THE TASTE PPESA, is all about Autonomy and Power. The Provision 4(m) speaks about POWER:- “while endowing Panchayats in the Scheduled Areas with such powers and authority as may be necessary to enable them to function as institutions of self-government, a state legislature shall ENSURE that the panchayats at the appropriate level and the Gram sabha are ENDOWED specifically with:- (i) the power to enforce prohibition or to regulate or restrict the sale & consumption of any intoxicant. (ii) the ownership of minor forest products. (iii) the power to prevent alienation of land in scheduled Areas and to take appropriate action to restore any unlawfully alienated land of a scheduled tribe. (iv) the power to manage village markets by whatever name called. (v) the power to exercise control over money lending to the Scheduled Tribes. (vi) the power to exercise control over institutions and functionaries in all social sectors (vii) the power to control over local plans and resources for such plans including sub plan.” The provision 4(o) speaks about AUTONOMY:- “The State Legislature shall endeavour to follow the pattern of the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution while designing the administrative arrangements in the Panchayats at district levels in the Scheduled Areas” Now, If the above mentioned powers and autonomy are not given to an institution called Panchayat,then that institution may be called anything but not the “PPESA-Gram Sabha/Panchayat”. In pattern of 6th Schedule of the Constitution the Panchayats at district level are called District Autonomous Council:a total autonomous body as the name suggests. Now why are our intellectuals/leaders/SIRDs/NIRD not claiming/asking for Autonomy of gram sabha as envisaged in the PPESA Act-1996? Instead they have called/DILUTED this act as the Panchayat Extention to Scheduled Areas Act,PESA which it is not in any way. In fact it’s is the Provisions of panchayats with that have been extended. And these provisions are in letter and spirit from those of the general panchayats. The saddest thing is that we, the STs, neither know nor do we try to understand the VALUE of OUR constitutional institution which the dikkus are fully aware of and they are RESISTING it since the past 17 years with their full might in order NOT to get it implemeted. On the other side we the STs are drowned in our eating, drinking & dancing and most sadly in infightings. Its our tragedy.
Posted on: Fri, 24 Jan 2014 02:17:29 +0000