Tribal affairs minister Krishan Chandra Deo speaking to Business Standard urged that his ministry be taken on board before any “knee-jerk reaction” is taken on the Chhattisgarh killings.

Deo, for long, has been a votary of grassroots development to tackle the Naxal menace. And being the minister in charge of the tribal affairs, it is only logical to take into account his point of view before devising any strategy.

However, as emotions run high over the mindless massacre, it is very likely that Deo’s voice will be drowned in the avalanche of hawkish noise for starting a fight to finish in the war against Naxals. 

And if it happens (there are all indications that the government will harden its stand on the policy to tackle the left wing extremism), it will be very unfortunate.

By all means, the grim internal security scenario requires toughening of government stand and calls for a overhauling of its security strategy.  

However, strengthening gram sabhas and empowering tribals by implementing the Panchayat (Extension to scheduled Area) Act (PESA) is equally important.

Enacted by the centre in 1996, PESA empowers gram sabhas (in the scheduled areas) to decide on the existence of liquor shops in their villages, control over moneylenders, community resources, minor forest produce. It also gives gram sabhas the power to maintain peace and resolve local disputes. After one and a half decades of the enactment of the Act, only three states (HP, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh) have framed rules for the Act.

What it means is despite PESA, as Deo said, the district collector (DC), superintendent of police (SP) and district forest officer (DFO) that take all the discussions in a tribal-dominated district rendering the gram sabha useless.    

The tribal affairs ministry under Deo has written to the states (with schedule areas) umpteen numbers of time to frame rules for the Act and implement it in letter and spirit, but to no avail.

This correspondent was in Rajasthan (one of the states that have framed the rules and implemented the Act) for six months and he was witness to the potential of the Act first hand.

Abu Road, a tribal dominated block, was all geared up to use the Act for its empowerment and self-rule. In the first gram sabha that was held under PESA in Neechlagarh panchayat in Abu Road, the panchayat passed the resolution for throwing out the government liquor shop from its land.

In the following gram sabhas, the panchayat had several other important resolutions on its hand.

If tribal-dominated Abu Road block can reap the dividend of all powerful PESA, so can other tribal areas in the country.

It is time we gave PESA its due importance in tackling the left wing extremism instead for declaring an all-out war on the Naxals.