radiological Emergencies to all the stakeholders:

- (i) National Disaster Management Guidelines - Management of Biological Disasters
- (ii) National  Disaster  Management  Guidelines-Management  of  Chemical (Terrorism) Disasters
- (iii) National  Disaster  Management  Guidelines  to  handle  Nuclear  and Radiological Emergencies

The guidelines are available on NDMA's web-site www.ndma.gov.in under the link NDMA Guidelines.

NDMA has also conducted regular Mock Exercises for better preparedness against CBRN disaster.

In  order  to deal with the CBRN Emergencies, doctrine for Defence against

Nuclear, Biological & Chemical (NBC) weapons, CBRN equipment management policy and CBRN training policy are in place.

Twelve  Battalions  of  the  National  Disaster  Response  Force  (NDRF)  have also been specifically trained to deal with such crises.

(b) & (c): NDMA  has  initiated  CBRN  emergency  management/  training under the project basic training programme on CBRN Emergency Management at all point of entries (Airport, Seaports and Land Borders). NDMA has  already  completed  basic  CBRN  training  programme  on  CBRN Emergency  Management  for  Airport  Emergency  Handlers  (AEHs)  at  12 major airports namely, Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai, Varanasi, Patna, Ahmedabad, Thiruvananthapuram, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Delhi, Raipur and Chandigarh in the country.

The  training  programme  involved  emergency  handler  agencies  such  as Airports Authority of India, Central Industrial Security Force  (CISF), Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), State Police, State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA), Cargo Handlers, Shippers, Airlines, Medical Services and Fire Services.  Total 585 participants have been familiarized and trained in the basic CBRN training for AEHs at 12 major airports in the

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## L.S.US.Q.NO.3437 FOR 01.01.2019

country.    Also,  around  2500  working  level  staff  received  sensitization training on CBRN emergency management.

(d): Review  of  the  threats  posed  by  CBRN  weapons  is  a  continuous process  and  is  performed  by  Government  of  India  from  time  to  time.  At present there is no specific threat input on Chemical, Biological, radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) attacks by international terrorist organizations. However, there is close and effective coordination between concerned agencies at the Centre and the State levels to deal with threats posed by CBRN weapons in the hands of international terrorist organizations.

(e): India had signed bilateral/ multilateral agreements/MoUs/JDI with the several countries for cooperation in the field of disaster management.  This Ministry  regularly  deputes  NDRF  personnel  for  attending  the  training programme/ workshops regarding the issues related to CBRN emergencies organized by various international/regional organizations that has helped in the overall capacity building in the field of CBRN related issues.

(f): NDRF is well trained and equipped to deal with any disaster situation in  the  country  including  Chemical  Biological  Radiological  &  Nuclear (CBRN)   emergencies.   As   on   date   8643   personnel   of   various NDRF

## L.S.US.Q.NO.3437 FOR 01.01.2019

Battalions  are  trained  in  Basic  CBRN  training.  NDRF  has  pool  of  454 trainers and 183 Master Trainers. 64 NDRF personnel have been trained by Department  of  Atomic  Energy  (DAE)  in  Radiological  Safety  Officer  (RSO) certification course. The services of these trained personnel are utilized in the  capacity  building  and  for  responding  to  any  CBRN  emergencies.  For effective response the following measures have been taken: -

- i. 03 Coys of each NDRF Battalion are designated as CBRN coy to deal with any CBRN related disaster.

ii      08  Emergency  Response  Centres  (ERCs)  have  been  set  up  in  NDRF Battalions  by  DAE  at  Kolkata  (West  Bengal),  Arakkonam  (Tamil  Nadu), Pune (MH), Ghaziabad (Uttar Pradesh), Guwahati (Assam), Mundali (Odisha), Gandhinagar (Gujarat) and Bhatinda (Punjab).

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