The biggest exercise in Telangana State, perhaps the biggest in the country, to empower tribals through special laws enacted for them will get underway sometime next week in erstwhile undivided Adilabad district at the Kumram Bheem complex at Utnoor, the headquarters of the Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA).
A workshop for all stakeholders aimed at creating awareness and better understanding of the provisions of the Panchayats Extension to Scheduled Areas Act (PESA), 1996, will be held at the venue as a prelude to constituting gram sabhas in all 502 Scheduled Villages and hamlets in the area and election of the members of respective PESA committees.
The exercise could not have come at a more opportune time given the rooting for self rule by aboriginal tribes as part of their ongoing conflict with Lambada tribe over the question of the latter’s alleged invalid entry into the list of Scheduled Tribes in 1976. The exercise is also significant as several tribal villages in Jharkhand and Odisha have declared self rule and have barred entry of ‘outsiders’ citing powers given to gram panchayats under PESA.
Inspired by Pathalgadi
The Pathalgadi movement in Jharkhand saw the first announcement of self rule by tribals in April. As part of the movement huge stones were erected at the entrance to the habitations on which PESA provisions were carved out. The latest is the example of Sundargarh district in Odisha where tribal groups have declared some 250 villages as liberated zones taking inspiration from the Pathalgadi movement.
On June 1, ethnic tribals in Telangana, especially in Adilabad and Kumram Bheem districts, too erected sign boards outside scores of habitations declaring self rule and barring entry of Lambada employees and officials citing provisions of the Constitution and those under PESA.
“The provisions were misunderstood by the aboriginal people,” opined a Panchayat Raj Department official who went on to say that the provisions in question also have certain limitations.
Clarity on provisions
“We want all concerned to be very clear on the provisions and functioning of PESA,” asserted Project Officer of Utnoor ITDA S. Krishna Aditya.
“The workshop is aimed at creating awareness to remove misconceptions and misgivings among officials, elders among Adivasis and youth, some of whom will function as PESA mobilisers in Agency villages.”
“The workshop will be conducted in collaboration with the Centre for Innovations in Public Systems, an autonomous centre of Administrative Staff College of India, Hyderabad,” revealed Adilabad Collector D. Divya, who is also the Chairman of the ITDA. It may be mentioned here that she was instrumental in constituting the first gram sabha in Mallapur village in Indervelli mandal of Adilabad district earlier this month.
The PESA enviages gram sabhas comprising adult voters in given villages as members with the sarpanch of the conventional gram panchayat being the president of the gram sabha. The gram sabha will elect a vice president and secretary.
The gram sabha is empowered to enforce prohibition or regulate sale of liquor, fix ownership of minor forest produce, prevent alienation of land and restore any piece of land alienated unlawfully, manage village markets and exercise control over money lending, among others. It will also be responsible for for planning and management of minor water bodies besides having a say in exploitation of local mineral wealth.
