North India Statesman
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News India Live, Digital Desk: Jharkhand is a tribal dominated state and the rights of tribals have always been an important issue here. Now in this series, Chief Minister Hemant Soren has openly explained the purpose and importance of ‘PESA Act’. The Chief Minister has made it clear that this law is not just for the protection of the tribals, but for their empowerment and to promote self-governance in villages.
After all, what is this ‘PESA law’?
The full name of ‘PESA’ is ‘Provision of Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996’ (Panchayats Extension to Scheduled Areas Act, 1996). It was created by the Government of India to give more rights and autonomy to the Gram Sabhas in tribal areas. According to Chief Minister Hemant Soren, this law gives rights to the tribals over their land, forests, water (resources) and strengthens their traditional self-governance system.
What did Hemant Soren explain?
Chief Minister Hemant Soren said in an event that the main objective of the PESA law is to ensure that tribals can govern their villages according to their identity, culture and traditional ways. He stated that:
- Power of Gram Sabha: ‘Gram Sabha’ has been given a lot of power under this law. It is mandatory to obtain permission from the Gram Sabha before any development project or land acquisition.
- Traditional Justice System: This law also strengthens the traditional justice and administrative systems of tribals, so that they can settle their disputes according to their customs.
- Freedom from middlemen: Soren said that this law will eliminate middlemen and provide tribals their rights, thereby stopping their exploitation.
The government is committed to implement this law honestly, so that the tribals can be connected to the mainstream of development and they can be empowered. With the implementation of this law, local people in rural areas will get more participation in the decision-making process, which will enable true ‘self-governance’ to be established.
