Overview
- The state cabinet approved PESA rules that, according to official briefings and press reports, assign Gram Sabhas administrative and decision‑making roles in Scheduled Areas.
- Coverage states the approved framework gives Gram Sabhas authority over the use of minor forest produce, local development planning, and management of water resources.
- Former chief minister Raghubar Das demanded the government immediately make the approved rules public, noting the text has not been released.
- Das alleged the rules sidestep Section 4 of the PESA Act on conformity with customary law and could weaken traditional structures across Santhal, Ho, Khariya, Oraon, Munda, and Bhumij communities.
- He questioned the definition of Gram Sabha, the clarity on chairmanship including for converts, and whether control over minor minerals and other resources will be genuinely devolved, with the rules set to take effect only after formal notification.