Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju today said National Disaster Response Force has earned a special identity in the world in just 12 years of its establishment. Addressing the 12th Raising Day celebrations of NDRF in New Delhi today, Mr Rijiu said in a short span, force has done a great work and it growing at a fast pace. <br/><br/>The Minister said, NDRF must increase its base and coordinate with states. Mr Rijiju said the Prime Minister Narendra Modi had unveiled the National Disaster Management Plan last year which was appreciated by the international agencies and organizations. He said, India is playing a leading role in the field of disaster management. He also assured all help from the Government for efficient functioning of the Force. <br/><br/>The Minister appreciated NDRF personnel for their dedication, determination, professionalism and team work. Mr Rijiju said, the Force has gained the trust of the people and is helpful for a country, big in size and disaster prone. <br/><br/>Mr Rijiu presented Jeevan Raksha Padak and Service Medals to NDRF personnel. He released the NDRF pictorial book and souvenir and also launched the NDRF portal, jointly developed by ISRO and NDRF.<br/><br/>NDRF DG R K Pachnanda said NDRF has trained over 47 lakh people on how to deal with disasters and has saved more than 5 million lives so far. He said NDRF is for the people, with the people, always and every time. He said force is trying to reduce the response time. <br/><br/>Our correspondent reports that the NDRF, raised in 2006, is a specialised force capable of responding to any type of disaster in the country and abroad. It is strategically deployed across the nation as per the vulnerability profile of the country. So far, NDRF has responded to over one thousand operations and rescued around four lakh 73 thousand victims.<br/>