UPSC Previous Year Question | Prelims GS | 2023

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?

  1. Only one
  2. Only two
  3. All three
  4. None

Answer

Correct Answer

Only two

Explanation

Statements 1 and 2 are correct: Scheduled Areas are declared by Presidential Order under the Fifth Schedule, with District as the largest unit and clusters of villages in a Block as the smallest. However, it is the Governor of the State (not the Chief Minister) who submits annual reports on Scheduled Area administration to the President, not to the Union Home Ministry, so statement 3 is incorrect.

Topics: fifth schedule, governor's report, polity, scheduled areas