With reference to 'Scheduled Areas' in India, consider the following statements : 1. Within a State, the notification of an area as Scheduled Area takes place through an Order of the President. 2. The largest administrative unit forming the Scheduled Area is the District and the lowest is the cluster of villages in the Block. 3. The Chief Ministers of the concerned States are required to submit annual reports to the Union Home Ministry on the administration of Scheduled Areas in the States. How many of the above statements are correct?
- (a) Only one
- (b) Only two ✓ UPSC's answer
- (c) All three
- (d) None
Why the answer is (b)
• Statement 1 is correct: under paragraph 6 of the Fifth Schedule, the President by order declares an area to be a Scheduled Area, and may alter it after consulting the Governor.
• Statement 2 is correct: Scheduled Areas are notified in units ranging from whole districts down to blocks, tehsils and clusters of villages, based on tribal preponderance, compactness and backwardness.
• Statement 3 is wrong: it is the Governor, not the Chief Minister, who submits an annual report to the President (not the Home Ministry) on the administration of Scheduled Areas.
• Ten States have Scheduled Areas, and the PESA Act, 1996 extends Panchayati Raj to them with special provisions.
• Hence two statements, option (b).
Why the other options are wrong
- (a) Only one
- Both statements 1 and 2 are correct.
- (c) All three
- Statement 3 is wrong: the Governor reports to the President, not the CM to the Home Ministry.
- (d) None
- Statements 1 and 2 are correct.
Asked in the GS Paper I of the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2023, held on 28 May 2023. Question and answer key: Union Public Service Commission. Explanation: UPSC Answer Check.