- Notwithstanding anything contained under Part IX of the Constitution, the Legislature of a State shall not make any law under that part which is inconsistent with any of the following features, namely :

(a) a State Legislation on the Panchayats that may be made shall be in consonance with the customary law, social and religious practice and traditional management practices of community resources;

(b) 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;

(c) every village shall have a Grama Sabha consisting of persons whose names are included in the electoral rolls for the Panchayat at the village level;

(d) every Grama Sabha shall be competent to safeguard and preserve the traditions and customs of the people, their cultural identity, community resources and the customary mode of dispute, resolution;

(e) every Grama sabha shall -

(f) every Panchayat at the village level shall be required to obtain from the Grama Sabha a certificate of utilisation of funds by that Panchayat for the plans, programmes and projects referred to in Clause (e);

(g) the reservation of seats in the Scheduled Areas at every Panchayat shall be in proportion to the population of the communities in that Panchayat for whom reservation is sought to be given under Part IX of the Constitution :

(h) the State Government may nominate persons belonging to such Scheduled Tribes as have no representation in the Panchayat at the intermediate level or the Panchayat at the district level;

(i) the Grama Sabha or the Panchayats at the appropriate level shall be consulted before making the acquisition of land in the Scheduled Areas for development projects and before re-settling or rehabilitating persons affected by such projects in the Scheduled Areas; the actual planning and implementation of the projects in the Scheduled Areas shall be coordinated at the State level;

(j) planning and management of minor water bodies in the Scheduled Areas shall be entrusted to Panchayats at the appropriate level;

(k) the recommendations of the Grama Sabha or the Panchayats at the appropriate level shall be made mandatory prior to grant of prospecting licence or mining lease for minor minerals in the Scheduled Areas;

(l) the prior recommendation of the Grama Sabha or the Panchayats at the appropriate level shall be made mandatory for grant of concession for the exploitation of minor minerals by auction;

(m) while endowing Panchayats in the Scheduled Areas with such powers and authority as may be necessary to enable them to function as institutions of self Government, a State Legislature shall ensure that the Panchayats at the appropriate level and the Grama Sabha are endowed specifically with -

(i) the power to enforce prohibition or to regulate or restrict the sale and consumption of any intoxicant;

(ii) the ownership minor forest produce;

(iii) the power to prevent alienation of land in the Scheduled Areas and to take appropriate action to restore any unlawfully alienated land of a Scheduled Tribe;

(iv) the power to manage village markets by whatever name called;

(v) the power to exercise control over money lending to the Scheduled Tribes;

(vi) the power to exercise control over institutions and functionaries in all social sectors;

(vii) the power to control over local plans and resources for such plans including tribal sub-plans;

(n) the State legislation that may endow Panchayats with power and authority as may be necessary to enable them to function as institutions of self Governments shall contain safeguard to ensure that panchayats at the higher level do not assume the powers and authority of any Panchayat at the lower level or of the Grama Sabha;

(o) the State of Legislature shall endeavour to follow the pattern of the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution while designing the administrative arrangements in the Panchayats at district levels in the Scheduled Areas.