Stronger at the Grassroots- Making Disaster Resilience an Inherent Part of Community Culture

Stronger at the Grassroots- Relevance for UPSC Exam

GS Paper 2: Indian Constitution- Devolution of powers and finances up to local levels and challenges therein.
GS Paper 3: Disaster Management- Disaster and disaster management.

The system of local self-governance, where people in the villages participate in the decision-making process, is the backbone of democracy.
In this context, it is imperative to make disaster resilience an inherent part of community culture.

Background: The Panchayati Raj was first adopted by Nagaur in Rajasthan on October 2, 1959. The Panchayati Raj has vastly expanded over time.
- There are now 2,60,512 Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) represented by about 31 lakh elected members across India
Gram Sabha: Gram sabhas act as a sounding board for diverse ideas and opinions. They provide a platform to build consensus and make resolutions in the community’s interest.
Initiatives taken by the government: In order to strengthen the system of gram sabha and institution of Panchayati Raj, the government has introduced the following schemes-
- The People’s Plan Campaign and
- Vibrant Gram Sabha Dashboard

Importance of PRIs in disaster Management: When the traditional top-down disaster response system was compromised during the covid-19 pandemic, it was PRIs that played a remarkable role.
PRIs helped reduce risks, responded swiftly and thus helped people recover quickly by providing essential leadership at the local level.
PRIs performed both regulatory and welfare functions. For instance-
- During the nationwide lockdown, PRIs set up containment zones, arranged transport, identified buildings for quarantining people and provisioned food for the incoming migrants.
- 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.
- Organized community-based surveillance systems involving village elders, the youth and self-help groups (SHGs) to keep a strict vigil in quarantine centers and monitor symptoms in households.
- Their role in mobilizing citizens for COVID-19 vaccination is exemplary.
Role of Gram Sabha:
- Organized regular engagement with frontline workers like ASHA workers and Anganwadi workers through committees.
- It also bridged the trust gap between the community and the officials.

The Yokohama strategy: it was formulated during the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction in May 1994
- It emphasized that it is important to focus on disaster prevention, mitigation and preparedness rather than disaster response alone, to reduce vulnerability.
Building capacities of PRIs:
- include disaster management chapters in Panchayat Raj Acts and make disaster planning and spending part of Panchayati Raj development plans and local-level committees.
  - This will ensure citizen-centric mapping and planning of resources.
- Various insurance products customized to local needs will build the financial resilience of the community.
Community-based disaster management plans: This would help as the community is usually the first responder in case of a disaster.
- These would provide a strategy for resource utilization and maintenance during a disaster.
- Such plans should tap the traditional wisdom of local communities which will compliment modern practices.
Financial contributions from the community should be encouraged through the establishment of community disaster funds in all gram panchayats.