Effectively implement Panchayats Act 1996,Giriraj Singh to states

Union Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Giriraj Singh has called upon the states for effective implementation of the Provisions of the Panchayats (extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act, PESA, 1996. PESA is an important and key legislation to empower the tribal communitis. The Act came into force in ten states namely, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Odisha and Telangana.

Inaugurating the National Conference on PESA in New Delhi on Thursday,  Singh said, out of the 10 where this Act came into force only six states have framed rules and four states namely Chhatisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha have so far not framed rules for the implementation of these provisions. He called upon the states to frame rules so that it could be implemented. He said, Panchayati Raj Ministry and Tribal Affairs Ministry will interact with the Governors and governments of these states with regard to framing rules. Singh said, the Narendra Modi Government is committed to the development and empowerment of the tribal communities of the country. He said, the budget of the Tribal Affairs Ministry has been increased from four thousand crore rupees in 2013-14 to seven thousand 500 crore rupees in 2021-22.

Union Minister of Tribal Affairs  Arjun Munda said that the tribal communities have been using the resources naturally available since time immemorial, today the need is to safeguard and promote the interests and rights of the Scheduled Tribes as provided by the Constitution. Munda called upon the States to look at the tribal welfare from a national point of view while understanding the basic spirit of the Constitution along with local concerns and issues. He emphasized on the welfare of tribals by convergence of Schemes of Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Ministry of Tribal Affairs and Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.