Topic Details (Notes format)

PESA Act: Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas)

Subject: Polity

Book: Indian Polity by M. Laxmikanth

Enacted in 1996 to extend Part IX provisions (73rd Amendment) to Fifth Schedule areas, recognizing tribal customs, resource rights, and Gram Sabha supremacy. PESA empowers tribal communities to manage minor forest produce, prevent land alienation, and self-govern according to local traditions. It mandates Gram Sabha consent before land acquisitions or mining licenses. Implementation is uneven; states often dilute PESA in their rules. Conflicts with mainstream bureaucracy hamper local autonomy. Still, PESA remains a landmark in decentralized tribal governance, bridging customary laws with constitutional frameworks. Comprehensive enforcement can fortify tribal identity, resource management, and grassroot democracy in scheduled regions.

Practice Questions

Who appoints the Chief Justice of India?

Who among the following was the first woman Speaker of the Lok Sabha?

Which article of the Indian Constitution deals with the President’s power to dissolve the Lok Sabha?

Which amendment of the Indian Constitution gave the Right to Education a fundamental right?

Which article of the Indian Constitution provides for the amendment process?

न्यायिक समीक्षा मुख्यतः किन के खिलाफ की जाती है?

Which of the following is NOT a power of the Rajya Sabha?

Which of the following is NOT a feature of the Indian Constitution?

वरिष्ठ न्यायाधीशों की नियुक्ति में किस समिति का योगदान होता है?

आपातकाल की स्थिति में राज्य सरकारों के अधिकार किस अनुच्छेद में वर्णित हैं?