Narmadapuram (Madhya Pradesh): Commissioner Shriman Shukla has said that the villages should be developed by using various provisions of the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) (PESA) Act. He urged the villagers to cooperate with the administration in implementing the Act. The commissioner made the statement at a special Gram Sabha in Morpani village at Kesla block on Friday.
He made the villagers aware about various provisions of the PESA Act which guarantee their rights. Collector Neeraj Kumar Singh, superintendent Gurkaran Singh, divisional forest officer DK Wasnik and chief executive officer SS Rawat also made the villagers aware about the PESA Act.
The Special Gram Sabhas, being organised in 122 villages at 52 Panchayats of Kesla block, began from November 23. It will continue till December 3.
The commissioner said that every elderly villager should work for implementing the provisions of the PESA Act. He said that the right to forest produce, collection of Tendu leaf and their marketing has been given to the villagers for which the Gram Sabhas have to pass a unanimous proposal.
Gram Sabhas to have right to stop migration
Collector Neeraj Kumar Singh said that under the PESA Act the Gram Sabhas would have the right to make recommendations for amending the errors in the revenue records. Besides, Gram Sabha has to be informed if a labourer is taken out of the village, he said, adding that the Gram Sabhas should have the information about any person coming to a particular village.
The information will be recorded in a registered, Singh said, adding that the Gram Sabhas will have the right to check the migration of labourers and their exploitation. The Gram Sabhas will decide which work will be done under the MNREA and when it will be done, Singh said.
Gram Sabhas will have the right to solve disputes Superintendent of police Gurkaran Singh said that under the PESA Act, the Gram Sabhas would solve the petty disputes among the villagers. A dispute solution committee of which one third would be women would work out any dispute in a traditional way, he said, adding that licensed moneylenders would be allowed to give loans in the tribal areas on fixed interests, but the Gram Sabhas should be informed about it. The moneylenders will not be able to take more interests and if they do so, they will face the music, Singh said.
During Singh’s interaction with the villagers, a woman named Amrita Bai said the Central Bank, Itarsi, did not give her Rs 10,000 after the death of her husband. Singh immediately directed the in charge of Kesla police station to give her the money as early as possible.
