India has moved from a relief-centric to a preparedness-centric approach to cyclone management. Examine this claim using recent cyclones on the east coast.

The Disaster Management Act, 2005 moved India's policy away from relief after a disaster towards reducing risk before one. It is also the legal base for the SDRF and NDRF [5]. Cyclones Arnab and Murasu hit the Andhra–Odisha coast in Oct–Nov 2026. They show that the claim holds for saving lives. It holds only partly for protecting assets and livelihoods.

Evidence of a preparedness-centric shift

• Early warning: IMD forecast that very severe cyclonic storm Arnab would cross the Andhra coast early on 28 October. The forecast came about two days ahead and also predicted rapid weakening inland [1].
• Whole-of-government readiness: The Civil Aviation Ministry reviewed operational readiness before landfall. Flights at coastal Andhra airports were suspended ahead of the storm, and passengers were advised in advance [2].
• Structural mitigation: The National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project began in 2011 in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. It built cyclone shelters and last-mile connectivity, and set up early warning systems [3].

Where the approach remains relief-centric

• Money still follows the disaster: Central aid flows mainly through SDRF/NDRF. Odisha told the Standing Committee on Finance that major relief items fall outside these funds' norms. The Committee urged that a separate Disaster Mitigation Fund be made operational for permanent mitigation work [5].
• Relief, not recovery: After Hudhud (2014), the Centre clarified that its releases were for relief, not compensation for losses [4]. Rebuilding infrastructure still has no dedicated funding channel.
• Capacity gaps: After Cyclone Ockhi, the Home Affairs Committee found that the National Disaster Response Force was not optimally deployed. It also asked IMD to build models that forecast rapid intensification [6].
• Weak protection for livelihoods: Under PMFBY, late yield data and insurer–State disputes delay claims. Bihar and West Bengal have withdrawn from the scheme, and Punjab never implemented it [7]. Farmers on the cyclone-hit coast therefore depend on ex-gratia relief.

India has largely won the battle to save lives, but livelihoods and infrastructure are still protected mainly through relief after the event. The next steps are clear. India should make a mitigation fund operational and revise the SDRF/NDRF norms [5]. It should use satellite and drone data to estimate yields so that PMFBY claims are settled faster [7]. It should also rebuild damaged infrastructure to a stronger standard. Doing this would complete the shift to preparedness and advance the Sendai Framework and SDG 11 and SDG 13 goals of resilient communities.