Jharkhand Cong to submit suggestions to govt on draft of PESA rules

Ranchi, Jun 11 (PTI) The Jharkhand Congress on Wednesday said it will submit its suggestions to the state government on the draft of the Jharkhand Panchayat Provisions (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Rules, 2024, to make the state’s PESA implementation a model for the country, a party official said.

The decision was taken during a party workshop held here, attended by the party's state president, Keshav Mahto Kamlesh, in-charge K Raju, ministers, MLAs, district presidents from Scheduled Areas, and senior leaders.

The Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, commonly known as the PESA Act, which recognises the rights of tribal communities in Scheduled Areas, was enacted in 1996.

However, the law has not yet been implemented in the state.

In May, the state Panchayati Raj department released the draft PESA rules in the public domain, seeking feedback and suggestions from people.

Kamlesh said, "We received valuable suggestions from the participants in the workshop. We want Jharkhand’s PESA law to serve as a model for the country, empowering gram sabhas with the authority for self-governance." Raju said, "We have also invited written suggestions from the members by June 20. Thereafter, a committee will be formed to discuss each suggestion. Before that we will conduct field visits to gather opinions from tribal communities. After finalising the suggestions, we will submit them to the Panchayati Raj department." He added, "The gram sabhas will be empowered once the government notifies the PESA rules." Panchayati Raj Minister and Congress legislator Dipika Pandey Singh said, "We aim to implement the PESA rules in the best possible way. We have been holding consultations and have placed the draft rules in the public domain for feedback. Our goal is to refine the PESA rules so that when implemented in Jharkhand, they represent the best possible framework." She emphasised that the government is committed to implementing PESA at the earliest. PTI SAN SAN MNB