In an atmosphere of distrust of the pretty bureaucracy and apparent inefficiency of the administrative apparatus in delivering services, one obvious solution is to strengthen local self-governing institutions to facilitate settlement of local problems. Enactment of the provisions of the Panchayats Extension to the Scheduled Areas Act, commonly known as PESA, is thus a welcome initiative for ensuring grass-roots management of community affairs. This enactment applies to areas under the Fifth Schedule, which coincidentally comprises many areas affected by violent left extremism. PESA brings the general body of the village - the Gram Sabah - at the centre-stage of village affairs. It brings common village assets like water bodies, wastelands, and minor forest produce etc under the collective ownership of the village community with the power to approve Implementation of development plans and to verify their implementation by ratifying, or not ratifying, decisions of the Panchayats. The community is likewise made the custodian of traditions, culture and identity of the village and is thus in a position to build consensus about various aspects of village life. There is no doubt that the policies initiated under PESA will contribute in inculcating a sense of participation and purpose within the village community - something that would surely make them less susceptible to subversive agendas. The problem, however, is that PESA is an indicative legislation, it lays down certain guidelines whose implementation depends on the States carrying out specific amendments or enacting exclusive legislations in their Panchayati Raj and other Acts. While many States have taken preliminary action on the lines suggested in PESA, there is a general impression that its implementation is, by and large, unsatisfactory.