Article 244 of the Indian Constitution relates to administration of scheduled areas and tribal areas. Analyse the impact of non-implementation of the provisions of the Fifth Schedule on the growth of Left Wing extremism. (UPSC 2013)

Article 244 and the Fifth Schedule aimed to protect tribal autonomy, land and resources in Scheduled Areas. Their weak implementation created governance gaps that Left Wing Extremism exploited.

Impact: Land safeguards were poorly enforced, enabling alienation, displacement, mining and forest diversion. Gram Sabhas, TACs and Governor’s oversight remained weak; PESA and the Forest Rights Act were only partly implemented. This eroded local self-governance and delayed justice, compensation and rehabilitation, making the State appear absent or exploitative.

These failures deepened tribal alienation and distrust, creating fertile ground for Maoist mobilisation. Extremist groups filled the vacuum by promising quick justice, dispute resolution and protection over jal, jangal, zameen. Thus, non-implementation of the Fifth Schedule did not alone cause LWE, but it significantly intensified grievances and recruitment.