- Why in news
- On 11 August 2026, the Home Ministry told the Lok Sabha that UFRMP Phase-I (7 cities) and Phase-II (11 cities) have been approved with aid from the National Disaster Mitigation Fund.
- What it is
- The Urban Flood Risk Management Programme (UFRMP) gives central money to big cities for drainage and flood-control projects. It is paid from the National Disaster Mitigation Fund, set up under the Disaster Management Act, 2005. States carry out the projects, and NDMA guides the programme.
- Phase-I cities
- Seven cities: Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai and Pune. Total outlay is Rs 3075.65 crore.
- Phase-II cities
- Eleven cities, including Bhopal, Guwahati, Jaipur, Patna and Lucknow. Total outlay is Rs 2444.42 crore.
- Who implements
- State Governments implement the projects approved by the Centre.
- Monitoring
- Progress is reviewed in periodic meetings at the Home Ministry and NDMA. NDMA has also prepared a Monitoring and Evaluation Framework for cities to adopt.
- Funding source
- NDMF is the national fund for mitigation projects, created under Section 47 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005.
Don’t confuse with NDMF vs NDRF: NDMF funds mitigation projects to reduce future risk. NDRF funds response and relief after a disaster.
Don’t confuse with NDMA vs MHA: NDMA is the apex disaster body headed by the Prime Minister. MHA is the nodal ministry and releases the funds.
Schemes: 52 Prelims questions since 2013, 10 in Prelims 2026 alone. They test features, the period and who funds it. In Mains, 33 news-triggered questions, mostly GS3.
Why it matters
- Reduces urban flood losses in large, dense cities through better drainage.
- Shifts disaster policy from relief to mitigation.
Problems
- Projects are still under implementation, and outcomes cannot yet be judged.
- Fund release is uneven across cities, and delays occur in implementation.
Way forward
- Use the NDMA monitoring framework to track outcomes city by city.
- Combine drainage works with stormwater planning, wetland protection and checks on encroachment.
- 2024Mains GS3 · Q18Causes of urban floods, two major floods, policies and frameworks tackling them.
- 2016Mains GS3 · Q15Reasons for urban floods and preparedness mechanisms to reduce risk.
- 2020Mains GS1 · Q15Causes of urban flooding in smart cities; suggest lasting remedies.
UPSC’s own questions that come close to this issue, from our Prelims and Mains banks.
No practice question for this one; the card may still help an answer. Why: Lasting disaster-mitigation programme funded from National Disaster Mitigation Fund, with named cities in two phases. Card for reference.
Worth revising until Prelims 2028: most news questions come within two years of the event.