Resource detail

Title: Provisions of the Panchayats (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996
Organization:Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India
Date:24 December 1996

Under this Act, the provision of Part IX of the Constitution of India relating to Panchayats is extended to the Scheduled Areas as referred to in Clause (1) of Article 244 of the Constitution.It was enacted on 24 December 1996 to enable Gram Sabhas to self govern their natural resources.

Some of the provisions under this act are:

A state legislation on Panchayats in the scheduled area should take care of the customs, religious practices, and traditional management practices of community resources.

A village shall ordinarily consist of a habitation or a group of habitations or a hamlet or a group of hamlets comprising a community and managing its affairs in accordance with traditions and customs.

Every village shall contain a Gram Sabha whose members are included in the electoral list for the Panchayats at the village level.

Every Gram Sabha shall approve of the plans, programmes and projects for social and economic development before such plans, programmes and projects are taken up for implementation by the Panchayat at the village level.

Every Gram Sabha will be responsible for the identification or selection of persons as beneficiaries under the poverty alleviation and other programmes.

The recommendation of the Gram Sabha is mandatory for granting mining licenses in the scheduled areas.

Planning and management of minor water bodies are entrusted to the Panchayats.




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