NITI Aayog works with Gram Panchayats to boost climate resilience at grassroots level

New Delhi, April 4 (IANS) NITI Aayog on Friday convened a national workshop with Gram Panchayats to enable the integration of climate adaptation tools into local development planning.

This comes amid the growing frequency of extreme weather events and their impacts on rural livelihoods, agriculture, and water security. The events reinforce the need for disaggregated Gram Panchayat-level data for precise planning and informed decision-making.

The workshop on ‘Mainstreaming Climate Adaptation into Local Development Planning,’ brought together policymakers, climate experts, civil society organisations, and development practitioners to explore effective strategies for integrating climate resilience into Panchayat development plans.

The workshop emphasised the need for equipping Gram Panchayats with tools, knowledge, and resources to effectively address climate challenges.

“Climate adaptation must be woven into all aspects of sectoral planning at the Panchayat level, rather than being treated as a standalone effort,” said Niti Aayog.

It also underscored that climate modelling must be coupled with community-level knowledge to develop locally relevant adaptation strategies.

A major focus was on institutionalising climate resilience within Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and embedding climate-responsive planning into local development frameworks.

“The need is to encourage Panchayats to integrate climate-smart approaches into their development planning by strengthening their capacity,” Niti Aayog said.

Showcasing best practices from different states and Panchayats, the discussions highlighted the value of peer learning and knowledge-sharing in scaling up climate action. The shift from climate adaptation to proactive local climate action was a key takeaway, emphasising the role of Panchayats in climate risk-informed development and disaster preparedness.

The workshop called for multi-stakeholder collaboration, to foster climate-resilient rural livelihoods.

“Strengthening institutional capacity and encouraging innovation in Panchayat-led climate action were identified as key enablers. Integrating climate adaptation into local governance can help India foster a more sustainable and resilient rural development model,” Niti Aayog said.

--IANS

rvt/