Panchayat (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act (PESA)

The Panchayat (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act extends the provisions of Part IX of the Constitution to Fifth Schedule areas, conferring statutory autonomy on Gram Sabhas to preserve tribal customs and manage local natural resources.

Under Social Issues

• It operationalizes participatory democracy in tribal-majority regions by empowering Gram Sabhas with statutory authority over minor forest produce, local water bodies, and village markets.
• It serves as a legal shield against land alienation and involuntary displacement by requiring mandatory consultation before land acquisition in Fifth Schedule areas.
• It reconciles formal decentralised governance structures with traditional tribal customary laws and social practices.

UPSC evaluates PESA primarily through the lens of grassroots governance, tribal rights, and constitutional safeguards under General Studies Paper II. Questions typically focus on the implementation deficit caused by non-conformity of state-level rules, institutional reluctance to delegate authority, and the dilution of Gram Sabha consent powers. Candidates are expected to analyze its role in mitigating tribal alienation and strengthening democratic decentralization.

• Union and States GS2
• Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections GS2