Role of Local self-government in managing disasters
The 73rd 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:
- 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 10th 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 departmentsand 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.
Road ahead
- 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.
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