Article 371B

Special Committee for Tribal Areas in the Assam Legislative Assembly

Official heading: “Special provision with respect to the State of Assam”

Check this article against the official editionAwaiting human legal review

Source edition: The Constitution of India (as on 1 May 2026)
Source locator: Part XXI, Article 371B, printed page 235
Last human source-link check: Not yet checked
Last human legal review: Not yet reviewed

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1. In One Sentence

Authorizes the President to provide for the constitution and functioning of a Committee of the Assam Assembly consisting of members elected from tribal areas.

2. What It Means in Everyday Language

Inserted by the Constitution (Twenty-second Amendment) Act, 1969, Article 371B was part of the constitutional reorganization of northeastern tribal governance.

It empowers the President to make an order providing for the constitution and functions of a dedicated Committee of the Legislative Assembly of the State of Assam.

This Committee consists of members of the Assembly elected from the tribal areas specified in Part I of the table appended to paragraph 20 of the Sixth Schedule.

The provision ensures that legislation impacting tribal hills and autonomous districts is examined by legislators directly representing those communities before enactment.

3. Practical Illustrative Example

Everyday Scenario:

A bill regulating land tenure in Assam’s autonomous hill districts is referred to the special Hill Areas Committee of the Assam Assembly.

Core takeaway: Article 371B ensures that representatives of tribal constituencies have a formalized legislative voice within the Assam State Legislature.

Illustrative Notice: The Committee operates within the procedural framework of the Assam Assembly as defined by the Presidential Order.

4. Important Limits, Qualifications & Exceptions

Article 371B bridges state legislative lawmaking with tribal autonomous representation in Assam.

Twenty-second Amendment: Enacted in 1969 alongside the creation of autonomous state mechanisms.
Tribal Assembly Committee: Composed of MLAs elected from Sixth Schedule tribal areas.
Presidential order: Defines the committee’s composition, powers, and procedural rules.

5. Operative Constitutional Text

Notwithstanding anything in this Constitution, the President may, by order made with respect to the State of Assam, provide for the constitution and functions of a committee of the Legislative Assembly of the State consisting of members of that Assembly elected from the tribal areas specified in Part I of the table appended to paragraph 20 of the Sixth Schedule and such number of other members of that Assembly as may be specified in the order and for the modifications to be made in the rules of procedure of that Assembly for the constitution and proper functioning of such committee.

Transcription for reference; compare with the linked official editionNot yet verified by a human legal reviewer

6. Sources & Historical Assembly Deliberations

Assembly quotations are withheld until wording, dates, and attribution have been checked against the primary record.

Sources & Citation Metadata

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Constitutional TextThe Constitution of India (as on 1 May 2026)Cited PDF page
Government of India (Legislative Department, Ministry of Law and Justice) • Part XXI, Article 371B, printed page 235 • Human source-link check pending
Primary PDF accessed and transcribed with AI assistance on 14 October 2026. Formatting and amendment annotation markers are omitted; operative wording is retained. This is not human legal review. Later amendments and commencement notifications have not been comprehensively checked.

Human legal review is pending; compare the text with the cited editionNon-partisan educational resource