What is ‘Sachet’ App, Promoted by PM Modi for Early Natural Disaster Alerts?

What is ‘Sachet’ App?

The ‘Sachet’ mobile application represents a significant component of India’s evolving digital infrastructure for disaster management. Developed under the aegis of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), the app’s primary objective is to deliver real-time, geographically targeted early warning alerts for a multitude of natural disasters directly to citizens.¹ Key functionalities include multi-lingual support across 12 Indian languages, integration of daily weather forecasts from the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), and access to vital preparedness resources such as disaster-specific ‘Dos and Don’ts’ and helpline numbers.¹ The application gained national prominence following an endorsement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his ‘Mann Ki Baat’ radio address, where he urged citizens to adopt the tool to enhance personal safety and alertness during emergencies.⁴ The Sachet app is available for download on both Android and iOS mobile platforms, aiming for widespread accessibility among smartphone users across the country.⁶

Leveraging Technology for National Disaster Resilience

India’s diverse geography and climate render it susceptible to a wide array of natural disasters, ranging from floods and cyclones to earthquakes and landslides, posing significant risks to life and property.⁸ Recognizing this vulnerability, the Indian government has increasingly focused on strengthening its disaster management capabilities, with a stated ambition of moving towards a ‘zero-casualty’ approach during calamities.¹⁰ This involves a paradigm shift from purely reactive response to proactive prevention, mitigation, and preparedness.¹¹

In this context, leveraging digital technology has become a cornerstone of modern disaster management strategies in India.⁸ The ‘Sachet’ mobile application emerges as a critical tool in this digital ecosystem, specifically designed to bridge the crucial information gap between authorities and the public during emergencies.⁷ Its core purpose is to deliver timely, authoritative early warnings and related information directly to citizens, empowering them to take necessary precautions.¹ The development and promotion of Sachet underscore a strategic governmental direction towards utilizing the widespread penetration of personal mobile technology as a primary channel for public safety communication. Given the high mobile phone usage in India, this approach allows for direct, rapid, and potentially widespread dissemination of critical alerts, complementing traditional warning methods and aligning with broader national initiatives like ‘Digital India’.²

Development and Governance: An NDMA Initiative

The conceptualization, development, and ongoing management of the Sachet application fall under the purview of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), India’s apex body for disaster management, which notably operates under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister of India.¹ This high-level oversight signifies the national importance attributed to the initiative. Sachet is explicitly identified as part of NDMA’s broader vision for establishing a pan-India Integrated Alert System based on the Common Alerting Protocol (CAP).⁶ CAP is an international standard format for emergency alerts, designed to ensure that warnings can be consistently structured and disseminated across various platforms and technologies, enhancing interoperability.¹²

The technical implementation of this national project involves collaboration. The Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), the Government of India’s Research & Development Telecom Technology Centre, serves as the pan-India implementation partner for Phase 1 of the Sachet project.¹⁰ This partnership points towards an emphasis on utilizing indigenous technological capabilities for building critical national infrastructure, particularly in sensitive areas like public safety and telecommunications. The system is subject to continuous oversight and refinement, as evidenced by a review of the updated Sachet Portal and App conducted by NDMA leadership in June 2024.¹⁰ Furthermore, inter-agency coordination is highlighted by NDMA’s consultation with bodies like the National Centre for Seismology (NCS) regarding related alert systems, such as the Android Earthquake Alerts System introduced in India.¹⁸ This structured approach, involving central coordination by NDMA, adherence to international standards (CAP), integration with multiple alert-generating agencies, and reliance on a domestic technology partner (C-DOT), positions Sachet not merely as a standalone application but as a key component within a larger, evolving national disaster warning framework.

Core Mechanism: Delivering Geo-Targeted Early Warnings via CAP

The fundamental function of the Sachet app is to act as a conduit for real-time, geo-targeted early warning alerts, delivering critical information about impending disasters directly to citizens’ mobile devices.¹ A key aspect of its design is the ability to tailor alerts based on location. Users can receive warnings pertinent to their current geographical position, leveraging the smartphone’s location services (which requires user permission).¹ Additionally, users have the option to subscribe to alerts for specific states or districts anywhere in India, allowing them to monitor conditions in areas where family or friends might reside, or for travel planning purposes.² This dual approach of current location and subscription-based targeting is crucial for ensuring the relevance of alerts. By filtering information based on geographical pertinence, the system aims to combat ‘alert fatigue’ – the tendency for people to ignore warnings if they frequently receive irrelevant information – thereby maintaining user trust and engagement, which is vital for the effectiveness of any warning system.

