AJMR

A Publication of TRANS Asian Research Journals Asian Journal of Multidimensional Research

Vol.2 Issue 6, June 2013, ISSN 2278-4853

ROLE OF PANCHAYATI RAJ INSTITUTION IN DISASTER

MANAGEMENT

Mr. Yudhvir*; Ms. Sunita**

*Assistant Professor,
C. R. Kisan (PG) College,
Jind, India.
**Doctoral Research Scholar,
Department of Public Administration,
Kurukshetra University,
Kurukshetra, India.

INTRODUCTION

Disasters like Floods, Cyclones, Droughts and Earthquakes are increasing in India due to
environmental degradation, deforestation, increasing population, nuclear explosions and air
pollutions, etc. There is also worldwide concern to mitigate the growing incidence of disaster and
their toll on human life, property and environment. In India floods affect 11.2 percent of the land
and drought account for 28 percent of the land, cyclones along 7516 km vulnerable coastline and
earthquakes covering 57 percent of the land are other major disasters that occur quite often.
Natural Disasters cannot be prevented, but their impact on the lives and the socio-economic
aspects of the people can be reduced to a considerable extent. In the past, people have countered
the effects of the disasters with their own efforts and have overcome the trauma of the calamity.
While the Government has the role to help its people in distress, the people themselves have
greater responsibility to withstand together to face such eventualities and help the Government to
help themselves in this process, rather fully depending on it. No state-level administration will be
able to meet the requirements of communities, unless communities come forward to solve their
own problems.1

The PRI is a statutory body elected by the local people through a well defined democratic
process with specific responsibilities and duties. The elected members are accountable to the
people of the ward, rural community, block and the district.

Keeping the above in view, the 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 institutionalized basis. Their close
involvement will go a long way in getting people 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. The PRIs can act
as catalysts to social mobilization process and tap the traditional wisdom of the local
communities to complement the modern practices in disaster mitigation efforts. Besides PRIs
will also provide a base for integration of various concerns of the community with that of the
NGOs and CBOs which are engaged in various developmental activities at the grassroots level.

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Hence there is a need to define the role of PRls in Disaster Management and sensitize local
communities through them to develop coping mechanism in preparedness and mitigation
measures of disaster to minimize its destructive effect on life and property at local level. The
proposed national workshop will therefore address the relevant issues relating to role of
Panchayats in disaster and providing a forum to discuss and evolve strategies to manage crisis
situations effectively by these institutions. The disaster management cycle requires massive
efforts in all its aspects like prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response, restoration,
rehabilitation reconstruction work. These include addressing situations like lack of coordination
at all levels in the restoration and relief work, non-involvement of the people, over dependency
on government, inadequate relief and restoration work, lack of awareness among people
regarding potential danger of cyclones and other disasters, lack of knowledge on availability of
funds and resources etc,. Thus, the entire preparedness with regard to meeting emergencies like
cyclone, flood and drought etc., calls for a constructive role and greater commitment on the part
of the PRIs.2

NEED FOR INVOLVING THE PRI BODIES

In general, if the local bodies like Panchayats are not consulted for preparedness-planning, relief
and rehabilitation work, it leads to absence of transparency and accountability in the mitigation
efforts. The whole approach towards rehabilitation work may end up being „top down‟ in nature.
As the relief and restoration efforts involve investment of hundreds and thousands of cores
rupees, there should be satisfaction of having utilized them properly and efficiently. Activities
like distributing immediate relief in the form of money, food grains, medical care, cloths, tents,
vessels drinking water and other necessities, activities of restoration, rehabilitation and
reconstruction efforts of damaged villages and towns can be implemented better with the
involvement of local bodies.

There is a view that local bodies like Panchayats should be encouraged and empowered to
manage the local affairs with the available local resources. The elected leaders and officials of
Panchayats should be trained to develop capabilities to handle crisis situation in preparedness,
warning, rescue, relief, medical assistance, damage assessment, counseling, water and sanitation
and rehabilitation operations. It is felt that in biggest disasters the role assigned to Panchayats
was meager in handling the problems of various types at the grassroots level.

