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?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (b) Only two
Scheduled Areas under the Fifth Schedule are declared by a Presidential Order, and they can be as large as a whole district or as small as a cluster of villages in a block, so statements 1 and 2 are correct. Statement 3 is wrong because the report on administering Scheduled Areas is made by the Governor to the President, not by the Chief Minister to the Home Ministry.
- ✓ 1. Under paragraph 6 of the Fifth Schedule, the President specifies Scheduled Areas in a State by a notified order, after consulting the Governor of that State.
- ✓ 2. The Tribal Affairs Ministry looks for a viable administrative entity such as a district, block or taluk. In practice the area varies: Rajasthan's 2018 declaration covered three whole districts as well as gram panchayats covering 227 villages in other districts.
- ✗ 3. Paragraph 3 of the Fifth Schedule requires the Governor, not the Chief Minister, to report to the President each year (or when asked) on the administration of Scheduled Areas.
Remember · Fifth Schedule: President declares Scheduled Areas by order (para 6); Governor reports to the President annually (para 3); Tribes Advisory Council in each such State.
Sources
- Constitutional and Legal Matters: Declaration of Fifth Schedule Areas (Ministry of Tribal Affairs) ↗ “The specification of “Scheduled Areas” in relation to a State is by a notified order of the President, after consultation with the Governor of that State.”
- Scheduled Areas: criteria (Ministry of Tribal Affairs) ↗ “A viable administrative entity such as a district, block or taluk”
- Cabinet approves declaration of Scheduled Areas in respect of Rajasthan (PIB) ↗ “3 complete districts namely,Banswara, Dungarpur, Pratapgarh; 9 complete tehsils, 1 complete block and 46 complete gram panchayats covering 227 villages”
- Constitution of India, Fifth Schedule, paragraph 3 (Legislative Department) ↗ “shall annually, or whenever so required by the President, make a report to the President regarding the administration of the Scheduled Areas in that State”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2023, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·