Prelims 2013 · archive
MediumWhich of the following bodies does not/do not find mention in the Constitution?
- 1.National Development Council
- 2.Planning Commission
- 3.Zonal Councils
Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
Answer & explanation
Answer: (d) 1, 2 and 3
None of the three bodies is named in the Constitution. The Planning Commission and the National Development Council were set up by resolutions of the Government of India. The Zonal Councils were set up by an Act of Parliament, the States Reorganisation Act, 1956.
- ✓ 1. The National Development Council was set up in August 1952 by a Government of India resolution. It is an executive creation, and the Constitution has no article on it.
- ✓ 2. The Planning Commission was set up on 15 March 1950 through a Cabinet Resolution. It is not one of the bodies set up by the Constitution.
- ✓ 3. The five Zonal Councils were set up under Part III of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, so they are statutory bodies, not constitutional ones. Do not confuse them with the Inter-State Council, which is provided for in Article 263.
- • Since then Since the exam, the Government has replaced the Planning Commission with NITI Aayog, constituted by a Cabinet Resolution of 1 January 2015.
Remember · Planning Commission and NDC are extra-constitutional bodies created by executive resolution. Zonal Councils are statutory, created by the States Reorganisation Act, 1956. The Inter-State Council, by contrast, is provided for in Article 263.
📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 12 Politics in India since Independence, Ch 3 (practise this chapter)
Sources
- NCERT Class 12 · Politics in India since Independence, Chapter 3 “the Planning Commission is not one of the many commissions and other bodies set up by the Constitution. The Planning Commission was set up in March, 1950 by a simple resolution of the Government of India.”
- IGNOU eGyanKosh, Unit 9: Planning Commission and National Development Council ↗ · reference work “The National Development Council was set up in August 1952 on the basis of a resolution of the Government of India.”
- Ministry of Home Affairs, Zonal Councils Secretariat Citizen's Charter ↗ “In the light of the vision of Pandit Nehru, five Zonal Councils were set up vide Part- III of the States Re-organisation Act, 1956.”
- Constitution of India (Legislative Department), Article 263 ↗ “Provisions with respect to an inter-State Council. — If at any time it appears to the President that the public interests would be served by the establishment of a Council”
- PIB: Government constitutes NITI Aayog (1 January 2015) ↗ “The Planning Commission was set up on the 15 th of March, 1950 through a Cabinet Resolution.”
Question: UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) 2013, General Studies paper. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 25 Oct 2026 (how we verify). ·