Explore Employment Opportunities in Tribal Dominated Areas: CM Dr. Yadav

Empowerment of Tribal Communities through Implementation of PESA Act
Chief Minister apprises himself About PESA Act Implementation and Activities

Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav has said that in the districts of the state where the PESA Act is applicable, local tribals should be linked to new areas of employment. He called for tribal-dominated Panchayats to explore opportunities in fields such as cottage and village industries, animal husbandry, mushroom cultivation, lacquerware, honey production, silkworm rearing, and textile manufacturing. Dr. Yadav also instructed the formulation of action plans to ensure the effective implementation of these initiatives. Furthermore, he directed officials to assess the feasibility of assigning rural transport responsibilities to tribal-dominated Panchayats, with a detailed report to be prepared accordingly.

Chief Minister Dr. Yadav conducted a review of the PESA Act implementation and related activities in the state at Mantralaya on Wednesday. He instructed officials to conduct a study and prepare a report on the feasibility of entrusting the rural transport service responsibilities to youth from the tribal community.

Panchayat and Rural Development Minister Shri Prahlad Patel and Minister of State for Panchayat and Development Smt. Radha Singh, Chief Secretary Smt. Veera Rana, Additional Chief Secretary Chief Minister’s Office Dr. Rajesh Rajoura, Additional Chief Secretary Panchayat and Rural Development Shri Malay Kumar Srivastava, Additional Chief Secretary Forest Shri Ashok Varnwal, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Shri Sanjay Kumar Shukla and concerned senior officers were present as well.

Chief Minister Dr. Yadav instructed to explore the prospect of forming a tribal battalion during a meeting. The discussions highlighted that tree plantations in Maharashtra have connected the tribal community with employment opportunities. Tribal-dominated Panchayats could also engage in tourism development and managing cow sheds. The meeting showcased achievements across districts where tribal communities resolved issues through consensus, aided by peace and dispute redressal committees under the PESA Act. Additionally, Madhya Pradesh has been designated by the Central Government as the nodal state for crafting a vision document to regulate money lending practices. The PESA Act covers 88 development blocks across 20 districts in Madhya Pradesh, encompassing 5,133 gram panchayats and 11,596 villages.

Chief Minister Dr. Yadav directed that the difficulties faced in the process of providing caste certificates to the tribals living in cities should be properly resolved at the departmental level. It was informed in the meeting that in Narmadapuram and Betul districts, efforts have been increased to connect the people of the tribal community with cottage industries and the work of collecting tendu leaves is being conducted on a large scale by the Gram Sabhas.

During the meeting, it was noted that significant efforts have been undertaken under the PESA Act to empower the Gram Sabha. For instance, the Gram Sabha of Hirde Nagar in Mandla district received an income of Rs 62 lakh 38 thousand, earmarked for various village development projects. Additionally, in Gram Sabha Kudwat of Alirajpur district, a proposal was ratified within the Gram Sabha for the administration of a new market, now named Birsa Munda Square.

In Balaghat district, tendu leaf collectors have achieved economic upliftment with payments exceeding the prescribed Rs 3,000 per standard bag. Twenty committees in the district are actively engaged in tendu leaf collection, having completed over 62 percent of the collection work. Efforts are underway to integrate tribal community members into cottage industries in Narmadapuram and Betul districts. Moreover, in village Hindalli of Betul district, the Gram Sabha has formulated an action plan to preserve ancient traditions, specifically focusing on Pola and Meghnath Mela celebrations.

It was informed in the meeting that along with state-level, and district-level training, PESA training workshops have been organized at the sector level also. In the state-level PESA training workshop, experts from Maharashtra’s Institute of Tribal Ethos and Economic Research (TEER) provided training. District-level PESA training has been conducted in 16 training centers in the state. About 800 trainers were prepared from this. Trained trainers at the district level are giving training at the development block and sector level.

Information was given in the meeting that under the traditional culture of the tribal class in the state, peace, and harmony will be achieved in the tribal-dominated areas along with the right to conduct Gram Sabhas, empowerment of the tribal class, their economic assistance, stopping exploitation, conservation of water, land, and natural resources. From the security point of view, much has been achieved. With the implementation of the PESA Act, Extension Act 1996 in the Panchayat area, and Madhya Pradesh Panchayat Provisions Extension Rules 2022 in Scheduled Areas, an important task of empowerment of the tribal class has been done. In the meeting, Additional Chief Secretary Panchayat and Rural Development Department Shri Malay Kumar Srivastava and Additional Secretary Chief Minister’s Office Shri Laxman Singh Markam gave presentations.