Karnataka's disaster management plan to be activated at gram panchayat level

MANGALURU: Revenue department in a pilot project, idea of which has enthused the union government, will set up gram panchayat (GP) level disaster management committees (DMC) in Karnataka.
The committee with 10 members – present or former GP members/locals and officials active in respective villages that the respective deputy commissioners will certify, will be trained in disaster management activities and called on to aid the district administrations in times of need.
The pilot, according to revenue minister R Ashoka will be rolled out in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts.
Noting that the two coastal districts with their high literacy rates and history of proactiveness in public governance issues are ideal for this pilot, Ashoka said the presence of such committees will help respective district administrations in averting human tragedy of the kind that unfolded at Talacauvery due to reluctance of family of chief priest to shift.
While officials can execute such tasks, albeit, by way of force or other administrative measures, the revenue minister said the committees with locals would be able to convince their peers to shift in case of an impending natural disaster.
The incident at Talacauvery could perhaps have been averted if one such committee was there, Ashoka said, adding, the bedrock of disaster management was preparedness before and not reacting or scrambling after disaster strikes.
Citing the example of how a pilot of giving monthly old age and widow pension to eligible citizens based on official data available with Udupi district administration is all set to be showcased to the state post-Covid crisis, he said the gram panchayat DMCs would be trained to be first responders.
The minister also added, "State disaster management authority will train these GP committees, give them allowance to hold periodic review meetings of disaster preparedness".
He thanked the Union government in general and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for releasing Rs 310 crore to Karnataka to help the state undertake advance disaster mitigation measures.
This is a three-fold increase from last year, he said, adding Rs 20 crore out of this had been given to state disaster response force (SDRF) to purchase equipment that SDRF and state fire and emergency services could utilise during the current monsoon.