The Panchayati Raj, fi�rst adopted byNagaur in Rajasthan on October 2,1959, has expanded vastly. There arenow 2,60,512 Panchayati Raj Institu-tions (PRIs) represented by about 31lakh elected members across India.This system of local self-governance,where people in the villages partici-pate in the decision-making process,is the backbone of democracy. ThePeople’s Plan Campaign and VibrantGram Sabha Dashboard, rolled outthis year, aspire to strengthen thePanchayati Raj system by makinggram sabhas more vibrant.

A bottom-up approachUnlike other disasters like earth-quakes, COVID-19 is an unusual crisisas it is long-drawn and aff�ects peopleeverywhere. When the tra-ditional top-down disasterresponse system was com-promised during the badmonths of the pandemic, itwas PRIs that played a re-markable role. Theyhelped reduce risks, res-ponded swiftly and thushelped people recover quickly. ThePRIs provided essential leadership atthe local level. They performed bothregulatory and welfare functions. Forinstance, during the nationwide lock-down, PRIs set up containmentzones, arranged transport, identifi�edbuildings for quarantining peopleand provisioned food for the incom-ing migrants. Moreover, eff�ective im-plementation of welfare schemes likeMGNREGA and the National Rural Li-velihood Mission quickened the paceof recovery while ensuring supportto the vulnerable population.

Gram sabhas act as a soundingboard for diverse ideas and opinions.They provide a platform to build con-sensus and make resolutions in thecommunity’s interest. During thepandemic,, gram sabhas resolved toadhere to COVID-19 norms. In addi-tion, regular engagement with fron-tline workers like ASHA workers andAnganwadi workers through commit-tees bridged the trust gap betweenthe community and the offi�cials.

By representing diverse communi-ties, PRIs mobilise them eff�ectively.During the COVID-19 crisis, they or-

ganised community-based surveil-lance systems involving village el-ders, the youth and self-help groups(SHGs) to keep a strict vigil in quaran-tine centres and monitor symptomsin households. More recently, theirrole in mobilising citizens for CO-VID-19 vaccination is exemplary.

Building capacityThe Yokohama strategy during theInternational Decade for Natural Dis-aster Reduction in May 1994 empha-sised that it is important to focus ondisaster prevention, mitigation andpreparedness rather than disasterresponse alone, to reduce vulnerabil-ity. In this respect, certain initiativescan be taken to build the capacity ofPRIs. One, it is crucial to include dis-aster management chapters in Pan-chayat Raj Acts and make disaster

planning and spending partof Panchayati Raj develop-ment plans and local-levelcommittees. This will en-sure citizen-centric map-ping and planning of re-sources. Various insuranceproducts customised to lo-cal needs will build fi�nancial

resilience of the community.Two, conducting regular location-

specifi�c training programmes for thecommunity and organising platformsfor sharing best practices will streng-then individual and institutional ca-pacities. Assigning roles to individualmembers and providing them withthe necessary skills can make suchprogrammes more meaningful.

Three, since the community isusually the fi�rst responder in case ofa disaster, community-based disastermanagement plans would help.These would provide a strategy forresource utilisation and maintenanceduring a disaster. Such plans shouldtap the traditional wisdom of localcommunities which will complementmodern practices. Moreover, fi�nan-cial contributions from the commun-ity should be encouraged throughthe establishment of community dis-aster funds in all gram panchayats. Itis imperative to make disaster resi-lience an inherent part of the com-munity culture now more than ever.

Ravi Mittal is Chief Executive Offi�cer of theZila Panchayat in Raigarh, Chhattisgarh

Stronger at the grassrootsIt is imperative to make disaster resilience aninherent part of community culture Ravi Mittal