Definition:
The Panchayats (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 (PESA) extends the provisions of Part IX of the Constitution relating to Panchayats to the Scheduled Areas listed under the Fifth Schedule. It aims to provide self-governance to tribal communities through the Gram Sabha and to protect their customary rights, traditions, and community resources.

UPSC Prelims Pointers:
Applies to Fifth Schedule Areas, not Sixth Schedule Areas; gives Gram Sabha a central role in approving development plans, identifying beneficiaries, and safeguarding community resources; important for minor forest produce, land alienation, customary law, local dispute resolution, and control over natural resources; often linked with tribal autonomy, decentralization, FRA, mining conflicts, and local consent; a common UPSC trap is confusing PESA with the 73rd Constitutional Amendment itself — PESA is the extension law for Scheduled Areas.