Vaibhav Sonone
Introduction
Climate variability and change increasingly impact crucial sectors such as livelihoods, infrastructure, agriculture, water resources, and biodiversity, particularly in vulnerable rural areas. In India, these impacts closely relate to shifts in temperature and precipitation patterns. The monsoon season, essential for agriculture and water availability, is experiencing reduced rainfall in regions like northeastern and central India, while unseasonal rainfall is increasing elsewhere. These climatic disruptions affect traditional farming cycles and water security; therefore, developing localized climate adaptation strategies is urgently needed.
Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) are a decentralized body of local self-governance. Through mechanisms such as the Gram Sabha and the Gram Panchayat Development Plan (GPDP), Panchayats are empowered to design and implement village-level plans focused on economic development and social justice. Today, the Gram Panchayat Development Plan (GPDP) offers a powerful opportunity to build climate resilience through grassroots-level planning. By incorporating climate adaptation activities such as watershed management, sustainable agriculture, and renewable energy integration, GPDPs can effectively address local climate risks. Recognizing this potential requires strengthening the capacities of Panchayats through targeted training, technical assistance, and better coordination with schemes like MGNREGA and NRLM. This will empower them to lead climate-resilient development at the grassroots level.
The GPDP is a village-level planning tool to promote participatory governance and align development with local needs. It has been institutionalized under the 14th and 15th Finance Commissions, enabling Gram Panchayats to create inclusive, need-based plans using untied funds. By covering sectors like health, sanitation, infrastructure, and livelihoods, GPDPs are increasingly addressing climate resilience. Their bottom-up approach allows Panchayats to tackle local vulnerabilities effectively, making GPDPs powerful instruments for integrating climate adaptation into grassroots development and ensuring context-specific, sustainable interventions.
GPDPs as Climate Adaptation Tools – The Untapped Potential
With their decentralized and participatory structure, GPDPs tap into local knowledge to identify climate risks and design context-specific solutions. Guided by the Gram Sabha, they enable communities to develop actionable, climate-resilient plans rooted in local priorities and ownership.
In the Mandla district of Madhya Pradesh, a significant proportion of Gram Panchayats (GPs) have identified water security as a key developmental priority for the next 2–3 years, actively incorporating related interventions into their GPDPs. Notably, Panchayats such as Kumharra, Chubhaval (Mohgaon block), and Lato (Ghughari block) have adopted a proactive and integrated approach by preparing Integrated Natural Resource Management (INRM) plans before finalizing their GPDPs. This reflects an emerging model of climate-responsive and environmentally sustainable local governance.
The Kumharra panchayat has strategically included a range of water conservation and soil management activities in its development plans. Interventions such as contour trenching, the 30×40 model, farm ponds, gabion structures, and boulder checks are being prioritized to improve water retention, reduce soil erosion, and enhance land productivity. In areas where traditional and inefficient irrigation methods, such as flood irrigation, are still practiced, the Panchayat is facilitating a shift towards micro-irrigation systems, such as sprinkler and drip irrigation, through convergence with line departments, and promoting efficient water use.
The positive impacts of these initiatives are visible. For instance, the treatment of a 2-kilometre stretch of a seasonal stream (Nala) has enabled the irrigation of approximately 31 acres of land, allowing farmers to cultivate a second crop, which was previously unfeasible. Furthermore, to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and enhance resilience during climate-induced disruptions, Kumharra village has initiated the use of renewable energy solutions, including solar-powered irrigation pumps and solar street lighting.
These efforts demonstrate the potential of GPDPs to serve as effective instruments for climate adaptation when grounded in local needs and supported by technical convergence and participatory planning.
Furthermore, GPDPs provide a platform for natural resource management, including the conservation of forests, wetlands, and common lands. These ecosystems serve as natural buffers against climate impacts while also supporting rural livelihoods. In the Dhamanpani village, in response to water scarcity, the Gram Sabha began the process of Integrated Natural Resource Management (INRM). This involved mobilizing the community, holding multiple meetings, conducting transect walks, creating village resource and social maps, finalizing village development plans, and implementing them in conjunction with the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Scheme (MGNREGS). The outcome included land development covering over 200 acres and asset creation, leading to significant recharge of the water table downstream. Improved coordination with district and block officials for implementing INRM has generated new employment opportunities under central schemes, thereby significantly reducing migration and further vulnerability.
Critically, the GPDP process can be enhanced by mainstreaming climate risk assessments. In Mandla, this involves identifying vulnerable populations, mapping environmental risks, and evaluating the adaptive capacity of the community. With technical support from civil society organizations and NGOs like PRADAN, Panchayats are working to incorporate this data into their planning processes, transforming GPDPs from routine development activities into effective tools for strategic climate adaptation.
Challenges, Opportunities, and Way Forward
Despite the strong framework of the GPDP, the integration of climate concerns into local planning remains limited. Field insights from the Mandla district show that only 2–3% of Gram Panchayats actively incorporate climate-adaptive strategies. Interactions with stakeholders such as Gram Rojgar Sahayaks (GRS) and Panchayat Secretaries reveal that climate issues are often overlooked due to administrative overload and a dominant focus on traditional sectors like infrastructure and employment. This points to a significant capacity gap at the Panchayat level. Most elected representatives have less awareness and technical expertise in climate risk assessment, resilient agriculture, or renewable energy.
Moreover, convergence with schemes like MGNREGA, NRLM, and SBM is often weak, limiting the scope of integrated adaptation efforts. Encouragingly, states like Kerala, Sikkim, and Maharashtra offer models of eco-sensitive GPDPs. The growing engagement of Self-Help Groups, youth, and women’s collectives further highlights the importance of inclusive, climate-responsive grassroots governance.
Conclusion: Toward Climate-Responsive Local Governance
GPDP holds immense potential to serve as strategic tools for climate adaptation, moving beyond basic infrastructure checklists to become blueprints for grassroots resilience. Anchored in participatory governance, GPDPs can translate the challenges of climate change into locally relevant, actionable plans. To utilize this potential, a multi-dimensional approach is essential. First, capacity-building of Panchayat leaders in climate literacy and environmental governance must be prioritized. Second, technical and financial support should be enhanced through collaboration with academic institutions, civil society, and state agencies. Untied funds and climate-focused grants must be made more accessible. Finally, integrating climate vulnerability mapping and resilience indicators into GPDPs will enable targeted and adaptive planning. Despite challenges, emerging success stories across states show that empowered Panchayats can become frontline climate warriors. With the right tools and support, they can lead rural India’s response to climate change, safeguarding lives, ecosystems, and livelihoods for a sustainable future.
Acknowledgement: Recognized appreciation for the PRADAN Mandla team, Megha Bhat, and Snehal Tanpure. Thank you IMPRI for this opportunity.
About the contributor: Vaibhav Sonone is a Development Practitioner and Commonwealth Scholar. He is currently serving as an Executive at Professional Assistance for Development Action (PRADAN) in Mandla, Madhya Pradesh, and is a fellow of EPAYF 2.0 – Environment Policy and Action Youth Fellowship, Cohort 2.0.
Disclaimer: All views expressed in the article belong solely to the author and not necessarily to the organisation.
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Acknowledgement: This article was posted by Riya Rawat, researcher at IMPRI.