Crucially, the app emphasizes the authenticity and reliability of the information disseminated. All warnings provided through Sachet originate from authorized government sources and designated alert-generating authorities.¹ This ensures that users receive verified, official information rather than potentially inaccurate or speculative reports. The platform integrates warnings from key national agencies responsible for monitoring specific hazards, including the India Meteorological Department (IMD) for weather-related events, the Central Water Commission (CWC) for floods, the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) for tsunamis and ocean-state forecasts, the Forest Survey of India (FSI) for forest fires, and the Defence Geoinformatics and Research Establishment (DGRE) for avalanches, alongside alerts from State Disaster Management Authorities (SDMAs).¹²

The app is designed to cover a wide spectrum of hazards. Prime Minister Modi, in his endorsement, specifically listed floods, cyclones, landslides, tsunamis, forest fires, avalanches, storms, hurricanes, and lightning as events for which Sachet provides alerts.⁴ Other sources suggest broader coverage, including heatwaves ⁷ and potentially earthquakes, with the overarching goal being to cover “all natural & man-made disasters”.¹⁷

The underlying technology enabling this standardized dissemination is the Common Alerting Protocol (CAP).⁶ By adhering to the CAP standard, Sachet ensures that alerts from various sources can be formatted consistently and relayed effectively through multiple channels, including the mobile app, SMS, browser notifications, and potentially others.¹² The app, therefore, functions primarily as a sophisticated and integrated dissemination platform. Its core value lies not in generating forecasts itself, but in rapidly aggregating, targeting, and relaying verified warnings from the official agencies responsible for hazard monitoring and prediction, consolidating this critical information into a single, accessible point for the public.

Key Features of the SACHET App

The Sachet application offers a suite of features designed to enhance disaster preparedness and response capabilities for citizens:

• Real-time Alerts: The system is built to provide warnings in near real-time, aiming to give users the maximum possible lead time before a potential disaster strikes.¹
• Integrated Weather Information: Beyond emergency alerts, the app incorporates daily weather reports and forecasts sourced directly from the official Indian Meteorological Department (IMD).¹ This integration provides added value for daily use, potentially encouraging users to keep the app installed and accessible.
• Multi-Lingual Accessibility: Recognizing India’s linguistic diversity, the app interface and alerts are available in 12 Indian languages. It also includes translation and read-out facilities to further enhance accessibility, particularly for individuals with literacy challenges or visual impairments.¹ Prime Minister Modi specifically highlighted this feature as crucial for reaching a wider audience.⁴
• Essential Preparedness Resources: Sachet includes practical resources aimed at empowering users to prepare for and respond to disasters effectively. This includes disaster-specific “Dos & Don’ts,” contact numbers for relevant helplines, and information identifying affected areas during an event.¹ This positions the app as more than just a warning system; it serves as a readily available preparedness guide.
• Satellite Receiver Connectivity Feature: Several sources mention a “satellite receiver connectivity feature”.¹ However, the provided documentation does not elaborate on the specifics of this feature, how it functions, or its intended use case. Given the challenges of maintaining terrestrial communication networks (mobile, internet) during major disasters or in remote areas ⁹, a functional satellite connectivity feature for receiving alerts could be highly significant. Its potential to bypass damaged ground infrastructure makes the lack of detail on its capabilities a noteworthy information gap.
• Multiple Dissemination Channels: While the mobile app is a primary interface, the underlying CAP system allows for alerts to be pushed through various channels simultaneously. This includes SMS messages (identified by the sender header “XX-NDMAEW”), browser notifications for desktop/laptop users, and an India CAP RSS feed that can be subscribed to by news agencies and other organizations for further dissemination.¹² NDMA data indicates significant use of SMS, with billions of alerts disseminated via this channel across various states.²³

The inclusion of features like daily weather updates and preparedness guides suggests an intention to make Sachet a more holistic and regularly useful tool for citizens. A multi-functional app may have higher user retention compared to one used only during rare emergencies, ensuring it remains installed and available when a critical alert is issued.

Table: SACHET App – Key Features and Functions

National Endorsement: PM Modi’s Call for Adoption in ‘Mann Ki Baat’

The profile and public awareness of the Sachet app received a significant boost on April 27, 2025, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated a segment of his widely followed monthly radio programme, ‘Mann Ki Baat’ (Episode 121), to promoting its use.² Addressing the nation, the Prime Minister directly urged citizens to download and utilize the NDMA-developed application as a crucial tool for personal safety against natural disasters.³

In his address, he emphasized the importance of citizen alertness in mitigating disaster impacts, stating, “The most important thing in dealing with any natural disaster is your alertness. You can now get help in this alertness from a special APP on your mobile… This APP can save you from getting trapped in any natural disaster and its name too is ‘Sachet'”.⁴ He explicitly mentioned the app’s capability to provide warnings for a wide range of hazards, including “flood, cyclone, land-slide, tsunami, forest fire, avalanche, storm, hurricane or lightning,” positioning it as a comprehensive protective tool.⁴ Furthermore, the Prime Minister specifically lauded the app’s multi-lingual capabilities, noting, “The special thing is that ‘Sachet APP’ also provides a lot of information in regional languages,” thereby highlighting its inclusivity.² He concluded his endorsement with a direct call to action: “You too should take advantage of this APP and share your experiences with us”.⁴