The 73rd Constitution Amendment (1992) heralded a new phase in the country‟s quest for a
democratic decentralized set-up; more so, in matters pertaining to devolution of powers,
functions, functionaries and finances. One of the objectives of Panchayati Raj (PR) is to promote
popular participation through an institutional framework. The articles 243(G) of the Constitution
visualises Panchayats as institutions of self-government. It subjects to extent of devolution and
powers and functions to the will of the state legislatures, it also outlines the role of Panchayats in
respect of development, planning and implementation of programs of economic development and
social justice. A comprehensive list covering 29 subjects which are mostly related to
development has also been provided in the Eleventh Schedule to the constitution. The success of
this depends upon adequate devolution of powers, functions, personnel and finances on these
bodies, which is yet to make significant progress. Mostly the disaster activities of restoration,

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rehabilitation and reconstruction fall within the ambit of these development activities. Hence
there is an imperative need to involve local bodies in disaster management. 3

HOW PRI BODIES CAN LEAD

It must be conceded that wherever it has strong roots, PRI has played a crucial role in mobilizing
people in various situations of crisis. However, it is a fact that it is difficult to pre empty disasters
and also to predict their magnitude. But the impact of disasters on people living in vulnerable
areas and losses to their property can be minimized by a pro-active role played by PRIs at the
grassroots level. Apart from great organizing skills, it may call for courage and leading from the
front. The 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, PRI can lead in several ways. A broad outline may include activities like:

PRE-DISASTER

Organising awareness campaign and promoting community education on disaster

preparedness.

Articulation of community need for developing preparedness plan through community

involvement and Panchayat ownership.

Identifying the resource gaps both physical and manpower and replenish the same
through capacity building.

Establishing synergy with local agencies including NGOs/ CBOs.

Dovetailing Risk Reduction into various development programs of national and state
governments.

Encouraging people to insure assets and livestock.

Establishing convergence with local institutional structures created for implementing

education, health, livelihood, social justice and so on.

Activating the DM Plans with the participation of the community.

Formation of Task forces and their capacity building.

DURING DISASTER

Arranging emergency communication through available resources.

Evacuation to temporary shelter and running relief camps.

Supplementing rescue and relief efforts in coordinating different agencies.

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Monitoring of Relief distribution.

Safe disposal of carcass and arranging safe drinking water and sanitation.

POST DISASTER

Damage assessment particularly assisting in identifying victims for compensation and its
distribution.

Formulating rehabilitation and reconstruction plan of houses and other local

infrastructures.

Enforce minimum specification for safe reconstruction.

Supervise and monitor long term reconstruction and mitigation projects.

Mobilising special funds to use disaster resistant construction technology in vulnerable

areas.4

MODES OF DISASTER MANAGEMENT

Disaster Management in a broad framework covers all aspects of preventive and protective
measures, preparedness and systematic organization of rescue, relief and rehabilitation
operations to mitigate the impact of disasters on the human beings and all socio-economic
aspects of the disaster-prone areas. The whole process of disaster management can be divided
into three broad phases and each phase has a number of inter-related activities:

I. PREPAREDNESS PHASE

Preparedness for an eventuality of the occurrence of a disaster helps its mitigation to a large
extent. Therefore this is a continuous phase, when a number of activities are in place. These
could include awareness generation, identification of vulnerable groups, identification of
resources and assets, household preparation, formation of various task forces and their capacity
building and developing a disaster management plan etc. This needs a sustained effort on the part
of the community.

II. RESPONSE PHASE

This has two sub-phases;

EARLY- WARNING

This phase begins with Early Warning System. In cases where the disasters are predictable, such
as Drought, Floods and Cyclone, as soon as there is indication of the on-set of a disaster, early
warning is issued to keep people alert. The warnings continue till the actual impact. The interval
at which warnings are issued depends on the type of the disaster. In the case of drought, the

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intervals for warning could be a week to a month but for Floods and Cyclones, it could be just
every half-an-hour.

