The Ministry of Panchayati Raj is celebrating a two-day PESA Mahotsav : Utsav Lok Sanskriti Ka on 23rd & 24th December 2025 in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh to mark the enactment of the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 (PESA). PESA Day is being  observed on 24th December as anniversary of the PESA Act. The mahotsav will be inaugurated by Shri Konidala Pawan Kalyan, Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for the Panchayati Raj & Rural Development, Government of Andhra Pradesh. Union Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Shri Vivek Bharadwaj along with other senior officials of the centre and the state will also attend the event. The celebration is expected to witness the participation of nearly 2,000 representatives from all 10 PESA States, including Panchayat representatives, sportspersons, cultural artists etc. The PESA Mahotsav is envisaged as a national platform to celebrate the cultural and traditional heritage of tribal communities from PESA areas.

Several important national initiatives on PESA will be launched on 24th December 2025. These include the PESA Portal for dissemination of information and monitoring of PESA implementation, PESA Indicators to assess the status of implementation across States, Training Modules on PESA in Tribal Languages to strengthen awareness and grassroots capacity-building and an E-book on Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh, documenting the region’s traditional knowledge, culture and heritage. As part of the celebrations special Gram Sabhas will be held in PESA Gram Panchayats of Andhra Pradesh with the participation of elected representatives from the participating States on ten identified PESA themes. In addition, special Gram Sabhas will also be organised across all ten PESA States on 24th December 2025,  focusing on strengthening community participation, protection of natural resources, preservation of customary practices, livelihoods and social justice.

The mahotsav will witness a range of sports and cultural activities, showcasing the diversity and vibrancy of India’s tribal heritage. The primary venue for the Mahotsav will be Visakhapatnam Port Authority Campus with activities spread across Ramakrishna Beach, Indoor Stadium, Cricket Stadium and the Kalavani Auditorium all in the city of Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.

About PESA Act 1996

In terms of article 243M(4)(b) of the Constitution of India, Parliament enacted “The Provisions of the Panchayats (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996” (called as PESA Act), for extending the provisions of Part-IX of the Constitution, with certain exceptions and modification, to the Scheduled Areas. Scheduled Areas are those areas which are declared by the President of India. Article 244(1) and the Fifth Schedule to the Constitution deals with provisions relating to the Scheduled Areas.  Since those Scheduled Areas are mentioned under Fifth Schedule of the Constitution, therefore, they are called as Fifth Schedule Areas. At present, Fifth Schedule Areas have been declared in 10 States viz. Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan and Telangana.

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Aditi Agrawal