Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh government is all set to implement the Centre-approved Panchayat Extension to Scheduled Areas (PESA) Act 1996.
According to sources, an official announcement in this regard is likely to be made in the presence of the President Droupadi Murmu on Tuesday.
President Murmu will arrive in the state to attend the second edition of - Janajatiya Gaurav Divas (Tribal Pride Day), a mega event being organised the Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led the BJP government to mark the occasion of birth anniversary of freedom fighter Birsa Munda in Shahdol district on November 15.
Sources told that Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is likely to announce the implementation of PESA Act in the state on this special occasion, in view of upcoming Assembly elections, which are just 10 months away.
With this Act, the ruling BJP is sending across a message to safeguard the interests and traditions of the tribal community. By implementing the act in a phased manner, the Gram Sabha will be able to work effectively for tribal development.
After the PESA Act gets implemented, gram sabhas (village panchayats) of tribals would be empowered to decide conflicting issues within the community on their own. It would be mandatory for police to inform tribal panchayat before taking any action against a tribal in particular district.
Notably, Madhya Pradesh is known as the heartland of tribal India. The tribal community makes up for one-fifth of the state's population. It boasts of evergreen forests, a vast array of flora and fauna, rich water resources like lakes and rivers, abundant reserves of minerals and precious metals.
The state government has also provided stability to the tribal community by initiating a campaign to disburse forest rights letters. So far, over 2,50,000 tribals have received the forest rights letters. Additionally, the government has reviewed and validated over 34,900 claims under the Forest Rights Act in the state, which had been rejected in the first phase of the campaign.
On November 15, 2021, it launched the Hemoglobinopathy Mission to arrest the threat of blood-related diseases such as sickle cell anaemia, thalassemia, hemophilia. This mission will provide the tribal beneficiaries with free treatment for any such disease.
Under the National Food Security Act, the government is consistently ensuring adequate nutrition for two lakh 25 thousand women of the special backward tribes of Baiga, Bharia and Sahariya.
