UPSC Prelims 2023 · GS Paper I
Question 39: Polity and Governance
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?
AnswerUPSC’s answer is (b).
Statements 1 and 2 are correct. Under the Fifth Schedule the President declares an area a Scheduled Area by order, after consulting the Governor of the State. Administratively the unit can be as large as a district and as small as a cluster of villages in a block. Statement 3 is wrong: the Governor, not the Chief Minister, reports annually (or when asked) to the President on the administration of Scheduled Areas.
- 1. The President notifies Scheduled Areas by order.
- 2. The unit ranges from a district down to a cluster of villages in a block.
- 3. The Governor, not the Chief Minister, submits the annual report to the President.
How you could have got this
No shortcut here: in a “how many” question, ruling out options doesn’t help. Every statement has to be judged.
Which options go is worked out from UPSC’s key and the options, not by a model.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) Only one undercounts; statements 1 and 2 are both true.
- (b) Correct: statements 1 and 2 hold.
- (c) Statement 3 wrongly names the Chief Minister, so not all three.
- (d) Statements 1 and 2 are true, so not none.
Answer: UPSC’s key. Explanation: written by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.
Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2023, General Studies Paper I, Series A. The paper on upsc.gov.in.