POST- WARNING

This is perhaps the most crucial phase and needs high alertness. The earlier preparedness helps a
lot during this phase in reducing risk and damage and taking mitigation actions. This includes
activities like Control room management, shelter management, inter-agency coordination,
search, rescue and medical aid, public health measures, sanitation and hygiene, damage
assessment, relief distribution, disposal of carcass and mobilization of resources and their
optimal utilization.

III. REHABILITATION AND RECONSTRUCTION PHASE

After the impact of a natural disaster, particularly those which are devastating in nature leave
behind large scale destruction such as loss of lives, damage to houses and properties, crops,
livestock and the physical infrastructure.

Thus the activities to be attended in this phase are as follows:

Provision of temporary shelters for those who have lost their houses completely, till
construction of permanent housing is completed.

Providing minimum household utility goods for all those who lost everything.

Provision of food and clothing.

Making alternate arrangements for drinking water if the existing facility has been completely
damaged.

Restoration of road, transport, electricity and communication (where minor repairs are
needed and temporary arrangements in the case of those need reconstruction, which takes
long time).

Salvaging the losses incurred due to damage to the crops and plantations.

Arrangements for distribution of seeds, fertilizers and other inputs in initiating the process of
agricultural activities.

De-silting of agricultural fields, irrigation tanks, canals etc.

Restoration of health and educational facilities, if the damage is repairable or making

temporary alternative arrangements.

Distribution of ex-gratia for the dead and compensation for the losses (wherever applicable).5

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ROLE OF THE THREE-TIER PRI BODIES IN DISASTER MANAGEMENT

The major role of the Panchayati Raj Bodies in respect of disaster management is in the
preparedness planning and its implementation during the impact and post- impact phase as this is
the most crucial period for the people facing the disaster. The village people are the most
vulnerable for disasters and therefore the Village Panchayats have to play a major role in
association with the higher level bodies of PRIs as well as with the Government agencies.

The involvement of Panchayats is also necessary as this alone can provide quick response and
also make people to withstand the threat of the disasters and minimize their dependence on
Government response for rescue and relief operation at the time of any crisis. The most
important tasks to be performed by the Village, Block and the District Panchayats along with the
government machinery at the respective levels during the three phases of disaster management
are listed hereunder:

PHASE – I

Tasks to be performed by 3- tier Panchayat bodies for Preparedness planning

GRAM PANCHAYATS

1. Convening meetings of ward members to ensure proper information regarding the warning
signals reached the people through all media modes.

2. Updating information on Civic amenities Population Government and Panchayat properties

Housing and cattle/ livestock population

3. Selection of location for shifting people/ livestock to safer places

4. Special arrangements evacuation of handicapped, children and expectant mothers

5. Medical sanitation requirements relief camps

6. Arrangements disconnecting lines during winds/gales

7. Stocking food grains, drinking water and other necessities

BLOCK/ PANCHAYAT SAMITIS

1. Supervise preparedness of the Gram Panchayats

2. Consolidate village wise information on items listed under GP

3. Engineering staff at the Block I Mandal level should repair drainage/canal/roads etc.

4. Contacting Ex-army/Security forces personal / volunteers to organize a taskforce to assist

people in emergency.

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5. Procure and keep rescue materials including boats ready.

6. Function as link between the district and village level counter disaster activities.

ZILLA PARISHADS

1. Before the onset of monsoon (May) and likely periods of cyclone (May- June & Oct-Nov),
the District Collector should have a meeting of all District Heads of the Sectoral,
Departments and the Members of the Z P for preparedness.

2. All the concerned departments, specially Roads & Buildings, Major and Minor Irrigation,
PDS, Communication Police , Revenue Electricity, etc., to take up necessary repair and
maintenance and related works for preparedness to counter Flood& Cyclone Disasters.

