Understanding the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution and its Working in Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) of Assam, India

The provision of Sixth Schedule was the creation of the Bordoloi Committee headed by Late Gopinath Bordoloi, the first chief minister of Assam. It was implemented in Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Tripura to provide autonomy and to initiate development efforts in the region. The main objective of the Sixth Schedule was to provide self-rule to the tribal communities in the hill areas of Assam. However, the region's institutional and structural growth was not provided by the Sixth Schedule. In 2003, the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) was established in Assam by an amendment to the Sixth Schedule and the autonomous structure intended for the governance of highland tribal territories in Northeast India. This essay aims to understand how the Sixth Schedule operates while also assessing the extent to which Bodoland residents have benefited from the provision of self-rule in resolving their administrative problems.