[(1)] The [appropriate Government] may, by notification in the Official Gazette, direct that the provisions of this Act [(except section 6A)] shall apply to any Provident Fund established for the benefit of its employees by any local authority within the meaning of the Local Authorities Loans Act, 1914 (9 of 1914), and, on the making of such declaration, this Act shall apply accordingly, as if such Provident Fund were a Government Provident Fund and such local authority were the Government.
[(2) The [appropriate Government] may, by notification in the Official Gazette, direct that the provisions of this Act [(except section 6A)] shall apply to any Provident Fund established for the benefit of the employees of any of the institutions specified in the Schedule, or of any group of such institutions, and, on the making of such declaration, this Act shall apply accordingly, as if such Provident Fund were a Government Provident Fund and the authority having custody of the Fund were the Government:
Provided that section 6 shall apply as if the authority making the contributions referred to in that section were the Government.
(3) The [appropriate Government] may, by notification in the Official Gazette, add to the Schedule the name of any public institution it may deem fit, and any such addition shall take effect as if it had been made by this Act.]
[(4) In this section "the appropriate Government" means--
(a) in relation to a cantonment authority, a port authority for a major port, and any institution which, or the objects of which, appear to the Central Government to fall within List I in the Seventh Schedule to [the Constitution], the Central Government; and
(b) in other cases, the State Government.
Explanation.--"The State Government" in relation to an institution registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 (21 of 1860) means the State Government of the State in which the society is registered.]