Consider the following statements : 1. It is the Governor of the State who recognizes and declares any community of that State as a Scheduled Tribe. 2. A community declared as a Scheduled Tribe in a State need not be so in another State. Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
- (a) 1 only
- (b) 2 only ✓ UPSC's answer
- (c) Both 1 and 2
- (d) Neither 1 nor 2
Why the answer is (b)
• Under Article 342 it is the President who, by public notification after consulting the Governor, specifies the tribes or tribal communities to be deemed Scheduled Tribes in a State; later changes can be made only by Parliament — so statement 1, which credits the Governor, is wrong.
• Statement 2 is correct: the ST lists are State-specific, so a community may be a Scheduled Tribe in one State and not in a neighbouring State (the Supreme Court affirmed this in Marri Chandra Shekhar Rao, 1990).
• The same State-specific principle applies to Scheduled Castes under Article 341.
• Hence 2 only, option (b).
Why the other options are wrong
- (a) 1 only
- Statement 1 is wrong: the President, not the Governor, notifies Scheduled Tribes.
- (c) Both 1 and 2
- Statement 1 is wrong, so both cannot be correct.
- (d) Neither 1 nor 2
- Statement 2 is correct: ST status is State-specific.
Asked in the GS Paper I of the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2024, held on 16 June 2024. Question and answer key: Union Public Service Commission. Explanation: UPSC Answer Check.