If a particular area is brought under the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution of India, which one of the following statements best reflects the consequence of it?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (a) This would prevent the transfer of land of tribal people to non-tribal people.
Once an area is declared a Scheduled Area under the Fifth Schedule, the Governor can make regulations that prohibit or restrict transfer of tribal land, which is the main protection the Schedule gives. It creates no local self-governing body, does not make the area a Union Territory and has no link with Special Category status.
- ✓ (a) Paragraph 5 lets the Governor make regulations for a Scheduled Area, including prohibiting or restricting transfer of land by or among Scheduled Tribe members. Of the four options, this is the real consequence.
- ✗ (b) Autonomous District Councils, which are self-governing bodies, belong to the Sixth Schedule (parts of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram). Fifth Schedule areas are governed through the Governor and a Tribes Advisory Council.
- ✗ (c) Scheduled Areas stay part of their State. Only Parliament, under Articles 2 to 4, can create a Union Territory; a Schedule does not do so.
- ✗ (d) Special Category Status is a separate device for extra central assistance to States with features such as hilly terrain, international borders and low population density. It is not linked to Scheduled Areas.
Remember · Fifth Schedule: Scheduled Areas run through the Governor and a Tribes Advisory Council, with power to restrict land transfer from tribals. Sixth Schedule: autonomous district councils in the North-East.
Sources
- Constitution of India, Fifth Schedule, paragraph 5 ↗ “The Governor may make regulations for the peace and good government of any area in a State which is for the time being a Scheduled Area. In particular and without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing power, such regulations may— (a) prohibit or restrict the transfer of land by or among members of the Scheduled Tribes in such area … There shall be a District Council for each autonomous district consisting of not more than thirty members”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2022, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·