PESA Mahotsav to Celebrate Tribal Heritage and Governance
A two-day PESA Mahotsav, titled Utsav Lok Sanskriti Ka, will be held in Visakhapatnam on December 23 and 24 to mark the enactment of the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996. PESA Day is observed every year on December 24.
The national-level event is being organised by the Union Ministry of Panchayati Raj. It will be inaugurated by Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Panchayati Raj and Rural Development K Pawan Kalyan. Union Panchayati Raj Secretary Vivek Bharadwaj and senior officials from the Centre and State governments will also attend.
Around 2,000 representatives from all 10 PESA States are expected to participate. This includes elected panchayat members, sportspersons, cultural artists and other stakeholders. The Mahotsav aims to serve as a national platform to showcase the cultural traditions and heritage of tribal communities in PESA areas.
According to an official statement, several key PESA initiatives will be launched on December 24. These include a PESA portal for information sharing and monitoring, indicators to assess implementation across States, training modules in tribal languages, and an e-book on Himachal Pradesh’s Kinnaur district documenting its traditional heritage.
Special Gram Sabhas will be organised in PESA Gram Panchayats of Andhra Pradesh and across all 10 PESA States. The discussions will focus on themes such as community participation, protection of natural resources, customary practices, livelihoods and social justice.
The programme will also feature sports and cultural events highlighting India’s tribal heritage. The main venue will be the Visakhapatnam Port Authority campus, with activities held at several locations across the city.
The PESA Act was enacted under Article 243M(4)(b) of the Constitution to extend Panchayati Raj provisions to Scheduled Areas, with specific exceptions and modifications. These areas are notified by the President of India under Article 244(1) and the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution.