As Madhya Pradesh election nears, focus back on tribal communities

PESA is not just an Act, it is a campaign to change the lives of tribal communities, Chouhan said

Madhya Pradesh has the highest number of tribals in India but is yet to have a chief minister from these communities, said Chandrashekhar Azad, president of the Azad Samaj Party, in a rally, putting the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in a spot of worry.

That is one reason the BJP government in the state is pinning hopes on the PESA (Panchayat Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act. The Act aims to ensure self-governance via traditional gram sabhas in scheduled areas dominated by tribal communities.

Madhya Pradesh recently made rules to implement the Act.

The state government is organising district-and block-level