The Ministry of Home Affairs has announced India's comprehensive preparedness framework for responding to biological and biosecurity threats through existing disaster management guidelines and coordinated agency responses. The National Disaster Management Guidelines on Management of Biological Disasters (2008) and National Disaster Management Plan (2019) provide the overarching framework for prevention, preparedness, early detection, containment and coordinated response to biological emergencies.
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare serves as the nodal ministry for biological disasters and provides technical and financial support to States/UTs for strengthening public health preparedness against epidemic-prone communicable diseases. The Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) has been strengthened across the country with a decentralized response system through trained multi-disciplinary Rapid Response Teams. Laboratory infrastructure includes strengthened facilities at district and state levels under IDSP, plus a network of over 150 Viral Research and Diagnostic Laboratories (VRDLs) established by ICMR, including two mobile Biosafety Level 3 laboratories for remote area outbreak response.
Funding support has been provided to States/UTs for health system strengthening to meet exigencies from public health emergencies, including enhancement of bed capacities (including ICU beds), laboratory network expansion, surveillance, and medical logistics procurement. The Pradhan Mantri - Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM) has been launched with the long-term goal of enhancing capacity across primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare facilities for identifying and managing emerging diseases.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) battalions are trained in basic Chemical Biological Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) courses, with earmarked teams equipped with rescue, detection, monitoring and decontamination equipment. NDRF teams are deployed upon requisition from State/District authorities and conduct regular multi-agency mock drills on biological and biosecurity emergencies based on state vulnerability profiles. These drills involve Civil Defense, SDRFs, Health Departments, Fire Services, Police, Central Armed Police Forces, district administration and hospitals to test emergency response plans, improve coordination, enhance community awareness and strengthen overall preparedness. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare also conducts mock drills for testing and strengthening cross-sector response across India.