(1) Every State Government shall, as soon as may be after issue of notification under sub-section (1) of section 14, by notification in the Official Gazette, establish a District Disaster Management Authority for every district in the State with such name as may be specified in that notification.
(2) The District Authority shall consist of the Chairperson and such number of other members, not exceeding seven, as may be prescribed by the State Government, and unless the rules otherwise provide, it shall consist of the following, namely:
(a) the Collector or District Magistrate or Deputy Commissioner, as the case may be, of the district who shall be Chairperson, ex officio;
(b) the elected representative of the local authority who shall be the co-Chairperson, ex officio:
Provided that in the Tribal Areas, as referred to in the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution, the Chief Executive Member of the district council of autonomous district, shall be the co-Chairperson, ex officio;
(c) the Chief Executive Officer of the District Authority, ex officio;
(d) the Superintendent of Police, ex officio;
(e) the Chief Medical Officer of the district, ex officio;
[(f) not exceeding two other Members to be appointed by the State Government who may be taken from other district level officers, disaster management experts and civil society organisation.]
(3) In any district where zila parishad exists, the Chairperson thereof shall be the co-Chairperson of the District Authority.
(4) The State Government shall appoint an officer not below the rank of Additional Collector or Additional District Magistrate or Additional Deputy Commissioner, as the case may be, of the district to be the Chief Executive Officer of the District Authority to exercise such powers and perform such functions as may be prescribed by the State Government and such other powers and functions as may be delegated to him by the District Authority.