15-Sep-2022: Panchayati Raj Institutions have come a long way in adapting to technological advancements leading to greater transparency, responsibility and accountability

To support the ‘Minimum Government, Maximum Governance’ vision at the third tier of Government i.e., Panchayats, by the means of technology, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj has organized the two-day Smart Village Panchayat Conference on ‘Empowering Rural Communities; Leaving No One Behind’ in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.

The inaugural session of the national level conference today was led by Union Minister for Rural Development & Panchayati Raj, Shri Giriraj Raj Singh, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Shri Yogi Adityanath and Minister of State for Panchayati Raj, Shri Kapil Moreshwar Patil.

In his inaugural address, Shri Giriraj Singh said that Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) have come a long way in adapting to technological advancements. While describing ‘SMART Villages’, he mentioned that they entail systems and processes which are driven by technology leading to greater transparency, responsibility and accountability. Shri Singh laid emphasis on the role of Central and State Governments and Elected Representative in visualising and implementing existing technologies. The Minister praised the Gram Panchayats regarding the adoption of Government eMarketplace (GeM), PFMS interface, Gram Manchitra (spatial planning), drone technology and put weightage on ‘Entrepreneurship’ in rural India which shall further support the ‘Atma Nirbhar Bharat’ vision.

Speaking on the occasion, Shri Yogi Adityanath laid emphasis on the contribution of PRIs in Uttar Pradesh in driving India’s aspiration of becoming a 5 trillion-dollar economy. Shri Adityanath further mentioned that Smart Village creation is directly linked with self-sufficient infrastructure, responsible citizens and behavioural changes. He stressed on availability of high-speed internet for provisioning of various government and non-government citizen centric services. He stressed on the importance of four main pillars, which are also linked with eight subjects i.e., Good Governance for creation of Smart Panchayats i.e.  provisioning and enhancements of basic infrastructural facilities of all Gram Panchayats (GPs),  increased transparency and public participation in day-to-day functioning of the GPs,  speedy resolution of public grievances and strengthening of public service delivery, and setting up of Common Service Centres (CSCs) in all GPs and provisioning of uninterrupted free Wi-Fi facility.

Addressing on the occasion, Shri Kapil Moreshwar Patil talked about longevity of social, economic and environmental welfare at grass root level by leveraging ICT, Internet, GIS and Remote Sensing. He laid emphasis on the challenges such as demand-supply management that Panchayats shall face while adapting to digital infrastructure, growing population and inevitable rapid urbanization. To make the rural development efficacious it is necessary to devise a strategy/model for executing and monitoring the process. A specially designed suitable framework based on Cluster approach, Public Private Partnership (PPP) along with Citizen Participation on the grounds of Science, Technology, Engineering, Regulations and Management will play important role to build next generation smart villages, he added.

During the Inaugural session, Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Shri Sunil Kumar apprised the participants on the importance of creating Smart Panchayats that are self-reliant and independent, in order to prevent the undue migration of young adults from rural India to cities in search of better job opportunities. Shri Kumar also mentioned that broadband infrastructure, digitisation (promoting digital service delivery) and educated manpower at village level lays the foundation of development. Examples of State level initiatives such as Village Level Entrepreneurs in Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra, Smart Village – Smart Ward towards Smart Andhra Pradesh, Electricity generation of Odanthurai Panchayat in Coimbatore, and CCTV and biometric machines installation, air-conditioned classrooms, Wi-Fi coverage in Punsari Panchayat of Gujarat were cited in his address.

A book on ‘Localisation of Sustainable Development Goals (LSDG), Launch of e-learning module’ was released on this occasion.

This National Conference on Smart Village Panchayats, organised by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj in collaboration with the Panchayati Raj Department of Uttar Pradesh and Industry partners including CII, ASSOCHAM, COAI, marks a new beginning towards fostering digital transformation of rural areas. Smart Village Panchayat Exhibition has also been organised on this occasion.

Going forward, Panchayats which play crucial role for local governance at grassroots level would evolve as hub of economic activities and drive rural transformation towards achieving inclusive development, decentralized administration, good governance as well as towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 2030 Agenda.

