How Local Governments in Kerala Play Crucial Roles During Natural Calamities

Abstract

Natural disasters were there from the very existence of the human kind and nature in the universe. No place in the world is a disaster-free zone. But, how the challenge is faced by mankind is a matter of great concern. This chapter analyzes how Kerala, geographically situated in a natural disaster-prone area, fought three calamities in 2018, viz., (1) the floods, (2) the Nipah virus, and (3) Covid-19 epidemic, bravely. It focusses on how Kerala society has resilience against calamities and the role of local governments (panchayats) in saving people’s lives. The People’s Plan Campaign, initiated by the Kerala State Planning Board in August 1996, aimed at strengthening the decentralization process through the local bodies, and it has become an integral part of people’s lives in the state. The chapter highlights the success, the state achieved, during calamities in saving people’s lives and property, emphasizing the need that the other parts of the country could follow the Kerala model of development, particularly in dealing with disasters of any nature.