Throughout history, indigenous people have been the natural owners of their habitat areas like hills, forests, rivers, etc. These communities have been living in peace and harmony with their rich environment across India. However, their situation started worsening with the intervention of colonial rulers whose primary motive was to gain income from taxes and exploit the natural resources of forests for their commercial benefits. The continuation of such colonial policies further pushed the tribal communities with resource-rich areas across the country into marginalisation.
When it was formulated, the constitution of India provided complete autonomy in the scheduled areas where tribal people were the natural inhabitants. In implementing democratic governance at the grass root level, the constitution was amended (73rd amendment) by introducing a three-tier Panchayat Raj system in the rural areas in India. However, the tribal habitats under the scheduled area category were not included in this system initially, considering constitutional safeguards accorded to these areas. However, the policymakers in India later extended the same system through the PESA (Panchayat Raj Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996. Hence, it becomes essential to study the impact of such interventions by the state on the indigenous communities.
In this context, this paper critically interrogates the impact of the Panchayat Extension to Scheduled Areas (PESA) Act while bringing in the issues of alienation and loss of self-governance among the indigenous Bhil community in Rajasthan. This study is based on empirical data collected through in-depth personal interviews, oral history and group discussions in Bhil villages. Thus the paper unfolds the conflict between customary and modern governance laws in the wake of current development policies in India. In the wake of this, the study may help in stressing more inclusive development policies for tribal communities in India.