8-Jul-2022: Signing of MoU between Ministry of Panchayati Raj and Central TB Division, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare for TB Elimination

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR) and Central TB Division, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoH&FW) here today. The MoU was signed by Shri (Dr.) Bijaya Kumar Behera, Economic Adviser on behalf of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj while Shri (Dr.) P. Ashok Babu, Joint Secretary (NTEP) signed on behalf of the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare in the presence of officials of MoPR and MoH&FW. The MoU will forge inter–Ministerial collaboration and strategic partnerships with the aim to achieving the Prime Minister’s ambitious target of Eliminating TB in India by 2025.

Shri (Dr.) P. Ashok Babu said that the MoU is expected to pave way for coordinated efforts at grassroots level to create mass awareness in rural areas to end stigma and discrimination associated with Tuberculosis and will help utilize the huge potential of nationwide network of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) / Rural Local Bodies for elimination of TB in India by 2025. This MoU will serve as a milestone to achieve the objective and target of TB Free India Campaign.

Speaking on this occasion, Shri (Dr.) Bijaya Kumar Behera said that the Ministry of Panchayati Raj has joined hands with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to take forward the “TB Harega, Desh Jeetega” campaign in rural India that targets to achieve the health-specific Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target related to TB by 2025, five years ahead of the global target of 2030. He assured to take up this cause to the nook and corner of rural India through the PRIs for their active involvement including due weightage in the Panchayat Development Plans towards elimination of TB.

Dr. Behera expressed hope that this Inter-Ministerial cooperation and collaboration between MoPR and MoH&FW would focus on creating awareness at grassroots level through active involvement of Panchayats / Village Health, Sanitation and Nutrition Committee (VHSNC), and would also support a range of possible collaborative activities towards the eventual eradication of TB from India by the year 2025.

The TB Free India Campaign has been launched by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to eliminate Tuberculosis in India by 2025, five years ahead of the targets set by the UN’s SDGs. It’s a commitment that signals Prime Minister’s firm resolve to fighting the disease in India which has the highest burden of TB in the world.

The main objective of this MoU is to forego convergence at policy, programme and implementation levels across the Ministries of the Government of India for a multi–sectoral and accelerated response towards TB Free India. MoH&FW has developed a National Strategic Plan (2017–2025) for elimination of TB in the country by 2025. Through Inter-Ministerial coordination MoH&FW aims to reach the population served by various Ministries such as workers, miners, migrants, Tribal Populations, Women and Children etc.

1-Jun-2022: Ministry of Panchayati Raj organises Yoga Utsav to mark the countdown programme to the eighth International Day of Yoga

Ministry of Panchayati Raj joined the Nation in celebrating the countdown programme to the eighth International Day of Yoga at the Ministry premises here today. A Lecture-cum-Demonstration Session on Importance of Yoga in Daily Life was organised to mark 20 Days to International Day of Yoga, 2022 as part of Yoga Utsav – Countdown Programme for International Day of Yoga, 2022 on the Theme: Yoga for Humanity.

The Yoga Utsav witnessed enthusiastic participation from all the officers and staff-members of the Ministry. To maximise the outreach of the event, the web-link was shared with the State / UT Departments of Panchayati Raj and Panchayati Raj Institutions to facilitate participation in the event through virtual mode and to sensitize the major stakeholders regarding the celebration of International Day of Yoga on 21st June, 2022.

The Yoga Instructors deputed by the Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga, Ministry of AYUSH made a brief presentation on Importance of Yoga in Daily Life. A lecture on Importance of Yoga in Daily Life was delivered by Shri Tanuj Yadav, faculty-member of Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga, while Shri Muruli M.R., Demonstrator made demonstration on different Yoga poses/ postures / moves relating to Yoga Break (Y-Break), which is a protocol consisting of simple and useful Yoga practices devised to de-stress, refresh and re-focus on work and helps to increase the productivity of individuals at workplaces.