3. To organize „Task Force‟ at District, Block and the Village levels.

4. To identify and enlist NGOs who are useful in extending help during disasters.

5. At the first warning, call the meeting of the Crisis Management Group and alert all concerned
at Block and Village levels.

6. All the members of the Crisis Management Group (CMG) should be asked to keep their
personnel in full preparedness, at all levels down the line.

7. The District Collector should be the Leader of the CMG and establish a control room which
should be managed by senior officers round the clock during the crisis. 6

PHASE - II

Tasks to be performed by Panchayats for rescue and relief before and during the impact of
disasters:

1. At the on-set warning of a disaster, the Gram Panchayat Leaders, with the help of District
and Block Level officers should start preparations for countering Disaster. Establishment of
temporary shelters relief camps should start immediately.

2. With the final warning, operations for the evacuation of people and the livestock should start
so that all are at safer places before the disaster strikes.

3. Along with evacuation of people and livestock, storage of food and water for the people and
the livestock should be made.

4. The Volunteers and the task forces should be kept in full readiness to take rescue operation at
the shortest notice.

5. Medical and other relief teams from the district and Block may be asked to take position at
strategic points and coordinate with the village volunteers / task forces.

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BLOCK/ PANCHAYAT SAMITIS

1. With the final warning of cyclone, flood disasters, identify the villages likely to be affected
and send teams of Task Forces/ Volunteers to the villages to supervise counter disaster
measures.

2. Arrange transport facilities to evacuate people from villages likely to be affected and help
GPs to shelter them in temporary relief camps.

3. Arrange for emergency communication facility through Police wireless, Radio, etc.

4. Arrange and assist GPs to establish temporary shelters/ relief camps.

5. Supervise the rescue and relief activities along with District Level officers.

6. Inform the CMG in case specific help for rescue and relief operation is required from the
Police and Security forces including Army, Navy and Air Force.

7. Supervise the rescue and relief operations and coordinate with various agencies like Task
forces, NGOs and Volunteers engaged in rescue and relief operations.

ZILLA PARISHADS

1. In the event of on-set of a cyclone /flood disaster monitor the situation, identify the Blocks
and villages most likely to be affected and issue warnings at close intervals to all concerned.

2. Activate control room and keep full watch on the situations.

4. Activate CMG and put them on job for assisting Block and Village Panchayats

for taking counter disaster measures.

6. Arrange for temporary emergency shelters/ relief camps and supply and transport of all
essential food and non- food items to relief camp.

7. Requisitioning of the assistance of the Armed Forces if the need arises.

8. Monitoring of the rescue and relief operations at the village level.

9. Assisting the Block and village Panchayats in mobilising task forces/ Volunteers/ NGOs for
rescue and relief operations.

10. Maintain minute to minute information on the situation during and immediately after the
impact and keep ready to meet any specific emergency. 7

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PHASE - III

Reconstruction and long term planning:

GRAM PANCHAYATS

1. Assist in the identification of the victims of the disaster and eligible for various types of
compensations and assist in the distribution.

2. Formulate reconstruction plan for individual houses, community and Govt. buildings, roads
and other physical infrastructure within the jurisdiction of the GP with the assistance of the
technical departments from block and district levels.

3. Enforce minimum code or specifications for the construction of individual houses,

community and Government buildings, roads and other physical infrastructure.

4. Help district and block level organizations in organizing awareness camps for management
and mitigation of disasters and ensure the participation of the villagers.

5. Organize village level Task Force/ Volunteers and train them in counter disaster measures.

6. Assist block and district level agencies in all activities related to disaster management and
mitigation.

7. Assist block and district level agencies in the supervision and the monitoring of the
reconstruction and development projects within the village.

8. Encourage village people to use insurance cover for all their assets/ lives and other aspects.
This should be made mandatory for all those who can afford and also take Govt. help for
others who can partially / not afford it.

BLOCK/ PANCHAYAT SAMITIS

1. Assist in Planning and Implementation of Rehabilitation of affected people; Repair and

reconstruction of damaged house, physical infrastructure etc. and return to normal economic
activities including farming etc.

