Prelims 2015 · archive
EasyThe provisions in Fifth Schedule and Sixth Schedule in the Constitution of India are made in order to
Answer & explanation
Answer: (a) protect the interests of Scheduled Tribes
The Fifth and Sixth Schedules exist to protect the interests of Scheduled Tribes. Article 244, read with these two Schedules, makes special arrangements for areas inhabited by Scheduled Tribes. The Fifth Schedule covers Scheduled Areas and Scheduled Tribes in States other than Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram. The Sixth Schedule covers the tribal areas of those four States.
- ✓ (a) Under Article 244(1), the Fifth Schedule governs how Scheduled Areas and Scheduled Tribes are administered and controlled in States other than Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram. Article 244(2) applies the Sixth Schedule to the administration of tribal areas in those four States. Both are special arrangements for tribal areas.
- ✗ (b) State boundaries are dealt with in Article 3. Under it, Parliament may by law form new States or alter the areas, boundaries or names of existing States. The States and Union Territories are listed in the First Schedule, not the Fifth or Sixth.
- ✗ (c) The powers, authority and responsibilities of Panchayats are covered by Article 243G and the Eleventh Schedule. The Fifth and Sixth Schedules do not deal with this.
- ✗ (d) The Constitution has no Schedule for 'border States' as a class. The Sixth Schedule applies to tribal areas of four named north-eastern States. The Fifth Schedule applies to Scheduled Areas in other States, including States that are not on any border.
Remember · Article 244 brings in two tribal Schedules. The Fifth Schedule covers Scheduled Areas and Scheduled Tribes in States other than Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram. The Sixth Schedule covers tribal areas of those four States. Panchayats belong to the Eleventh Schedule.
Sources
- Ministry of Tribal Affairs – Land and Governance under the Fifth Schedule: An Overview of the Law ↗ “Article 244 of the Constitution of India read with two Schedules – the Fifth and Sixth Schedules – to the Constitution of India provide special arrangements for areas inhabited by Scheduled Tribes.”
- Constitution of India (official text), Part I Article 3 ↗ “Parliament may by law— (a) form a new State by separation of territory from any State or by uniting two or more States or parts of States … the Legislature of a State may, by law, endow the Panchayats with such powers and authority as may be necessary to enable them to function as institutions of self-government”
Question: UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) 2015, General Studies paper. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 25 Oct 2026 (how we verify). ·