The countdown programme was chaired by Shri Sunil Kumar, Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj and moderated by Dr. Bijaya Kumar Behera, Economic Adviser, Ministry of Panchayati Raj. Speaking on this occasion, Shri Sunil Kumar, Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj exhorted all the participants to make Yoga a part of their lifestyle for physical and mental well-being. He underlined that Yoga–Break can be of immense benefit to the officers and staff-members working in a government set-up. He suggested that everyone should strive for practicing Yoga on regular basis as it would help improve the health of all and also help keeping the body and mind clear and focused in daily life. Dr. B. K. Behera called upon all employees to adopt Yoga for a healthier and balanced life.

17-Apr-2022: Ministry of Panchayati Raj organized the National Conference on Poverty free and Enhanced livelihood village and Self Sufficient infrastructure Village

Iconic Week Celebrations of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav of Ministry of Panchayati Raj concludes today with enthusiastic participation, attention and response from elected representatives and functionaries of Panchayati Raj Institutions and other key stakeholders. Ministry of Panchayati Raj organized a series of National Conferences as part of Iconic Week celebrations to mark Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav (AKAM) during 11th -17th April 2022.  More than 5000 participants during seven days brought the experience and shared learnings by Panchayats from different States and UTs ranging from Andaman & Nicobar Islands to Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura and Nagaland to Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh to Tamil Nadu, with Puducherry and Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu. With commitment of collaboration from UN agencies, academic institutions and NGOs, central Ministries and States driving home the whole of society and whole of Government approach towards localisation of SDG at village level.

To fulfil Mahatma Gandhi’s vision of Ram Rajya, nation has to fight against poverty and corruption. Poverty is the root cause of slow pace of development of any nation. Poverty is a major obstacle in progressive development, if development is to be accelerated, and then the problem of poverty has to be eradicated from the root. This is the main objective of the Sustainable Development Goals, which the Central Government, State Government and all the departments are trying to achieve.

On the 7th day of celebration of Iconic Week under Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, Ministry of Panchayati Raj organized the National Level Conference on Localization of Sustainable Development Goals, focusing on (Theme-1 Poverty free and Enhanced livelihood village) and (Theme 6: Self Sufficient infrastructure Village).

The programme was inaugurated by Shri Kapil Moreshwar Patil, Hon’ble Minister of State for Panchayati Raj with the lighting of the lamp along with  Shri Sunil Kumar, Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Shri Nagendra Nath Sinha, Secretary, Ministry of Rural Development, Shri Chandra Shekhar Kumar, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj,  Ms. Shoko Noda, Resident Representative, UNDP.

Shri Sunil Kumar, Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj emphasised on the infrastructure that were developed in the recent days. He stated that infrastructure plays an important role in the development of society and eradication of poverty. In this context roads were constructed under PMGSY, high speed internet connectivity provided in Gram Panchayats, Gas pipeline established etc.

Shri Nagendra Nath Sinha, Secretary, Ministry of Rural Development shared that Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to be achieved by 2030 and the program of this Iconic week inspired a lot to Elected Representatives and functionaries. Each person should fight for his right and one should support in achieving this. Role of the Elected Representative is very important towards visualization of next 25 Years . Further he explained that the role SHGs in the development of the rural India is very important and we should promote SHGs activities. He also emphasised Village Poverty Reduction (VPRP) may be included while formation of Gram Panchayat Development Plan (GPDP). Thematic videos of Bancharoda Gram Panchayat of Chhattisgarh in poverty free village and Shala Gram Panchayat of Himachal Pradesh on Self-Sufficient infrastructure village were also played.

Joint Statement of Understanding was signed between Ms. Shoko Noda Resident Representative, UNDP-India and Shri. Sunil Kumar Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj for working together for the eradication of poverty and development of infrastructure in rural India.

In technical session-1, Shri Charanjeet Singh, Joint Secretary, MoRD presented his views and shared that inter-departmental convergence is very important and strengthening of  monitoring structure is also to be done from time to time. Smt. Chhavi Jha, Joint Secretary, Dept.. of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare presented on LSDGs focusing on Poverty Alleviation through Sustainable Agricultural Practices for Livelihoods and Dr. Ashutosh Ojha, Deputy Director-General, MOSPI presented on Role of SDG Indicators for progress analysis in Rural India.

