The Government of India has recently highlighted the growing role of the Armed Forces in Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR), which demonstrates India’s willingness, compassion, and responsibility, as seen in the operations to rescue thousands of people, deliver much-needed aid, and thereby build resilience and strengthen India's image as a stable first responder.
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Key highlights
- Genesis of India’s HADR Policy Framework
- Indian HADR Guiding Principles
- Home-Based Humanitarian HADR Activities
- International HADR Operations
- Future Prospect of India’s HADR
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Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) has emerged as a critical facet of the armed forces in India, highlighting their roles even when they are not engaged in military operations. Since the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004, subsequent reactionary operations in Myanmar and Sri Lanka, the tri-service in India has demonstrated resilience, empathy, and organisational skills to the fullest. These are efforts that are built on sound policy frameworks and institutional coordination aimed at enhancing life security, dignity, and the promotion of solidarity within the region in India. The ability of the armed forces to mobilize at both national and international levels within minutes with ample input of diplomatic contacts and participation ensures that India is reliable as the initial responder of crisis at both national and international levels. The article “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam in Practice: India’s Armed Forces in Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief” focuses on the development, structure, domestic response, international response, and the preparedness drills that make up the HADR posture in India and thus shows how the country has integrated its response to disasters and humanitarian intervention.
Genesis of India’s HADR Policy Framework
The structure of disaster response in India is known as the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) system and represents a structured development of the former framework of disaster response, incorporating elements of military specificity with humanitarian values. Based on statutory law and international undertakings, the structure ensures that interventions in crisis situations are timely and coordinated, and they are ethically founded.
Evolution of HADR in India
The turning point in the Indian HADR development was the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, which required the seldom-used tri-service collaboration. The mobilisation of the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard, logistics, and medical assistance over land, sea, and air created a precedent for future operations. The further refinement of the Indian ability to become a reliable first responder both at home and abroad was achieved by additional experience with floods, earthquakes, and pandemics.
Policy Anchors in India’s HADR
At the national level, the Disaster Management Act of 2005 has established a three-tier institutional setup that includes the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), State Disaster Management Authorities (SDMAs), and District Disaster Management Authorities (DDMAs) that have guaranteed orderly responses at national, state, and district levels. At the international capacity, the International HADR Guidelines of NDMA institutionalised disaster response overseas with a focus on sovereignty, humanitarian law, and inclusiveness. The preparedness, resilience, and coordinated recovery further strengthen India’s commitment towards the Sendai Framework.
Indian HADR Guiding Principles
The HADR posture by India has its foundation on impartiality, respect for sovereignty, and neutrality. These involve an emphasis on inclusiveness and are congruent with the approach of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) Gender Action Plan. Legitimacy is based on transparency and accountability, whereas responsiveness is promoted by having technological integration (e.g., unmanned aerial vehicles, AI-based forecasts). All these make the HADR regime of India holistic and ethically sound.
Home-Based Humanitarian HADR Activities
The role of the armed forces as first responders during a time of crisis is preempted through the Domestic Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) programs in India. The operations depict quick mobilization, medical support, and infrastructure rebuilding, hence building resilience in various landscapes and societies.
Major Operations in India
Indian domestic HADR takes its origins from the Indian Ocean tsunami that was experienced in 2004, and it supplied more than 20,900 staff and saved close to 28,734 citizens. This role has been enhanced by subsequent disasters.
- As an example, the Indian Air Force carried out Operation Rahat, saving thousands of people from their rescue during the 2013 Uttarakhand floods (using C-130J and Mi-17 flights), and the Army’s Operation Surya Hope enabled people in remote valleys to regain connectivity.
- Likewise, the 2014 July Jammu & Kashmir floods were also met with Operation Megh Rahat removing over 96000 individuals and provided 3500 tonnes of relief supplies.
- Most recently, in Sikkim (2023), this glacial lake outburst led to the Operation HIMRAHAT, which rescued 1,247 trapped tourists and the collapse of the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarakhand (2023) where the rescue of 41 workers was done.
