Webinar: Role of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) in Disaster Preparedness and Management – Lessons from COVID-19 Pandemic

PRIA International Academy (PIA) and National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (NIRDPR) jointly organised a Webinar on “Role of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) in Disaster Preparedness and Management – Lessons from COVID-19 Pandemic” on 24 April 2020 between 11.00 am and 01.00 pm. The webinar deliberated on issues including whether PRIs are constitutionally and institutionally equipped with disaster management planning, what the capacity building requirements of PRIs are, and the lessons that can be drawn from COVID-19 situation to make the PRIs future ready. 

The panellists for the webinar included Shri Suresh Kumar Chhanga (Sarpanch, Kunariya Gram Panchayat, Bhuj, Gujarat), Shri Binoy Acharya (Founder Director, Unnati, Ahmedabad), Dr. Aurobindo Behera (Retd IAS, Bhubaneshwar, Odisha) and Dr. Dilip Kumar Pal (Senior Consultant, NIRDPR, Hyderabad), Adv. Smt. Thulacy (President, Kalady Gram Panchayat & President, Kerala State Gram Panchayat Association), and Dr Laveesh Bhandari (Founder-Director, Indicus Foundation and The Unearth Bulletin). Dr.  Rajesh Tandon (Founder-President, Participatory Research in Asia), New Delhi was the commenter and the session was moderated by Dr. Anshuman Karol (Senior Programme Manager, PRIA, New Delhi)

The key learning for how Panchayats can prepare for disaster included: 

  

Mr. Binoy Acharya started by describing the various disasters that the disaster management plans account for, which includes 19 disasters: 12 natural disasters such as cyclones, floods, tsunamis, etc. and 7 human-made disasters such as chemical and biological hazards. He explained that it is vital to understand the risks that each disaster poses. At the moment, the world is facing a public health emergency. The health department, as the nodal agence, needs to understand the nature of the risk, collect information, and accordingly develop a framework to address the crisis. Another issue that needs to be focused on is strengthening disaster governance through inter-agency coordination. There is a need for CSOs and CBOs to work very closely with the home department, with the police, with labor, with agriculture and a host of other ministries. Further, capacity development is required from grassroots to the national level.

Following this, Adv. Smt. Thulacy explained how Kerala, having already prepared disaster management plans, was better equipped to deal with this crisis as compared to other states. The most helpful resource has been the repository of information collected by local bodies on shelter management, hospital infrastructure, etc.  to prepare the community based disaster management plans. Further, she emphasised the importance of local bodies and their role in spearheading the relief efforts in this crisis. Every panchayat has stepped up and provided food through community kitchens, and kept track of all those who were quarantined and ensured that adequate resources were reaching them. She concluded by advising all local governments to start thinking ahead and start preparing 2021 disaster management plans with higher efficiency as they are already doing in Kerala, to be able to tackle any future crises. 

Shri Suresh Kumar Chhanga started with explaining how COVID-19 is a disaster that is unprecedented and widespread with no definitive end, and hence different from disasters such as earthquakes. Further, localised disasters such as earthquakes can also receive aid from other states and countries but COVID-19 is affecting communities all over the world. It has also built fear in people’s minds as they are not sure when things will get better. Shri Chhanga elaborated on the need to increase Panchayat’s role in the state and central schemes. Panchayats being the most localised government bodies, can effectively implement these schemes in their communities. They also need to learn from each other, share materials and implement best practices in their communities. He also spoke on the need to integrate village disaster management plans in the GPDPs and similar to financial audits done each year, disaster management related audits should also be carried out to ensure that these plans are effective and feasible. 

Dr. Behera noted that the panchayats are handling a public health emergency for the first time in Odisha. In Odisha, the Gram Panchayats had been playing a key role in ensuring food security for people in the times of emergency. They are making necessary efforts to ensure that people in quarantine have the food resources they need so they do not need to step out of their houses. They are also ensuring that anyone who is coming from outside needs to be quarantined and is looked after. The panchayats have identified places for these quarantined people and organized provisions and food for them. Now, more than 4000 Gram Panchayats have been empowered to regulate the enforcement of the lockdown rules. However, an issue in the functioning of the Gram Panchayats in Odisha is that every Panchayat does not have a health center unlike in Kerala. 

Dr. Dilip Kumar Pal shared that NIRD is re-structuring the calendar and preparing training programs on capacity building of PRIs and preparing materials for people working at the grassroots level to prevent the spread of COVID-19. This commitment to community based capacity building programs is essential to not only stop the spread of the disease but also to disseminate accurate information and raise awareness. The capacity building efforts will also result in Gram Panchayats being able to create effective disaster management plans and implement them as per the need. He concluded by emphasising the need for Gram Panchayats to also develop social capital. 

Finally, Dr. Laveesh Bhandari summed up by bringing up the need for police support for the panchayats to give the Panchayats the power to implement certain measures. Some sort of tie-ups between them need to be facilitated. Further, he focussed on the importance of decentralised governance in situations of crisis. The PRIs need to be given adequate power to take over control of the school system and public health system at the village levels. The Gram Panchayats need to be empowered to carry out these functions efficiently. 

Read the full report here.