Disaster Management Plan of Panchayati Raj

In News

• Recently, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj released a Disaster Management Plan.

Background 

• India has been vulnerable, in varying degrees, to many natural as well as human-made disasters on account of its unique geo-climatic and socio-economic conditions. 
  • Different parts of the country are highly vulnerable to cyclones, floods, droughts, earthquakes, landslides, etc. 

Image Courtesy: Environment 

Disaster Management Plan

• Aim:
  • To develop disaster resilience at the grassroots level among the Panchayats and 
  • Establish a framework to align the disaster management measures in rural areas to that of the National Disaster Management Authority’. 
• Community participation:
  • The involvement of the community is the key factor in any disaster preparedness strategy and active participation of the community is vital to carry out and sustain the activities relating to disaster management in rural areas. 
• Remarkable role of Panchayats during COVID 19:
  • The role of Panchayats in the management and mitigation of COVID-19 pandemic, especially in creating awareness and leading our collective battle against Coronavirus in rural areas was extraordinary. 
• Community based planning: 
  • Starting from Village to District Panchayat level. 
  • Under the Plan, every Indian village would have a “Village Disaster Management Plan” and every Panchayat would have their Disaster Management Plan.
• Components:
  • The Disaster Management Plan of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj (DMP–MoPR) incorporates many innovations in addition to being in compliance with Disaster Management Act 2005, National Disaster Management Policy 2009, and guidelines issued by National Disaster Management Authority.
  • It covers areas such as:
    • Institutional arrangement for Disaster Management; 
    • Hazard Risk, Vulnerability and Capacity Analysis; Coherence of Disaster Risk Management across Resilient Development and Climate Change Action; 
    • Disaster Specific Preventive and Mitigation Measures-Responsibility Framework; 
    • Mainstreaming of Community Based Disaster Management Plan of Villages and Panchayats

Image Courtesy: Research Gate 

Need for Panchayati Level Plans

• Panchayat-level and village-level Disaster Management Plans to mitigate the challenges in the event of disaster from a foundational level. 
• For holistic development of Panchayats, Disaster management should be kept in mind while making a master plan.
• Most appropriate institution: 
  • The Panchayati Raj Institution (PRI), the representative body of the people, is the most appropriate institution from village to the district level in view of:
    • Its proximity, 
    • Universal coverage and 
    • Enlisting people’s participation on an institutionalised basis. 
  • Their close involvement will be able to make people more prepared for countering natural disasters as well as involve them in all possible preventive and protective activities so that the impact of the disasters are mitigated and the people are able to save their lives and property. 
• Social mobilisation: 
  • The PRIs can act as catalysts to the social mobilisation process and tap the traditional wisdom of the local communities to complement the modern practices in disaster mitigation efforts. 
• Integration: 
  • Besides PRIs will also provide a base for integration of various concerns of the community with that of the NonGovernmental Organisations (NGOs) and Community Based organisations (CBOs) which are engaged in various developmental activities at the grassroots level.
• Leadership Role:
  • The Panchayati Raj Institution (PRI) members can play a role of leadership in Disaster management at all stages. 
  • Right from the preparatory stage up to the handling of the long term development activities for risk reduction. 

India’s Efforts in Disaster Management

• India consciously developed DM as a holistic approach, not just reacting after a disaster but also integrating disaster preparedness, mitigation, and disaster risk reduction (DRR) into plans and policies.
• India has increasingly mitigated and responded to all types of disasters, including with the establishment of its National Disaster Reaction Force (NDRF), the world’s largest rapid reaction force dedicated to disaster response.
• India’s foreign humanitarian assistance has increasingly included its military assets, primarily deploying naval ships or aircraft to deliver relief. In line with its diplomatic policy of “Neighborhood First,” many of the recipient countries have been in the region of South and Southeast Asia.
• Within the context of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), India has hosted DM Exercises that allow NDRF to demonstrate for counterparts from partner states the techniques developed to respond to various disasters.
• India has adopted the Sendai Framework for DRR, the Sustainable Development Goals (2015-2030), and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, all of which make clear the connections among DRR, Climate Change Adaptation (CCA), and sustainable development.

Source: PIB