Kerala Landslide Sparks Debate on 'National Disaster' Status

Government sources cited a 2013 parliamentary reply to highlight that no concept of 'national disaster' exists under central government rules. The clarification follows demands to label the Wayanad landslide a national disaster. The process assesses each calamity individually, considering factors like intensity, relief, and state capacity.

Government sources on Saturday referred to a 2013 parliamentary reply by a minister from the Congress-led UPA government to stress the absence of a 'national disaster' provision under central rules.

This clarification comes amid demands, including from Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, for the Wayanad landslide tragedy to be declared a national disaster.

In 2013, then Minister of State for Home and Congress MP from Kerala Mullappally Ramachandran stated in the Lok Sabha that there is no provision to declare a natural disaster as a national disaster. Rather, each severe calamity is addressed case-by-case, considering its scale and the state's capacity to respond, among other factors.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Wayanad on Saturday. Gandhi, elected to the Lok Sabha from Wayanad in 2019 and 2024, has urged the Centre to declare the tragedy a national disaster.