Tribal economy set to get a fillip; Madhya Pradesh govt notifies PESA Act

According to the state forest minister Vijay Shah, in this year's Van Mela, forest products worth Rs 3 crore were sold

To strengthen the tribal economy, the Madhya Pradesh government recently notified the Panchayats Extension to Scheduled Areas (PESA) Act.

According to the state government estimates, about 3.7 million people are associated with minor forest produce collection work. Of this, more than 50 per cent belong to the tribal community.

To protect these minor forest produce collectors from exploitation by middlemen, the state government has recently implemented the PESA Act.

With the aim of providing proper benefits from the collected minor forest produce, collection and trading in the state will now be done through the Gram Sabha. The Madhya Pradesh Minor