By Our reporter
SHILLONG, Jan 17: While New Delhi debates procedural delays, Meghalaya’s quest for revamped tribal autonomy remains in a six-year deep freeze, as the 125th Constitutional Amendment Bill sits gathering dust among 19 forgotten legislations in the Rajya Sabha.
For Meghalaya, the Bill is not just another piece of unfinished parliamentary business. It directly concerns the Sixth Schedule areas that govern large parts of the state, including the Khasi Hills, Jaintia Hills and Garo Hills Autonomous District Councils (ADCs). The proposed amendment seeks to strengthen tribal self-governance by enhancing the financial, executive and administrative powers of Autonomous Councils in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram.
Introduced during the NDA regime in 2019, the Bill aimed to address long-standing demands from the Northeast for greater autonomy, better devolution of funds, and clearer administrative authority for ADCs. Among its key provisions were measures to increase the share of central and state funds flowing directly to councils, expand their executive powers, and introduce elected village and municipal councils within Sixth Schedule areas—changes that could significantly alter grassroots governance in Meghalaya.
However, the Bill has also been a subject of debate and concern within the state. Civil society groups, political parties and traditional institutions in Meghalaya have repeatedly flagged fears that certain provisions could dilute customary laws, weaken the authority of traditional bodies like the dorbar shnong, or open the door to increased state control over autonomous institutions. These concerns have contributed to calls for wider consultations before the Bill is taken up again in Parliament.
The Rajya Sabha, being a permanent House that is never dissolved, allows Bills to remain pending indefinitely unless withdrawn or passed. According to the latest Upper House bulletin, 19 Bills are currently pending, the oldest dating back to 1992. While some of these, such as the Delhi Rent (Amendment) Bill, 1997 or the Seeds Bill, 2004, relate to sectoral reforms, the 125th Constitutional Amendment stands out for its regional significance to the tribal-dominated Northeast.
Other pending NDA-era legislation includes the Registration of Marriage of Non-Resident Indian Bill, 2019, while the most recent among the stalled Bills is the Pesticide Management Bill, 2020.
For Meghalaya and its neighbouring hill states, the continued delay of the 125th Amendment Bill keeps unresolved a critical question: how Sixth Schedule governance will evolve to meet contemporary administrative and developmental challenges without compromising tribal identity and autonomy. Until Parliament revisits the Bill, that uncertainty remains firmly in place. (With PTI inputs)
