BHUBANESWAR: Panchayati Raj minister Rabi Narayan Naik on Wednesday announced that the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act (PESA) will be implemented in the state soon and the proposal for its implementation will be discussed in the upcoming state cabinet meeting.
The minister said extensive discussions have been held with all stakeholders for the implementation of the Act. Opinions of tribal representatives, panchayat leaders, district administration officials and experts have been taken. The state government wants the law to be convenient and suitable for everyone, especially the tribals and rural population of scheduled areas, he said.
Naik said, once implemented, the Act will empower the gram sabhas in the scheduled areas to take decisions on development and welfare in their areas instead of depending on higher authorities. “The government’s goal is to ensure that the PESA is not passed on paper, but is implemented effectively on the ground,” he said.
The PESA gives special powers to gram sabhas in scheduled areas on control over natural resources like land, water, forest produce and minor minerals, approval for development projects affecting tribal villages, management of local markets, money lending, social customs and protection of tribal culture, traditions and self-governance.
While the PESA was enacted by the Centre in 1996 and Odisha amended its parent Odisha Grama Panchayats Act in 1997, the administrative rules required to operationalise it on the ground have been delayed for nearly three decades. As a result, Odisha remains the last of the 10 Fifth Schedule states in India that has yet to officially notify the final PESA Rules.
Meanwhile, national president of All India Adivasi Congress Vikrant Bhuria criticised the state government for the delay and said it is extremely unfortunate that the Act has not yet been implemented in tribal-dominated Odisha.
