‘No rule to tag natural calamity national disaster, UPA govt said in 2013’

The government disclosed on Saturday that there’s no official provision to classify a natural calamity as a national disaster, as clarified in a 2013 Lok Sabha reply by then junior home minister Mullappally Ramachandran. The UPA minister indicated that severe calamities are assessed case-by-case, with additional assistance considered from the NDRF when necessary, following an established procedure.