Heatwaves and lightning recognised as national disasters

The Union government has officially recognised heatwaves and lightning as natural calamities eligible for relief under the State and National Disaster Response Funds. Union Minister Nityanand Rai told Parliament on August 4 that the decision follows the 16th Finance Commission's recommendation, given the rising frequency of extreme weather due to climate change.

Rai also said that 4,853 heatstroke cases have been recorded since March 1, 2026, from over 51,000 reporting units. Telangana reported the most cases (915), followed by West Bengal, Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh. Only 20 deaths were recorded, with Maharashtra accounting for 11. Lightning remains India's deadliest disaster, with deaths rising since 1975.

Before the nationwide notification, only a handful of states, Haryana, Odisha, Kerala, Telangana and Tamil Nadu, had notified heatwaves as state-level disasters. Funds from SDRF and NDRF can now be used for response and relief, while long-term mitigation must come from separate disaster mitigation funds.