Panchayats in Disaster Preparedness and Management: Gujarat, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu [With Successful Case Studies]

Tribes in India, who constitute 15 per cent of the geographical area and nearly 8 per cent of the population, are truly disadvantaged and marginalized population of our country. Health status of the tribal population is marked by all the negative features that one may find in morbidity and mortality. Poverty, illiteracy, malnutrition, lack of personal hygiene, unsanitary conditions and absence of health education, poor mother and child health services and poor coverage of the national preventive programmes have been found responsible for the poor health of the tribal communities. Besides poor coverage, the tribal communities have their own systems of medicines, dispensed through the medium of shamans, herbalists and witchdoctors, which also act as a barrier in healthcare programmes. Finally, some specific genetic diseases such as sickle cell anaemia, G-6-PD deficiency, etc. are largely located in the tribal hinterlands. The Government of India has implemented specific programmes for the healthcare development of the tribal communities and there have been encouraging results. However, much is required to be known in the area of tribal morbidity and traditional systems of medicines. The present work is an attempt to bring together the clinical and biogenetic aspects, on one hand, and the traditional cultural heritage in the form of traditional medical systems, on the other. The papers contributed by various experts in the fields of anthropology, clinical sciences, demography and biotechnology examine the specific context of tribal habitat in order to interpret the pattern of morbidity.

About the Author :
Prof. Ganapathi Palanithurai, Coordinator in Rajiv Gandhi Chair. Gandhigram Rural Institute, presently heads the Department of Political Science and Development Administration, Gandhigram Rural University, Tamil Nadu. He is also Associated with Centre Planning Commission, State Planning Commission of Tamil Nadu, Population Foundation of India, the Ford Foundation, UNICEF, Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, CAPART, Ministry of Rural Development and DANIDA (Danish-lndo Development Agency) in specific areas of activities in connection with empowerment of people. Prof. Palanithurai has to his credit fifty-two books and ninty-five articles on three major areas, namely, legislative behaviour, ethnicity and Panchayati Raj system. He was recipient of Fellowship from Sastri Indo-Canadian Institute, New Delhi and World Academy of Art and Science, USA. He is the Chairman of the Tamil Nadu Council for Sustainable Livelihoods. He was a visiting Fellow in the MiGill University, Canada in 1989. He is a member of the expert committee constituted by the Government of Tamil Nadu to monitor the training programme for local body leaders. He is a member of High Level Committee headed by the Minister of Panchayati Raj, Governmen: of Tamil Nadu for further devolution of powers.