The National Disaster Management Authority is chaired by:

Explanation

The National Disaster Management Authority is a statutory body under the Disaster Management Act, 2005. Section 3 of the Act establishes an authority called the National Disaster Management Authority and provides for a Chairperson and other members, with the total number of other members not exceeding nine. Section 3 also names the Prime Minister of India as the ex officio Chairperson of the National Authority. This is why the Prime Minister, not a sectoral minister or the President, heads the NDMA. The linked State Disaster Management Authority follows a parallel but state-level arrangement: it is chaired by the Chief Minister.

Why the other options are wrong

• (A) The Defence Minister is not named in Section 3 as the Chairperson of the National Disaster Management Authority.
• (B) The Home Minister is relevant to internal administration, but the Act specifically makes the Prime Minister the NDMA Chairperson.
• (D) The President is not assigned the chairpersonship of the NDMA under the Disaster Management Act, 2005.

Concept

This tests statutory bodies in governance, especially who heads national authorities created by Parliament. RAS repeats such questions because chairpersonship reveals the level at which policy coordination is anchored.

Source

• Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India

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