India, Jan. 17 -- More than a dozen specialised teams of the Rapid Action Force (RAF) - the riot-control wing of the CRPF - will undertake disaster relief and rescue operations, officials said. The teams, well known by their blue dungaree uniforms, have been brought into the disaster management fold on the directions of the Union home ministry and the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), they said.

About 340 troops, part of 14 teams and drawn from seven battalions of the RAF, will be ready to undertake disaster response operations, be it natural or man-made, the officials said. The RAF disaster response teams have received training from the NDMA and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF). They are also equipped to handle c...