Odisha Govt To Implement PESA Act Soon To Empower Tribals: Minister Informs Assembly

Bhubaneswar: In an effort to empower tribal communities, the Odisha government is set to implement the Panchayat Extension to Scheduled Areas (PESA) Act, 1996, the state Assembly was informed on Tuesday.

This was stated by Panchayati Raj Minister Rabi Narayan Naik while answering a question by Pottangi MLA and Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Rama Chandra Kadam in the House.

The Minister stated that the Mohan Charan Majhi-led government will soon implement the PESA Act in the state for the benefit of tribals.

Taking a dig at the previous government, he said the BJD regime had given collectors’ power to sarpanches during the COVID-19 pandemic in the state. However, the government subsequently withdrew the power from them.

The present government will now implement the PESA Act, benefitting the tribals in Scheduled Areas.

It may be noted that the PESA Act was enacted on 24 December 1996 in the country to enable Tribal Self Rule in these areas. The Act extended the provisions of Panchayats to the tribal areas of nine states that have Fifth Schedule Areas. The states included Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Rajasthan.

The basic spirit of the Act for tribal areas under 5th Schedule is that it devolves power and authority to Gram Sabha and Panchayats rather than delegation. The law directs the state government to endow powers and authority to make Gram Sabha and Panchayats function as Institutions of Local Self Governance, specifically on matters of enforcing the prohibition of sale and consumption of intoxicants; ownership of minor forest produce; power to prevent alienation of land and restoration of unlawfully alienated land, management of village markets, control over money lending, etc.