{"id":92573,"date":"2026-03-13T17:46:52","date_gmt":"2026-03-13T12:16:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=92573"},"modified":"2026-03-13T17:46:52","modified_gmt":"2026-03-13T12:16:52","slug":"garo-hills-autonomous-district-council","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/garo-hills-autonomous-district-council\/","title":{"rendered":"Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC), Structure, Jurisdiction"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Elections to the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) in Meghalaya have been postponed following incidents of violence in parts of the state.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>About Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC)<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) is an <\/span><b>autonomous district council<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in the state of <\/span><b>Meghalaya<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in India.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It functions under the provisions of the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/sixth-schedule\/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>Sixth Schedule<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of the <a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/indian-constitution\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Constitution of India<\/strong><\/a>.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><b>objective<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of this constitutional arrangement is to ensure that tribal communities can govern their own affairs, protect their traditional institutions, and preserve their unique cultural identity while remaining part of the Indian constitutional system.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) is <\/span><b>headquartered in Tura<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the largest town and administrative centre of the Garo Hills region.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) is one of the three Autonomous District Councils in Meghalaya, the other two being the <\/span><b>Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) and the Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council (JHADC).<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) Territorial Jurisdiction<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Garo Hills Autonomous District Council exercises jurisdiction over the <\/span><b>Garo Hills region of Meghalaya<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which is predominantly inhabited by the Garo tribal community.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The council\u2019s authority extends across <\/span><b>five districts<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of the state: <\/span><b>East Garo Hills, West Garo Hills, South Garo Hills, North Garo Hills, and South West Garo Hills<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. These districts collectively form the geographical region commonly referred to as the <\/span><b>Garo Hills.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><b>total area<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> administered by the council is <\/span><b>approximately 10,102 square kilometres.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The region is characterised by hilly terrain, forested landscapes, and scattered rural settlements.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While the Garo tribe forms the majority population, the area also includes non-tribal communities residing particularly in certain plains belt constituencies.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) Structure and Composition\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Garo Hills Autonomous District Council is composed of <\/span><b>30 members.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Out of 30 members, <\/span><b>29 members are elected directly<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> by the people from territorial constituencies.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>One member is nominated by the Governor of Meghalaya,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> who holds office at the Governor\u2019s pleasure.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The elected members generally serve a <\/span><b>five-year term<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, unless the council is dissolved earlier under specific circumstances.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The council elects a <\/span><b>Chairman<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, who presides over its sessions and ensures orderly conduct of debates and legislative <\/span><b>proceedings.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>The executive authority of the council is exercised by the Chief Executive Member (CEM)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, who functions as the head of the executive branch.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><b>CEM is supported by an Executive Committee<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which is responsible for implementing policies, supervising administrative departments, and carrying out development programmes within the council\u2019s jurisdiction.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Relationship with the State Government<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Although Autonomous District Councils enjoy a significant degree of autonomy, they function within the broader framework of the state administration.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In Meghalaya, coordination between the councils and the state government is facilitated through the District Council Affairs Department. This department acts as an institutional bridge between the Autonomous District Councils and various state government departments.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Through this coordinating mechanism, development schemes, administrative decisions, and financial support are channelled between the state government and the councils. The arrangement ensures that while the councils retain autonomy over certain local matters, they remain integrated with the overall governance system of the state.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>About Autonomous District Councils (ADCs)<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Autonomous District Councils (ADCs)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> are <\/span><b>special local self-governing bodies <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">created under the <\/span><b>Sixth Schedule<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of the Constitution of India to administer tribal areas in certain northeastern states.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Purpose<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: To protect the social, cultural, and economic interests of tribal communities while allowing them a degree of autonomy in managing their local affairs.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Sixth Schedule applies to tribal areas in <\/span><b>Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> In these states, some regions are organised into <\/span><b>Autonomous Districts and Autonomous Regions<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which are governed by <\/span><b>District Councils and Regional Councils.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An Autonomous District Council (ADC) can have <\/span><b>not more than 30 members<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and not more than 4 members may be nominated by the Governor.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The elected members serve a <\/span><b>term<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of <\/span><b>five years.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Powers and Functions of Autonomous District Councils<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These councils have legislative, administrative, and limited judicial powers over specified subjects.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Legislative Powers<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Autonomous District Councils can make laws on subjects such as land use, management of forests (except reserved forests), inheritance, marriage, social customs, and regulation of moneylending and trade by non-tribals, subject to the assent of the Governor.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Central and State laws do not automatically apply to these regions. Such laws apply only if the Governor or the President of India issues a notification.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Administrative Powers<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: The councils administer local governance in tribal areas, including management of village administration, markets, roads, and certain development activities.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Judicial Powers<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: They can establish village courts to settle disputes related to tribal customary laws and local matters.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Financial Powers:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> They can levy and collect certain taxes such as taxes on land, buildings, markets, animals, vehicles, and tolls, and also receive grants from the state and central governments.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Regulatory Powers<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: They can regulate activities such as land transfer, moneylending, and trade in tribal areas to protect the interests of tribal communities.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Know about the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) in Meghalaya, its structure, jurisdiction, powers under the Sixth Schedule, and role in governing tribal areas.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":92581,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[786],"tags":[6061],"class_list":{"0":"post-92573","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-general-studies","8":"tag-garo-hills-autonomous-district-council","9":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92573","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=92573"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92573\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":92595,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92573\/revisions\/92595"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/92581"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=92573"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=92573"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=92573"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}