2. Assist GP Panchayats in identification of persons eligible for different types of compensation

and its distribution.

3. Based on hazard and vulnerability prepare village and block level mitigation plan and
consolidate and integrate into block plan.

4. Assist and execute repair and reconstruction activities.

5. Assist for enforcing the specified code or specification for the construction of houses and
buildings, roads and other physical infrastructure.

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6. Assist in the formulation of long term mitigation planning and its integration with the
development plan of the block and the district.

7. Provide technical assistance to the GP for identifying preventive and protective measures
required for countering disasters, planning for them and help in the execution of such
projects.

8. Supervise and monitor all projects implemented by the GPs and block Panchayats relating to
reconstruction and long term mitigation of disasters.

ZILLA PARISHADS

1. Planning and Implementation of Rehabilitation of affected people, repair and reconstruction

of damaged houses, physical infrastructure, etc and return to normal economic activities
including farming etc.

2. Compensation for loss of lives, properties of individuals should also begin.

3. Mapping of hazard and vulnerability should be initiated; if it is not available detailed maps
should be prepared for each block and district and should be placed in both district and
blocks.

4. The repair and reconstruction activities should be integrated with a long term mitigation
planning so that the quality of the reconstruction and repair is in consonance with the
specifications provided for disaster resistant structures.

5. The long term mitigation plan should integrate normal development plan in such manner that
protective and preventive measures against the disasters adhered in the implementation of all
development projects under each and every sector.

6. Special funding should be made available for the construction of physical infrastructure to
include disaster resistant technologies particularly in the construction of houses, roads,
electric transmission lines, drinking water facilities, culverts, telecommunication, irrigation
canals, tanks and reservoirs etc for the sections which are most vulnerable.

7. Supervise all construction and development activities. 8

ROLE OF PANCHAYAT IN PLANNING AND CAPACITY BUILDING

Community-based disaster preparedness (CBDP) approaches are increasingly important elements

of vulnerability reduction and disaster management strategies. They are associated with a policy
trend that values the knowledge and capacities of local people and builds on local resources,
including social capital. CBDP may be instrumental not only in formulating local coping and
adaptation strategies, but also in situating them within wider development planning.

Panchayats have a very important role to play in both preparedness and mitigation in mobilizing
and organizing the people as well as facilitate their capacity building. Communities should be

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motivated to make their own short term and long – term DM plans for Disaster Mitigation for
which Panchayat bodies need to lead from the front in building their capacities through regular
training in this field. A sustained effort in this direction will not only reduce the dependency of
the people on the Govt. but also help mobilize sizeable resources locally to counter disasters and
reduce the burden of the Govt. to a great extent. .

ROLE OF PANCHAYAT IN MANAGING INFORMATION

Collection, analysis and dissemination are the three phases of managing information. This would
not only help in predicting natural disasters, but also help communities plan their agricultural
activities.

COLLECTION

Authentic information plays a vital role at the time of need like the disasters.

Panchayats should make an attempt to collect information from all relevant sources. In addition,
they should make an attempt to check its authenticity and validity before passing it on to the
community. Some of the sources from which Panchayats could collect information may be
Radio, Television, Govt. sources, District Disaster Mitigation Cell and from Newspapers and
News Agencies.

ANALYSIS

Panchayats can form a committee of responsible persons who have access to the sources
mentioned above so that they can get the right information at right time In this respect, some of
the senior citizens of the local communities should be made members of this committee, so that
they can help in identifying certain local geographical indicators, which would enable people to
predict future climatic conditions.

DISSEMINATION

Panchayat functionaries can disseminate the information to the people in several ways. This can
be done through notice boards, radio, TV, telephone, appropriate signals, word of mouth, and
volunteers of DMT teams as well as through the local NGOs.9

ISSUES IN ROLE OF PRIS IN DISASTER PREPAREDNESS AND MANAGEMENT

The role of Panchayats is important in view of their proximity to the local community, universal
coverage and enlisting people‟s participation on an institutionalised basis. It is possible to ensure
accountability and transparency through the institution of Gram Sabha.

