New Delhi, July 8 -- It often begins with a tremor underfoot. Or the rising howl of wind over the coastline. Or the dull, ceaseless drum of rain on rooftops that quickly evokes panic once streets begin to fill. Disasters don't arrive with subtlety. They crash into lives, homes, cities and the economy with devastating regularity. In just the past five years, India has been battered by cyclones like Amphan and Tauktae, floods in Bengaluru, Assam and Chennai, landslides in Wayanad and erratic monsoons. The price tag? Assessed to be upwards of a staggering Rs.50,000 crore annually in economic losses.

And yet, when the waters recede and the headlines fade, a quiet cost must be borne: ex-post funding from public coffers and debt to patch thing...