Panchayat Extension to Scheduled Areas (PESA) Act implemented in Madhya Pradesh to protect the rights of tribals

Tags: State News

The Madhya Pradesh government implemented the Panchayat Extension to Scheduled Areas (PESA) Act in the state on 15 November.

Important facts

• It was formally announced by President Draupadi Murmu at a function organised by the state government in Shahdol district on the occasion of the birth anniversary of tribal freedom fighter Birsa Munda.

• On this occasion, Madhya Pradesh Governor Mangu Bhai Patel, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and several tribal ministers from the state and the center were present.

• It aims to protect the tribal population from exploitation with the active participation of Gram Sabhas.

Panchayat Extension to Scheduled Areas Act, 1996

• The Parliament enacted a special law called the Panchayat Extension to Scheduled Areas Act (PESA) in 1996 and came into force on 24 December 1996.

• The Act is currently in force in areas included in the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution, which deals with the administration of districts dominated by tribal communities, and is applicable to 10 states in the country.

• These 10 states are Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Telangana.

• The Objective of the Act is to ensure self-governance through Gram Sabhas for people living in the Scheduled Areas.