Institutional Coordination
All these missions highlight the integration of the armed forces, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the state agencies. In 2025, 141 Army columns in 10 states saved 28,293 civilians and provided medical assistance to 7,318 people. These coordinated responses are an indication of India's inclusive disaster management strategy, where military precision is used in supplementing civil administration to protect life and rebuild dignity.
International HADR Operations
Disaster Relief and International Humanitarian Assistance (HADR) actions have become the reflection of India's commitment to international solidarity and its responsibilities as the reliable first responder. These missions combine military accuracy, diplomatic interactions, and humanistic ideas, thus restating India's vision of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam and SAGAR fragment (Security and Growth in the region and all).
Significant Foreign Operations
The international HADR history of India is enormous. In Nepal, Operation Maitri (2015) rescued more than 11,200 people in several hours post-disaster and in the Indian Ocean, 3,000 metric tonnes of food aid and 300 metric tonnes of liquid oxygen were transported to 15 countries as part of Mission Sagar. In the COVID-19 pandemic, 3,992 citizens were evacuated by sea by Operation Samudra Setu and 18,282 Indians were airlifted in Operation Ganga (2022) by 90 flights out of Ukraine. In more recent cases, in Operation Dost (2023) in Turkey, a 99-member field hospital was set up, where it served more than 1000 patients. Other operations include:
- Operation Maitri (Nepal, 2015).
- Operation Devi Shakti (Afghanistan, 2021)
- Mission Sagar (Indian Ocean, 2020–22).
- Operation Samudra Setu (COVID-19, 2020).
- Operation Ganga (Ukraine, 2022).
- Operation Dost (Türkiye & Syria, 2023).
- Operation Kaveri (Sudan, 2023).
- Operation Brahma (Myanmar, 2025).
- Operation Sagar Bandhu (Sri Lanka, 2025).
Diplomatic and Strategic Aspects
The Ministry of External Affairs Rapid Response Cell organizes such operations, which ensure the synergy between diplomacy and defence. They are able to save lives as well as bolster the reputation of India as a sound humanitarian partner. The international HADR missions of India portray compassion and strategic foresight blended with the use of technology, logistics and inclusivity.
Future Prospect of India’s HADR
The readiness and perspective in the Indian Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) paradigm emphasized the role of multi-agency association, technological integration, and participatory policies. These provisions lead to quick mobilisation and encourage resilience in the event of more and more complex disaster situations.
Strengthening HADR Preparedness
India has institutionalised preparedness by organised conduct of joint exercises. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), India Meteorological Department (IMD), civil administration, and representatives of the member states of ASEAN were convened at Exercise Samanvay (2022), in which disaster preparedness is assessed by the Indian Air Force. Similarly, the Exercise Chakravat (2023) organized by the Indian Navy in Goa involved eight Indian Ocean countries, thus improving the interoperability in the region. These exercises are an example of governmental devotion to shared learning and capability development that India has worked towards.
Technology and Innovation in HADR
The perspectives of the future are the integration of drones, AI-based prediction software, and ready-to-assemble shelters to streamline operations. These technological developments improve situational awareness, speed up the distribution of relief, and enhance inter-agency liaison between agencies. The structure also gives more emphasis on information sharing and interoperability, whereby the accuracy of the military action facilitates and aligns civil governance.
Conclusion
The HADR framework in India could be considered an ideal example of a whole government and whole society, in which the armed forces act as enablers of resilience and compassion. Military precision combined with humanitarian needs has become a core component of national and foreign involvement, which has been institutionalised by India through military supplies in the event of disasters. In India as well as in international disaster management, the ability of the tri-services to mobilize within a short time in several fields speaks to operational perfection and the spirit of solidarity in India. With more regularity and severity of calamities, the inclusive, technology-based, and diplomatically coordinated HADR posture in India will remain central to life protection and the promotion of stability in the region.