Hence there is an emphasis to involve Panchayats in Disaster Management and sensitize local
communities through them to develop coping mechanism in preparedness and mitigation
measures to minimise its destructive effect on life and property at local level. In the event of a
disaster all people in its impact zone are affected but the poor and vulnerable (disabled, widow,
orphans and children) people suffer the most, as their ability to absorb losses is low. The specific

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benefits of community participation accrue from involving people in their own development, as
can be seen from the following considerations:

People can be sources of useful ideas, such as those from indigenous technical knowledge
and skills;

Also, the communities and people can participate in decision-making process with regard to
implementation of development schemes, which are pertinent to disaster reduction measures.
And thus, people‟s voices and choices can be more appropriately reflected in development
programs and the commitment of the implementing functionaries like leaders, officials and
NGOs can be reinforced further.10

PREPAREDNESS OF THE PRI MEMBERS

As already discussed, a disaster brings in a very critical situation in the community. As the
leaders of people the PRI members need to take responsibilities and act, for which they need to
be prepared with the right kind of knowledge, skill and attitude. The basic three aspects,
therefore, are:

First of all it is necessary to take note of some of their „must-do‟ activities.

I. WHAT THE PRI MEMBERS NEED TO ‘DO’

BEFORE A DISASTER

Getting to understand the vulnerability of the area and the people.

Facilitation of Disaster Management Plans.

Resource Mobilization.

Building Capacity of self as well as Team members.

Establishing linkages with other stakeholders Involving the DMC and DMTs

Involvement of women in DM activities

Inclusion of Disaster Management in the agenda of all meetings

DURING A DISASTER

Involvement in „response‟ activities

Monitoring activities at all levels

Management of Control Room

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Disbursement of compensation

Maintaining coordination with related agencies

AFTER A DISASTER

Rehabilitation activities

Maintaining social structures and infrastructures

Evaluation & Documentation

Integrating development programs with mitigation of disasters

II. WHAT THE PRI MEMBERS NEED TO ‘KNOW’

In order to carry out the aforementioned tasks the members need to gain a good knowledge about
the following aspects:

Concept of DM

Approaches to capacity building

Their own roles and responsibilities in DM

All DM norms/ acts / schemes

DMP(Process / operations / follow ups)

Preparedness / awareness

Technological knowledge / skills

Process of coordination

Knowing the stake holders

DM initiatives taken at all levels

Convergence & linkages

Leadership skills

Methods and approaches to creating dedicated volunteers

Code of conduct 11

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III. WHAT ‘ATTITUDE’ THE PRI MEMBERS NEED TO DISPLAY

One‟s inner attitude towards a task or a person or towards one‟s own role counts a lot for the
successful execution of a responsibility. This aspect is even more vital in a responsibility
connected to the public domain like Disaster Management. Some of these attitudes could be
enumerated as:

Positive disposition towards preparedness activities

Cognition of local coping mechanism

Political neutrality

No blame game and no passing the buck

Need-based decision making on stakeholders

Gender equity

Social service above self

Ownership of responsibilities

Openness to learning

Optimal utilization of resources

Prioritization of activities

Never-say-die attitude

SOME MORE GUIDELINES

Panchayats must adhere to the following principles during relief, rehabilitation and
reconstruction activities in order to protect the rights and dignity of each and every victim of a
disaster. Relief, they should remember, must be treated as a right rather than as charity.

Humanitarian imperatives come first.

Aid should be given regardless of race, creed, nationality, caste and religion.

Aid priorities must be calculated on the basis of need alone.

Aid should not be used for a particular political or religious purpose.

Respect must be shown towards culture and customs.

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Disaster response should build on local capacities.

Beneficiaries should be involved in the management of relief programs.

Relief must aim at reducing future vulnerability.

Honesty, transparency and accountability must be emphasized.

The dignity of victims must be respected Attention should be paid to the issue of gender
equity.

