सं Samvidhan

Fifth Schedule

Fifth Schedule (Provisions as to the Administration and Control of Scheduled Areas and Scheduled Tribes)

Article 244(1)

The Fifth Schedule sets out a special governance framework for Scheduled Areas and Scheduled Tribes in states other than Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram (which are covered by the Sixth Schedule instead). It empowers state Governors to report to the President on administration of these areas, requires establishment of Tribes Advisory Councils to advise on tribal welfare, and allows Governors to modify or exclude the application of parliamentary or state laws and to make special regulations restricting land transfer and money-lending to protect tribal interests. It also lays down the procedure for the President to declare, alter, or rescind Scheduled Areas, and allows Parliament to amend the Schedule itself by ordinary law rather than a constitutional amendment. This framework matters because it balances tribal self-governance and protection of tribal land/resources with overall state and central authority in areas with significant Scheduled Tribe populations.

Source: en.wikisource.org