India, March 25 -- The Government of India has issued a release:
The Union Minister of State for Tribal Affairs Shri Durgadas Uikey today informed Rajya Sabha that the subject matter of the question pertains to the Ministry of Panchayati Raj. The Ministry of Panchayati Raj has informed that: The Parliament enacted "The Provisions of the Panchayats (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996" (PESA), for extending the provisions of Part-IX of the Constitution, with certain exceptions and modifications, to the Fifth Schedule Areas, as per article 243M(4)(b) of the Constitution. At present, Fifth Schedule Areas exist in 10 States viz. Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Raj...