A state-level workshop on the Panchayats (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act, commonly known as the PESA Act, was organised on Friday in Ranchi, bringing together key ministers, bureaucrats, policy experts, and civil society representatives to deliberate on the draft PESA Rules for Jharkhand.

The event saw the participation of Cabinet Ministers, Ramdas Soren, Deepak Birua, Deepika Pandey Singh, and Shilpi Neha Tirkey. Also present were Vinay Kumar Choubey, Principal Secretary, Panchayati Raj Department, and K. Raju, former Additional Secretary to the National Advisory Council. The workshop was attended by MLAs, senior government officials, elected representatives from tribal and rural areas, NGO delegates, social activists, and intellectuals.

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The central focus was the deliberation on Jharkhand’s draft PESA Rules, 2024. Experts and stakeholders provided constructive suggestions aimed at strengthening grassroots governance and ensuring culturally sensitive and locally applicable regulations under the Act.

Minister Deepika Pandey Singh, addressing the gathering, asserted that the final PESA Rules would incorporate legitimate suggestions from all quarters. “We are committed to developing a model that will serve as an example for the entire country,” she said, emphasising the collective nature of the consultation process.

Echoing the sentiment, Ministers, Ramdas Soren and Deepak Birua, appreciated the diversity of inputs received during the workshop. They assured that amendments would be made swiftly to operationalise the law. Minister Shilpi Neha Tirkey stressed the importance of collective ownership and community participation in finalising the PESA Rules.

Noted governance expert K Raju praised the traditional village assembly systems of Jharkhand and underscored the need to include inputs from the grassroots level. “The final rules must reflect the voice of the last person in the village,” he said, also advocating for the incorporation of successful provisions from other states’ PESA models.

Delivering the keynote, Principal Secretary Vinay Kumar Choubey provided a contextual overview of the PESA Act’s importance in Jharkhand, highlighting the regions covered under the Act. The District Panchayati Raj Officer from Khunti made a detailed presentation on the draft rules prepared by the state government.

The day-long session concluded with a consensus that while the legal framework is crucial, its success depends on inclusive consultation, cultural sensitivity, and political will. The suggestions gathered will now be reviewed and potentially integrated into the final version of the rules to be notified.