In technical session-2, Shri Amit Kumar, Head Inclusive Growth, UNDP India, Shri Alkesh Wadhwani, Director Poverty Alleviation Country, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation presented on Localization of SDGs focusing on Sustainable Solution to Rural Livelihood Promotions for Poverty Alleviation and Infrastructure Development in the rural India.

Dr. Aruna Limaye Sharma, (Retd. IAS), Member Microfinance Institutions Network (MFIN) presented on Importance of Self Sufficient Infrastructure in GPs for Poverty Alleviation & Livelihood Promotions among rural Poor. Prof. Rintu Banerjee, Head, Centre for Rural Development and Innovative Sustainable Technology, Head, Agriculture & Food Engineering, IIT Kharagpur shared his views on Technological Advancements to achieving Poverty Alleviation and Livelihood Enhancement GPs.

States of Maharashtra, Sikkim and Madhya Pradesh shared their experience, challenges and success stories in Poverty Free village and Jammu & Kashmir and Odisha on Self Sufficient Infrastructure.

Summing of the technical sessions and program, Shri Sunil Kumar, Secretary, Panchayati Raj exhorted the Elected Representatives of Panchayats to work for development of their respective Panchayats with renewed vigour and zeal. They should think out of box and bring about development by trying innovative measures. It was high time that the Panchayat representatives, officials and other stakeholders should work in tandem and convergence of efforts for achieving sustainable development at grass root level. He also emphasised that transparency and accountability should also be ensured which will instill confidence of poor and marginalised community in the Panchayats.  He further hopes that the participants will be greatly benefited with the experience sharing by different panchayats/Institutions in all the 7 days and will try to replicate the same.

The concluding day celebration of the Iconic Week witnessed active participation of all the participants reaffirming the resolve of ‘Panchayaton ke Navnirman ka Sankalpotsav’.

13-Apr-2022: Ministry of Panchayati Raj organises National Conference on Localisation of SDGs on Child Friendly Village and Women Friendly Village as part of Iconic Week celebrations to mark Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav

“It becomes the responsibility of all the State Governments, knowledge partners and international agencies to support the Panchayats for the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals”, said Shri Sunil Kumar, Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj while addressing the gathering of representatives of Panchayati Raj Institutions, representatives of UNICEF, UNFPA, senior officers of the Central Government and State Governments and other stakeholders, while inaugurating the National Conference on Localisation of SDGs on Child Friendly Village and Women Friendly Village.  The weeklong ‘Iconic Week’ celebrations of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav under the aegis of Ministry of Panchayati Raj entered the third day today. Shri Sunil Kumar, Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj chaired the inaugural session in the presence of the other dignitaries UNICEF India Representative Mr. Yasumasa Kimura, Chief of Social Policy of UNICEF India Ms. Hyun Hee Ban, Program Management Specialist of UNFPA India Smt. Anuja Gulati, and Smt. Jayashree Raghunandan, Additional Chief Secretary/DG (RD&PR) Training, Government of Tamil Nadu, Shri (Dr.) Chandra Shekhar Kumar, Additional Secretary, MoPR and Smt. Rekha Yadav Joint Secretary, MoPR. A large number of elected representatives and functionaries of Panchayats from across the country attended the National Conference.

In his keynote address, Shri Sunil Kumar, Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj emphasised on bringing together all the Ministries and UN Agencies to take forward the Mission of attaining Sustainable Development Goals through strengthening the Panchayats. He also pointed that these Goals should be reached within a definite period of time and also to ensure the effective delivery of services to the Citizens through Panchayats. He also focussed on the monitoring & implementation mechanism of the process of Localisation through Dashboard to ensure attainment of thematic approaches of SDGs at village level.

Mr. Yasumasa Kimura, Country Head, UNICEF in his address stated that the focus is on Gender Transformative Programme working at Decentralised level and forming on System Strengthening. He also said that he was honoured to be a part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.

Smt. Jayashree Raghunandan, Additional Chief Secretary, Government of Tamil Nadu emphasised on pressing need and urgency for Localisation of SDGs in PRIs through 9 thematic approaches. She also described detailed outline on the role of Panchayats in each thematic area through convergent actions of the relevant stakeholders.

Smt. Anuja Gulati, Programme Manager, UNFPA highlighted to attain the women friendly Village, women security, family planning, equal participation in the Rural Governance.

