Article 243M Part not to apply to certain areas
(1) Nothing in this Part shall apply to the Scheduled Areas referred to in clause (1), and the tribal areas referred to in clause (2), of article 244.
(2) Nothing in this Part shall apply to—
(a) the States of Nagaland, Meghalaya and Mizoram;
(b) the hill areas in the State of Manipur for which District Councils exist under any law for the time being in force.
(3) Nothing in this Part—
(a) relating to Panchayats at the district level shall apply to the hill areas of the District of Darjeeling in the State of West Bengal for which Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council exists under any law for the time being in force;
(b) shall be construed to affect the functions and powers of the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council constituted under such law. 1 [(3A) Nothing in article 243D, relating to reservation of seats for the Scheduled Castes, shall apply to the State of Arunachal Pradesh.]
(4) Notwithstanding anything in this Constitution,—
(a) the Legislature of a State referred to in subclause (a) of clause (2) may, by law, extend this part to that State, except the areas, if any, referred to in clause (1), if the Legislative Assembly of that State passes a resolution to that effect by a majority of the total membership of that House and by a majority of not less than two-thirds of the members of that House present and voting;
(b) Parliament may, by law, extend the provisions of this Part to the Scheduled Areas and the tribal areas referred to in clause (1) subject to such exceptions and modifications as may be specified in such law, and no such law shall be deemed to be an amendment of this Constitution for the purposes of article 368.
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What is Article 243M of Indian Constitution
- Article 243M emphasizes the reservation of seats for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and women in Panchayats at various levels (village, intermediate, and district) based on their population proportions in the respective areas. It also requires that not less than one-third of the seats reserved for SCs and STs should be reserved for women from these communities. Additionally, it mandates that at least one-third of the total seats to be filled by direct election in every Panchayat must be reserved for women. Finally, it allows for the reservation of the offices of Chairpersons in Panchayats for SCs, STs, and women, with the specific details determined by the State Legislature through appropriate laws.
- The purpose of these reservations is to promote social justice, political representation, and gender equality at the grassroots level of governance.