President Murmu to visit MP for 'Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas'

Bhopal, Nov 14: President Draupadi Murmu will take part in the 'Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas' programme in Madhya Pradesh's Shahdol district on Tuesday, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said.

On the same day, the Panchayats Extension to Scheduled Areas (PESA) Act will also be officially implemented in the state, Chouhan told reporters on Sunday.

The government had last year declared November 15 as 'Janjatiya Gaurav Divas’ to mark the birth anniversary of tribal leader Birsa Munda and remember the contribution of tribal freedom fighters.

The PESA Act-1996 was formulated to prevent the exploitation of tribal population with an active involvement of gram sabha. It gives special power to the gram sabhas in scheduled areas specially for the management of natural resources. The rules under the Act have been finalised and it will be implemented from November 15 in the state, a senior official said.

“The state-level Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas programme will be held in the presence of President Droupadi Murmu at Lalpur village in Shahdol district,” Chouhan said. The chief minister along with senior officials reviewed the preparations at Lalpur village for the president's visit.