BHUBANESWAR: Panchayati Raj Minister Rabi Narayan Naik announced on Wednesday that the state government will bring the Panchayat (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act in the next session of the Assembly for its approval for implementation in scheduled areas of Odisha.
Replying to a discussion on an adjournment motion in the Assembly in this regard, the minister said the Act needs further debate as its implementation is a sensitive issue. The government will soon convene a meeting of ST MLAs and other senior members of the House to discuss all the aspects.
Stating that Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi had already announced that PESA Act will be implemented in Odisha on August 15, Naik said the Centre has also shown interest in the matter.
The PESA Act has been translated into Odia and Santali languages and dispatched to the district magistrates of PESA regions. The minister expected that the Act will be widely debated before its implementation in the state.
Initiating the debate, Congress member Ram Chandra Kadam said tribals residing in 118 blocks have been neglected for long. He targeted the previous BJD government for its failure to implement the PESA Act to protect the mining mafia. He urged the current minister, who belongs to tribal community, to enforce the Act earnestly and develop the panchayats in tribal areas.
Congress MLA Tara Prasad Bahinipati also called for social and economic security of the tribals. Ganeshwar Behera (BJD) said the government should announce a definite timeline for implementation of the Act.