Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government will introduce the PESA Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act in the next assembly session, Panchayati Raj Minister Rabi Narayan Naik announced on Wednesday.
During a discussion on adjournment notice, the Minister stated that Chief Minister Mohan Majhi had declared the introduction of the PESA Act in the state on August 15. The central government has also shown interest in this matter.
“It’s a sensitive issue, necessitating further dialogue. Therefore, I plan to convene a meeting with all scheduled tribe MLAs and other members of the House to deliberate on this,” Naik explained.
The Minister further said, “The PESA Act documentation has been translated into Odia and Santali languages and dispatched to the District Magistrates overseeing the PESA regions.” The minister voiced his expectation in the House that this Act would be extensively disseminated. He highlighted the plight of tribals, mentioning that they have been slain and their voices suppressed.
Initiating the adjournment debate, Congress leader Rama Chandra Kadam criticized the long-standing neglect of tribal communities, who have been deprived of their rights for 27 years, residing across 118 blocks of the state. He accused the previous administration of failing to implement the PESA Act to shield the mining mafia and urged the current minister, who belongs to a tribal community, to enforce the Act earnestly and develop the tribal area panchayats.
Echoing similar sentiments, Congress MLA Tara Prasad Bahinipati called for social and economic security for the tribals, recounting the Congress’ extensive protests for the Act’s implementation, including staging sleep-ins at the house entrance. He condemned the exploitation by mining mafias and urged the government to prioritize tribal rights over corporate interests.
Additionally, BJD MLA Ganeshwar Behera sought a definitive response from the minister regarding the implementation timeline. Additionally, BJD MLA Ramesh Chandra Behera has suggested the implementation of self-regulation in the panchayat system.
