Chapter I PRELIMINARY

1. (1) This Act may be called the Maharashtra District Planning Committees (Constitution and Functions) Act, 1998.
2. (2) It extends to whole of the State of Maharashtra, excluding the Scheduled Areas declared by the President of India, from time to time, in exercise of the powers conferred by paragraph 6 of the Fifth Schedule to the Constitution of India.
3. (3) It shall come into force on such date as the State Government may, by 1notification in the Official Gazette, appoint.

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,-

1. (a) "Backward Class of citizens" means such classes or parts of groups within such classes as are declared, from time to time, by the State Government to be Other Backward Classes, Vimukta Jatis, Nomadic Tribes and Special Backward Class ; 1[(a-i) "Constituency" means a constituency for election to a District Planning Committee and shall consist of the rural area constituency, transitional area constituency, smaller urban area constituency and the larger urban area constituency, comprising the area of Zilla Parishad, Nagar Panchayats, Municipal Councils and Municipal Corporations, respectively in the respective District;]
2. (b) "Constitution" means the Constitution of India ;
3. (c) "development plan" means socio-economic development plan for primary, secondary and tertiary sectors of economy as outlined in the Five Year Plan and the Annual Plan of the country in general and State in particular ;
4. (d) "district" means a district as defined in clause (b) of article 243-P of the Constitution ;
5. (e) "Minister-in-charge of the district" means a Minister designated by the State Government to be the Minister-in-charge of the district ;
6. (f) "Municipality" means a Municipality as defined in clause (e) of article 243-P of the Constitution ; 2[(g) "Panchayat" means a Panchayat at District level (Zilla Parishad) constituted under section 9 of the Maharashtra Zilla Parishads and Panchayat Samitis Act, 1961 (Mah. V of 1962);]
7. (h) "population" means the population ascertained at the last preceding census of which the relevant figures have been published ;
   • (i) "prescribed" means prescribed by rules made under this Act ;
8. (j) "rural area" means the area conprising all Panchayats in a district ;
9. (k) "Scheduled Castes" means such castes, races or tribes or parts of, or groups within such castes, races or tribes as are deemed to be the Scheduled Castes in relation to the State of Maharashtra under article 341 of the Constitution;
10. (l) "Scheduled Tribes" means such tribes or tribal communities or parts of, or groups within, such tribes or tribal communities as are deemed to be the Scheduled Tribes in relation to the State of Maharashtra under article 342 of the Constitution.