Role of Panchayats in Disaster Management | 08 Oct 2021

The 73^rd amendment to the Indian Constitution paves the way for the popularly elected local governments to play a substantive role in matters of immediate concern. The amendment envisions the Panchayats as the institutions of local self-governance.

In this context, the role of the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) in both disaster risk reduction and post-disaster management is very significant.

Unfortunately, these institutions have not been fully operationalised for the handling of disasters either during the preparatory stages or during disaster and post-disaster operations.

India, as a whole, must integrate disaster preparedness into its core system, starting from the ground-level.

PRI’s and Disaster Management

• Panchayati Raj Institutions in India:
  
  • About: The system of 2,60,512 Panchayati Raj Institutions present across the country, acts as the backbone of Indian democracy.
    
    • It is a local self-governance system which represents about 31 lakh members across India.
  • PRIs’ Response to Covid-19: Amid the peak months of the pandemic, the PRIs played a remarkable role by providing essential leadership at the local level.
    
    • Performed Regulatory and Welfare Functions: PRIs set up containment zones, arranged transport, identified buildings for quarantining people and provisioned food for the incoming migrants.
      
      • Moreover, effective implementation of welfare schemes like MGNREGA and the National Rural Livelihood Mission quickened the pace of recovery while ensuring support to the vulnerable population.
    • Made Effective Collaborations: During the pandemic, gram sabhas resolved to adhere to Covid-19 norms.
      
      • Also, regular engagement with frontline workers like ASHA workers and Anganwadi workers through committees further assisted in handling the pandemic at local levels.
    • Organised Local Monitoring Bodies: PRIs organised community-based surveillance systems involving village elders, the youth and self-help groups (SHGs) to keep a strict vigil in quarantine centres and monitor symptoms in households.
• Disaster Management in India:
  
  • Vulnerability to Disasters: India is the 10^th most disaster-prone country in the world with 27 out of 28 States and all of the seven Union Territories being most vulnerable.
  • Inefficient SOPs: Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are virtually non-existent and even where such SOPs exist, the authorities concerned are unfamiliar with it.
  • Lack of Coordination: The States also suffer from inadequate coordination among various government departments and other stakeholders.
    
    • The Indian system for disaster management also suffers from the absence of an institutional framework at the Center/State/District level.
  • Poor Warning and Relief Systems: India lacks a proper early warning system.
    
    • Slow response from relief agencies, lack of trained/dedicated search and rescue teams and poor community empowerment are other important challenges.

Significance of PRIs in Disaster Management

• Handling Disasters at Grass-root Level: The devolution of power and responsibilities to the panchayats will result in flexible and committed response at the grass- root level in the case of natural calamities.
  
  • Effective and Strong PRIs, working in harmony with the state government, will help tackle the disaster through early warning systems.
• Ensuring Better Relief Operations: Local bodies being nearer to the people are in a better position to undertake relief tasks as they are more familiar to the requirements of the local people.
  
  • This ensures total transparency in working and usage of funds as in every disaster situation.
  • They can also be relied upon for undertaking day to day running of civic services, providing shelter and medical assistance to affected people etc.
• Spreading Awareness and Gaining Cooperation: Local government institutions have grass root level contact with people and they can help effectively in spreading awareness and ensure people’s participation in fighting the crisis.
  
  • They are also ideal channels for NGOs and other agency's participation in the rescue and relief operations.

Issues Faced by PRIs

• Interference from MPs and MLAs: The interference of area MPs and MLAs in the functioning of panchayats adversely affects the performance of Panchayats.
• Unavailability of Funds: The Panchayats are not given enough funds and are bypassed by State-controlled line departments that continue to implement programmes falling within the rightful domain of the former.
• Incomplete Autonomy: Panchayats lack systems, resources and capacities to act independently due to numerous constraints imposed by district administrations and state governments.
  
  • Instead of becoming ‘institutions of local self-governance’, as envisaged by the constitution, panchayats mostly act as field implementers of decisions made by state and central governments.
• Unclear Domains of Panchayats: Though PRIs are a three tier integrated arrangement of the village, block and district level, they have remained largely ineffective as a consequence of ambiguous jurisdictions and unclear linkages.
  
  • Even in respect of National Disaster Management Act 2005, the powers and responsibilities of panchayats are inadequately defined and left to be determined by respective state governments.

Way Forward

• Legal Backing for Disaster Management Programmes: It is crucial to include disaster management chapters in Panchayat Raj Acts and making disaster planning and spending a part of Panchayati Raj development plans and local-level committees.
  
  • This will ensure citizen-centric mapping and planning of resources.
• Resource Availability and Self-Reliance: Local governance, local leaders and local communities, when empowered, respond to any disaster rapidly and effectively.
  
  • The local bodies require information and guidance and must have resources, capacities and systems in place to act with confidence, without waiting for instructions from above.
• Shift in Disaster Management Paradigm: There is an urgent need for a shift from a risk mitigation cum relief-centric approach in disaster management into an integrated plan for economic development with social justice.
  
  • Early warning systems, preparedness, preventive measures and awareness among people are as much an important part of disaster management as is recovery planning, rehabilitation and other relief measures.
• Collective Participation: Conducting regular, location-specific disaster-management programmes for the community and organising platforms for sharing best practices will strengthen individual and institutional capacities.
  
  • Assigning roles to individual members and providing them with the necessary skills can make such programmes more meaningful.
• Financial Contributions from People: Financial contributions from the community should be encouraged through the establishment of community disaster funds in all gram panchayats.
  
  • It is imperative to make disaster resilience an inherent part of the community culture now more than ever.