The needs of the children, disabled and stigmatized groups should be addressed on
priority.

All activities should be guided by the principle of inclusiveness.

Coordination amongst various actors, who come forward to support the disaster affected
population, should be maintained.12

FINANCIAL RESOURCES AND CALAMITY RELIEF FUNDING FOR DISASTERS

In India, natural disasters of one type or the other continue to strike relentlessly and there is
increase in the magnitude, complexity, frequency and economic impact. In the event of natural
disasters, the State Governments are responsible for rescue, relief and rehabilitation operations.
The Central Government‟s role is supportive in terms of physical and financial resources and
complementary measures. Nevertheless, availability of adequate funds for meeting the
expenditure on natural calamities is a very critical requirement.

RESOURCES FOR CALAMITIES

The scheme of funding calamity relief is governed by the guidelines laid down by the successive
Finance Commissions constituted under provision of the Constitution. The Second Finance
Commission was the first to use the terms „margin money scheme‟. Under the scheme, the
revenue needs of each States is assessed and allocated as margin money for meeting the
expenditure on natural calamities. A specified sum ranging from Rs 10 to 100 lakh was kept in
separate fund and the annual balance was to be invested in readily encashable securities.

The contribution of the Central Government in the calamity relief expenditure of the states
included a share in margin money, advance plan assistance in the form of grants and loans, and
Special Central assistance as grants and loans, etc. To obtain the Central assistance, the
procedure was that each state was required to submit a detailed memorandum on damages to life
and property after a particular disaster, and the fund requirement for rescue, relief and
rehabilitation.

The Commission has suggested for augmenting the resources of the Central Government by
recouping through levying a special surcharge on Central Taxes. The amount collected from such

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surcharge/cess should be kept in a separate fund created in the public account of the Central
Government and the Center‟s contribution would be Rs 500 crore as the initial core amount.

By and large, the recommendations of the EEC on Calamity Relief Expenditure been accepted
by the government as per the Action Taken Report of the government. 13

THIRTEENTH FINANCE COMMISSION

The Thirteenth Finance Commission (FC) recommended that the existing National Calamity
Contingency Fund (NCCF) be merged into the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF)
proposed under the DM Act 2005, with effect from 1 April 2010, and that the balances in the
NCCF at the end of 2009-10 be transferred to the NDRF. As far as financing of the NDRF is
concerned, as per the Act it should be credited with amounts that the Central Government may
provide, after due appropriations made by the Parliament. It recommended that the Calamity
Relief Fund or CRF be merged with the State Disaster Response Funds (SDRFs) of the
respective states. The contribution to the SDRFs is to be shared between the centre and states in
the ratio of 75:25 for general category states and 90:10 for

special category states. The Thirteenth FC emphasized that effective disaster response requires
trained manpower to deal with complex situations where effective and speedy handling can
reduce the impact of a disaster on human life and property. It is necessary to continuously
undertake measures to build capacity amongst those handling response and creating awareness
amongst people. It recommended an additional grant of Rs. 525 crore, on the basis of the overall
size of the SDRF of a state. This amount may be used for taking up activities for building
capacity in the administrative machinery for better handling of disaster response and for
preparation of district and state level disaster management plans, as envisaged in the DM Act
2005. It also recommended an assistance of Rs. 250 crore to National Disaster Response Force to
maintain an inventory of items required for immediate relief. It suggested that mitigation and
reconstruction activities to be kept out of the schemes funded through FC grants and be met out
of overall development plan funds of the Centre and the states. 14

OTHER FINANCIAL RESOURCES FOR CALAMITY RELIEF

In addition to the outflows from the CRF, substantial budgetary resources are invested annually
by both the Central and the State Governments mainly on structural measures (engineering and
non-engineering). The State Flood Control Departments and the Central Water Commission also
provide funds for structural projects such as dams and reservoirs, dykes and embankment,
drainage and river training. Considerable amounts are also spent on publicity on disaster
awareness, communications, training and warning systems for floods, cyclones, tidal waves, etc.
Data on such budgetary allocation for these purposes are not easily available

for estimates. Besides, after the occurrence of disaster events, remission of land revenues and
interest components of agricultural loans are granted, along with the rescheduling of all such
loans. These measures are not usually included in the expenditure statements of disaster relief
funds.

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However, the integration of Village Disaster Mitigation Plan with the long term development
plan of the area can be made possible by tapping funds from following sources:

Plan Funds from Sectoral Departments of the State Government

Funds available under various centrally sponsored rural development Programs/schemes,

such as Integrated Wasteland Development Program (IWDP), Sampoorna Gram Rojgar
Yojna (SGRY), National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA), Prime Minister‟s
Grameen Sadak Yojna (PMGSY) and Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Program etc.

Local Resource Mobilisation.

Funding from Central Budget for disaster management.15

CONCLUSION

PRIs institution has been effective management for all phase of disaster management process at
grass root level since act, 1992. While some challenges were prevalent their like financial
problem, no proper plan & policy, training facilities etc. Their need a proper mechanism for
manage of disaster like hazard calendar, village disaster management authority (VDMA), proper
training, plan & policy at grass root level.

RFERENCES

1. GOI-UNDP (2002-2009) “Disaster Risk Management Programme” New Delhi, p-21.

2. Goel, S. L. (2006) “Policy and Administration” Deep & Deep Publications, New Delhi,
p-404.

3. Goel, S. L. (2006) “Policy and Administration” Deep & Deep Publications, New Delhi,
p-405.

4. Training Manual (2012) “Capacity Building in Disaster Management for Government

Officials and Representatives of Panchayati Raj Institutions & Urban Local Bodies at
District Level”, Initiative of National Disaster Management Authority and Indira Gandhi
National Open University, New Delhi, p-17.

5. Handbook for Effective Disaster Management at Micro Level (2012) “Capacity Building in
Disaster Management for Government Officials and Representatives of Panchayati Raj
Institutions & Urban Local Bodies at District Level”, Indira Gandhi National Open
University and National Disaster Management Authority, New Delhi, p-17-42.

6. Training Manual (2012) “Capacity Building in Disaster Management for Government

Officials and Representatives of Panchayati Raj Institutions & Urban Local Bodies at
District Level”, Initiative of National Disaster Management Authority and Indira Gandhi
National Open University, New Delhi, pp-25-26.

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7. Handbook for Effective Disaster Management at Micro Level (2012) “Capacity Building in
Disaster Management for Government Officials and Representatives of Panchayati Raj
Institutions & Urban Local Bodies at District Level”, Indira Gandhi National Open
University and National Disaster Management Authority, New Delhi, pp40-48.

8. GOI-UNDP (2002-2009) “Disaster Risk Management Programme” New Delhi, pp-27-29.

9. Goel, S. L. (2006) “Policy and Administration” Deep & Deep Publications, New Delhi,
pp-415-416.

10. GOI-UNDP (2002-2009) “Disaster Risk Management Programme” New Delhi, pp-29-30

11. GOI-UNDP (2002-2009) “Disaster Risk Management Programme” New Delhi, pp-31-32.

12. Handbook for Effective Disaster Management at Micro Level (2012) “Capacity Building in
Disaster Management for Government Officials and Representatives of Panchayati Raj
Institutions & Urban Local Bodies at District Level”, Indira Gandhi National Open
University and National Disaster Management Authority, New Delhi, pp42-48.

13. GOI-UNDP (2002-2009) “Disaster Risk Management Programme” New Delhi, pp-32-33.

14. Training Manual (2012) “Capacity Building in Disaster Management for Government
Officials and Representatives of Panchayati Raj Institutions & Urban Local Bodies at
District Level”, Initiative of National Disaster Management Authority and Indira Gandhi
National Open University, New Delhi, pp58-60.

15. Government Of India Planning Commission (2006) “ Report Of The Working Group
Disaster Management For The Eleventh Five Year Plan (2007-2012)” ,New Delhi,
pp- 15-18.

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