ABSTRACT
Decentralised management of natural resources (land, water and forest) is one of the core objectives of PESA implementation, besides conservation and protection of traditions, rituals and cultural identity. Adivasis’ participation, according to Sisodia and Dalapati in their chapter, in Gram Sabha in the western Adivasi belt, in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat, remains very disappointing due to non-Adivasi domination over proceedings, under the influence of local bureaucracy. The Panchayats of Scheduled Areas in these states, on the one hand, had the first taste of democratic decentralisation due to PESA, and on the other, are given power to protect and safeguard their cultural identity, cultural traditions and customs. More than a decade has passed since the new system of governance was put in practice. The chapter, based on the empirical evidence at grassroots level governance, strives to analyse the functioning of Panchayat Raj system in Scheduled Areas after implementation of PESA in the western tribal belt of India.
