Thane, Apr 12 (PTI) A Maharashtra PESA Cell team visited various gram panchayats in Thane district to review development works, an official said on Saturday.

The visit under Shekhar Shankar Sawant, Director of PESA Cell, Rural Development Department, Pune took place on April 8-9, during which the use and impact of the 5 per cent Direct Fund Scheme meant for tribal development under the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act 1996 was assessed, he said.

“The meeting focused on the status of PESA Rule implementation, common administrative bottlenecks, and potential solutions to streamline governance in Scheduled Areas. Sawant visited Shirol gram panchayat in Shahapur taluka and Kasara Khurd gram panchayat, inspected village-level documentation and reviewed progress of developmental works carried out under the 5 per cent Direct Fund,” the official said. PTI COR BNM