Government Asserts Readiness Against Biological Threats in Rajya Sabha

In the Rajya Sabha, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai reported no current threats of biological attacks. He assured that the government is prepared to respond, with SOPs and NDMA guidelines in place. NDRF battalions are trained, and the MoHFW has an updated crisis management plan as of October 2023.

The Union home ministry has no specific input on any current threat of biological attacks, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Wednesday.

Answering a written question, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai assured that the government is fully prepared to respond to any biological attack on the country.

'In order to effectively respond to any such crises or disasters, Standard Operating Procedures have been formulated. Additionally, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has published guidelines on biological disasters, including bio-warfare and bio-terrorism,' he stated.

Rai detailed that the guidelines identify bio-warfare and bio-terrorism agents, describe the characteristics of these agents, provide epidemiological clues for outbreak identification, and outline laboratory identification and management procedures, including prevention and treatment.

'The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) battalions are also trained to manage such crises,' he said.

Emphasizing health as a State subject, Rai noted that the primary responsibility of detecting and responding to biological events of national concern lies with the state government.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), as the nodal ministry for biological disasters, has a crisis management plan last updated in October 2023, shared with relevant stakeholders.

The ministry has also provided states and Union territories with Model Crisis Management Plans for biological disasters to use as templates for their crisis management strategies, he mentioned.

'MoHFW supports states with guidance, outbreak investigation, laboratory diagnosis, appropriate public health measures, and logistical support, including human and material resources, wherever necessary,' said Rai.