E-Paper
Govt will push for PESA Act awareness in rural areas: Jharkhand CM Soren
Addressing a Martyrs’ Day event at Kharsawan in the Seraikela-Kharsawan district, he said, “The state government has implemented the PESA Act in the state, which will give villagers their rights through Panchayats and Gram Sabhas. This law will be the basis for protecting our Jal, Jungle and Jameen. Villagers will be able to make decisions on their resources on their own, and the concept of self-governance will be strengthened.”
Chief minister Hemant Soren on Thursday said that the PESA Act, 1996, would be the basis for protecting the Jal, Jungle and Jameen (water, forests and land) of the tribals in the state.
Addressing a Martyrs’ Day event at Kharsawan in the Seraikela-Kharsawan district, he said, “The state government has implemented the PESA Act in the state, which will give villagers their rights through Panchayats and Gram Sabhas. This law will be the basis for protecting our Jal, Jungle and Jameen. Villagers will be able to make decisions on their resources on their own, and the concept of self-governance will be strengthened.”
The Soren Cabinet approved the PESA Rules on December 23 last year, following an ultimatum by a high court bench headed by Chief Justice Tarlok Singh Chauhan. This has now paved the way for the implementation of the PESA Act in the state.
“Now, the government’s effort will be to ensure that information about the PESA Act reaches every village. Awareness campaigns will be conducted across the state so that every villager gets to know their rights and uses them. The PESA Act is the result and symbol of the struggle of our ancestors, which will materialise the actual concept of Gram Swaraj,” said Soren.
The chief minister further said that Jharkhand has completed 25 years and that the young state is now on a new path of growth and development.
“We pledge to ensure that Jharkhand is among the top states in the country in the coming years. Our government is consistently working in the field of education because ‘an educated generation is the foundation of a strong state’. Students can pursue higher studies by taking a loan of up to ₹15 lakh at 4% interest under the Guruji Credit Card, and they have to repay the loan only after getting jobs. We are giving ₹2,500 to women under the Maiya Samman Yojana, which is an example of women’s empowerment. Women of the state are now getting educated, becoming self-dependent and playing key roles in society. I urge the youth of the state to actively contribute to the development of the state,” the chief minister said.