Ms. Hyun Hee Ban, Chief Policy and M&E, UNICEF India gave her insights on Child Friendly Villages. UNICEF wants to support the government for implementing Bal Panchayats and ensure child participation at the local governance level. She also discussed about the objectives of UNICEF that it shares its vision with Constitution of India which guarantee to give fundamental right to all its citizen like Right to education. She also stated that a Local Indicator Frameworks for every village based on their localised Gram Panchayats need to be prepared and to prioritize funding for critical sectors to children.

Shri Navendra Singh, Director, Ministry of Women and Child Development briefed on different flagship schemes of the Ministry and steps of the Ministry to localize the theme of Child friendly in the Village.

Sarpanch(es) of child-friendly Gram Panchayats from the States of Assam Bihar, Karnataka and Maharashtra shared the work done by them at the Gram Panchayat Level and importance of child representation at local governance level. With the session it was evident that their understanding on child rights has helped them in initiating changes at their villages.

Dr. Umakanth Dash, Director Institute of Rural Management Anand, IRMA focused on improvement in health services delivery to ensure Child Friendly panchayats through the use of different innovative models of technology in the arena of health.

Elected representatives from the States of Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh shared their experience in making their Gram Panchayats women friendly and child friendly village.

11-Apr-2022: Ministry of Panchayati Raj to organize National Conference on Good governance as part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav

The Ministry of Panchayati Raj is celebrating its iconic week under Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav from 11th April to 17th April, 2022. In this context, Governance Conference, Sushasan – Sugamta se Sampanta would be organized at SCOPE Auditorium (Convention Centre), SCOPE Complex, Lodhi Road, New Delhi on 12th April, 2022 (Tuesday). The event would be attended by representatives/ Senior Officials and Policymakers from different States and Resource Persons involved in Governance domain & improving services to citizens, along with various industry experts.

Panchayati Raj institutions are the instruments to carry out the programmes of rural development. In this endeavor, Governance would play a significant role in making Panchayati Raj Institutions functional and efficient. With the rapid expansion of the economy and the growing awareness and assertion of rights by the populace, the need and demand for good governance has increased. The Governance function evolves, becoming more citizen-oriented, citizen-centric, citizen-friendly, ensuring dedication, responsiveness and accountability of both official and Elected Representatives, towards Rural development.

With the Centre and State Governments together implementing various development programmes, Good governance is critical not only for ensuring social inclusion in the Government Programmes, but also for establishing accountability. Panchayati Raj Institutions have a definite mandate for realization of goal towards improving the quality of life in our rural areas. Thus, this Conference would serve as a fitting platform to share the various initiatives undertaken by the Central and State Governments towards this end.

Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav (AKAM) is an initiative of the Government of India to celebrate and commemorate 75 years of progressive India and the glorious history of its people, culture and achievements.

6-Apr-2022: Strengthening of Panchayati Raj Institutions 

As the performance of the Panchayats depends on the extent of powers and resources devolved to them, Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR) has intensively engaged States for devolution of powers to the Panchayats. The status of State-wise devolution of 29 Subjects to the Panchayats is furnished in the Annexure.

Under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA), financial support have been provided to the States/ Union Territories (UTs) for various activities relating to strengthening of Panchayats including capacity building of PRIs. Similarly, by successive Finance Commissions, more funds have been provided to the States for distribution among Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) as under:-

1. Tenth Finance Commission (1995-2000) : Rs.4380.93 crore
2. Eleventh Finance Commission(2000-2005) : Rs.8000.00 crore
3. Twelfth Finance Commission (2005-2010) : Rs.20,000.00 crore
4. Thirteenth Finance Commission (2010-15) : Rs.65160.71 crore
5. Fourteenth Finance Commission(2015-2020) : Rs.2,00,292.20 crore
6. Fifteenth Finance Commission(2020-2026) : Rs.2,97,555.00 crore

For the proper functioning of the Panchayati Raj Institutions, sufficient manpower has to be provided by the States and Union Territories (UTs) as the matter comes within their purview. Ministry of Panchayati Raj has been advising States/UTs in this regard from time to time.

