Union Minister Amit Shah Launches ICR‑ER, NDEM Lite 2.0 & Flood Hazard Zonation Atlas at Assam Conference.

On 16 June 2025, Union Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated three cutting-edge disaster-management platforms in Guwahati, Assam—during the Annual Conference of relief commissioners and State Disaster Response Forces. These are the Integrated Control Room for Emergency Response (ICR‑ER), National Database for Emergency Management (NDEM) Lite 2.0, and the Flood Hazard Zonation Atlas of Assam. All were launched to improve response speed, coordination, and precision in handling natural disasters.

      - NDEM Lite 2.0 upgrades the existing geo-portal with a mobile-friendly interface, giving NDRF, SDRF, and district-level personnel access to critical GIS maps, real-time hazard alerts, and unified operational data—even in remote locations—to act cohesively and swiftly during disasters.

      - Flood Hazard Zonation Atlas – Assam’s Flood Blueprint: Using satellite data (1998–2023) and near-real-time flood-mapping, the atlas identifies flood-prone areas down to the village level, covering 28.5% of Assam’s districts. It provides immediate visibility into river water levels, inundation zones, and precise risk maps—empowering authorities with data for flood mitigation, agriculture planning, and relief operations.

      - National “Zero-Casualty” Disaster Vision: Amit Shah emphasized a shift from reactive relief to proactive, zero-casualty disaster strategy, crediting institutions like NDMA, NDRF, and CDRI for enhancing India’s disaster readiness over the past decade. He stressed enabling every district relief commissioner to develop a District Disaster Management Plan within 90 days to ensure robust district-level infrastructureis.

Main Point :-   (i) The ICR‑ER platform, under the Ministry of Home Affairs, integrates live satellite imagery from ISRO to provide real-time situational awareness across India. It enables instant data sharing between central and state agencies—accelerating coordination and informed decision-making during emergencies.

      (ii) Tools like AI analytics, drone surveillance, IoT sensors, and satellite communication are now central to government disaster strategy. Amit Shah highlighted that these technologies, combined with platform coordination, are making rescue operations faster, safer, and more efficient—extending preparedness down to the tehsil level.

(iii) Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma praised the flood atlas for aiding floodplain development control, promoting flood-resilient agriculture, and guiding crop-insurance schemes. He noted its value in community education, evacuation mapping, and revising disaster response plans based on precise scientific inputs.
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