This high-level endorsement via ‘Mann Ki Baat’, a platform known for its extensive reach across India, served to elevate the Sachet app from a functional government tool to a matter of national priority. The Prime Minister’s personal appeal, framing the app’s use as a contribution to personal and community safety (“help in this alertness,” “save you from getting trapped”), likely aimed to overcome public inertia and encourage widespread adoption.⁴ By linking the app directly to the virtue of alertness, the message subtly reframes downloading and using Sachet as a proactive step and perhaps even a civic responsibility in the face of potential disasters. However, such a prominent endorsement inevitably raises the stakes for the application’s performance and reliability. With the Prime Minister personally urging citizens to use it, any significant failures, technical glitches (some minor issues already noted in user reviews ¹⁹), or inaccuracies during a major disaster event could attract considerable public scrutiny and potentially undermine trust, not only in the app itself but also in the government’s broader digital initiatives for public safety. This places significant pressure on NDMA and its partners like C-DOT to ensure robust functionality, continuous improvement, and effective user support.

Target Audience and Availability

The primary intended users of the Sachet app are the citizens of India who possess smartphones.¹ The application is designed for both Android and iOS platforms, making it accessible to a vast majority of smartphone users in the country.⁶ It can be downloaded free of charge from the Google Play Store for Android devices and the Apple App Store for iPhones and iPads.¹ The inclusion of 12 Indian languages aims to cater to the country’s diverse linguistic landscape, making critical information accessible to people across different regions.⁷

Evidence suggests some level of adoption has occurred. The Google Play Store listing indicates over 500,000 downloads ¹⁹, while an NDMA dashboard reports a total of 861,000 mobile application users across India, with significant numbers in states like Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.²³ However, these numbers must be viewed in the context of India’s large population. While the app targets all citizens with smartphones, practical accessibility remains a challenge. Factors such as the digital divide (unequal access to technology), variable internet connectivity (particularly in rural areas or during disaster-induced infrastructure damage), and the cost of smartphones and data plans can limit the app’s effective reach.⁹ Although features like multi-lingual support address language barriers, they do not overcome these fundamental access issues. The system’s use of SMS alerts, which rely on basic mobile connectivity rather than internet data ¹⁷, and the potential (though unclarified) capabilities of the satellite receiver connectivity feature ¹, might represent attempts to mitigate these limitations and reach users with lower-end devices or in areas with poor data coverage. Nonetheless, ensuring that warnings reach the most vulnerable populations, who may lack consistent access to smartphones or reliable connectivity, remains a critical hurdle for this and similar digital warning systems.

Conclusion

The Sachet mobile application marks a significant advancement in India’s utilization of technology for nationwide disaster risk reduction. By consolidating official alerts from multiple authoritative agencies onto a single, mobile platform, it offers a streamlined and potentially rapid means of disseminating critical warnings.¹⁴ Its potential benefits are substantial: enhancing citizen alertness through timely, geo-targeted information; providing life-saving lead time before disasters strike; improving public preparedness via integrated resources like ‘Dos & Don’ts’ and helpline access; and promoting inclusivity through multi-lingual support.²

However, realizing this potential requires addressing several inherent challenges. Achieving widespread adoption and sustained public awareness, despite high-level promotion ⁴, necessitates ongoing outreach efforts. Bridging the digital divide and overcoming inconsistent internet connectivity, especially in vulnerable regions, remains crucial for equitable access.⁹ Maintaining the app’s technical performance, reliability, and accuracy is paramount, particularly given the public trust placed in it following the Prime Minister’s endorsement.⁵ Furthermore, clarifying the functionality and effectiveness of features like the satellite receiver connectivity is needed to understand its true capability in reaching offline populations.¹

The Sachet initiative clearly aligns with India’s national goal of achieving ‘zero casualty’ in disasters, representing a tangible tool in the shift from reactive response to proactive preparedness.¹⁰ It embodies a move towards leveraging technology to empower citizens with information before disaster strikes. Yet, the ultimate success of the Sachet app will depend not only on the technology itself but also on continued government commitment to its development and maintenance (as suggested by NDMA reviews ¹⁰), effective strategies to overcome accessibility barriers, and sustained efforts to build and maintain public trust. Integration with other emerging systems, such as landslide forecasting tools ³⁵ or platform-based alerts like the Android Earthquake Alerts System ¹⁸, will also likely shape its future evolution. Effectively bridging the ‘last mile’ – ensuring that warnings reliably reach and are understood by the most vulnerable populations, regardless of their technological access – remains the central challenge and the key determinant of the app’s contribution to building a truly disaster-resilient India.

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