In terms of Article 243H of the Constitution of India, the State Legislatures may, by law, authorize, the Panchayats to levy, collect and appropriate taxes, duties, tolls and fees; assign to the Panchayats such taxes, duties, tolls and fees subject to conditions and limits; provide for grants-in-aid to the Panchayats from the Consolidated Fund of the State, and create its own fund to credit its money to.   In terms of Article 243-I, the Governor shall constitute State Finance Commission every five years to review the financial position of the Panchayats and make recommendations to the Governor as to :-

1. the principles which should govern the distribution between the State and the Panchayats of the net proceeds of the taxes, duties, tolls and fees leviable by the State, which may be divided between them and the allocation between the Panchayats at all levels of their respective shares of such proceeds; the determination of the taxes, duties, tolls and fees which may be assigned to, or appropriated by, Panchayats, and the grants-in-aid to the Panchayats from the consolidated fund of the state;
2. the measures needed to improve the financial position of the Panchayats and
3. Any other matter referred to the commission by the Governor in the interests of sound finance of the Panchayats.

17-Mar-2022: Union Panchayati Raj Minister Shri Giriraj Singh releases the Disaster Management Plan of Ministry of Panchayati Raj

Union Minister of Rural Development & Panchayati Raj Shri Giriraj Singh released the Disaster Management Plan of Ministry of Panchayati Raj on 17th March 2022, through video conferencing. The Disaster Management Plan was released in the presence of Shri Sunil Kumar, Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Dr. Chandra Shekhar Kumar, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Shri Krishna S. Vatsa, Member, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Shri Rajendra Singh, Member, NDMA, and other senior officers of the Government of India. Senior officers from the State Panchayati Raj Departments, State Disaster Management Authorities, State Relief Commissioners, also attended the event virtually.

Shri Giriraj Singh said that the Ministry of Panchayati Raj has developed the Disaster Management Plan with an 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’. He also added that the convergent and collective actions to envision, plan and implement community-based disaster management plans, would be a game changer for our country in managing disasters comprehensively.

The Minister called for people’s participation in preparedness for disaster management and mitigation activities at grassroots level. Union Minister underlined that 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. He stressed on the need to formulate Panchayat-level and village-level Disaster Management Plans to mitigate the challenges in the event of disaster. He says disaster management should be kept in mind while making a master plan for the holistic development of Panchayats in the country.

Shri Giriraj Singh recalled that Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi appreciated 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. Union Panchayati Raj Minister expressed hope that Disaster Management Plan framed by Ministry of Panchayati Raj would also contribute to the efforts of the Government in bringing convergence in disaster management and planning in rural areas.

Shri Sunil Kumar, Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj highlighted that the “Disaster Management Plan of Ministry of Panchayati Raj” (DMP-MoPR) has been prepared with larger perspective of community-based planning starting from Village to District Panchayat level. Under the Plan, every Indian village would have “Village Disaster Management Plan” and every Panchayat would have their Disaster Management Plan.

During the event, a brief presentation was made by Shri Krishna S. Vatsa, Member, National Disaster Management Authority in which he highlighted the important role of Panchayati Raj Institutions in Disaster Management Planning and the need for developing a culture of disaster risk resilience in rural areas. The event also saw participation from Shri Rajendra Singh, Member, National Disaster Management Authority.

The DMP prepared by Villages and Panchayats in consonance with the Disaster Management Plan of Ministry of Panchayati Raj would be useful for addressing disasters in comprehensive manner. All stakeholders including PRIs, elected representatives and functionaries of Panchayats etc. would participate in planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the plan.  It is believed that this plan would be extremely useful for ensuring a participatory planning process for DMPs which is integrated with GPDP for addressing disasters across the country and initiate new era of community-based disaster management, convergence and collective action with programs and schemes of different Ministries / Departments.

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. Considering the important role that local communities can play in reducing vulnerabilities and early recovery, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR) has prepared this Disaster Management Plan (DMP) so that all Panchayati Raj Institutions along with communities can be prepared for any disaster.

It is noteworthy that the Disaster Management Plan of 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.

The Disaster Management Plan comprehensively 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 and so on.