The Panchayat Extension to Schedule Areas (PESA) Rules for Jharkhand have been approved by the State Government, shifting agency to local communities over land, natural resources, and institutional management, including control over the collection and marketing of forest produce. This policy breaks prolonged system inertia in Scheduled Area governance by strengthening the social, cultural, and ecological relationships of tribal communities built over generations.
Common Ground contributed to the pre-policy process by supporting relevant departments and actors with nuanced legal provisions and strengthening the draft policy to reflect tribal self-governance. Partners, including CRISP and PHIA, along with the Living Landscapes team, contributed to the Government’s efforts to bring this policy to light. In parallel, CRISP and PHIA are engaging with the Government of Jharkhand to co-create a capacity-building framework for the effective rollout of PESA across the state, particularly in three bio-regions: Kollan, East Singbhum, and Santhal Pargana.
Similar engagements are underway with the Government of Odisha to shape the draft PESA policy, now in the final stage of inter-departmental review. Efforts are also being made to support the State Institute of Rural Development (SIRD) in presenting a comparative analysis of PESA rules and provisions in Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, and Andhra Pradesh. CRISP remains deeply engaged in the PESA rule formation process in Odisha.
