BHUBANESWAR: Even as the question hour of the assembly started smoothly on Tuesday, it could not continue for long as members of the Congress and BJP trooped into the well, protesting against a reply of panchayati raj minister Pradeep Maharathy.Replying to a question of Congress MLA Prafulla Majhi on recognition to gram sabhas, conducted in tribal areas in accordance with the Panchayats (extension to scheduled areas) PESA Act-1996, Maharathy said they are conducting gram sabhas in tribal areas according to Odisha Gram Panchayat Act.Dissatisfied over the reply, Majhi said the minister's reply was wrong and he was totally ignorant of the issue. "Our demand for the gram sabhas for tribal districts is different than what the minister mentioned in his reply. We are demanding recognition to the gram sabhas, conducted according to the provisions of the PESA Act ," Majhi said.PESA empowers gram sabhas in tribal-dominated areas to approve plans, programmes for socio-economic development, identify beneficiaries under various government programmes, certify utilization of funds by gram panchayats, protect natural resources and become consultative agencies for land acquisition for various projects.Stating that about 275 gram sabhas, conducted according to PESA Act in Sundargarh, await government's recognition, Majhi and other opposition MLAs rushed into the well and started sloganeering, accusing the state government of being anti-tribal.

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