Federalism, states & centre–state relations

Answer: (b) Fifth Schedule

The Fifth Schedule protects tribal land in Scheduled Areas: the Governor can make regulations that prohibit or restrict transfer of tribal land, and the Supreme Court has used this scheme to hold that such land cannot be leased to private parties for mining.

• ✓ (b) Paragraph 5(2) of the Fifth Schedule lets the Governor prohibit or restrict transfer of land by or among Scheduled Tribe members in a Scheduled Area. In Samatha v. State of Andhra Pradesh (1997) the Supreme Court held that tribal land in Scheduled Areas cannot be leased to non-tribals or private industries.
• ✗ (c) The Ninth Schedule lists Acts and Regulations protected from challenge on the ground of clashing with Fundamental Rights; it does not deal with tribal land.
• ✗ (a) The Third Schedule contains the forms of oaths and affirmations of officials, nothing on land.
• ✗ (d) The Twelfth Schedule lists the functions of municipalities, not protection of tribal land.

Remember · Fifth Schedule = Scheduled Areas and Scheduled Tribes (Governor's regulations on tribal land); Samatha (1997) barred mining leases on tribal land to private parties.

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2019, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink · Report an error

Answer: (c) Both 1 and 2

UPSC's key treats both statements as correct. Statement 1 rests on Article 176, under which the Governor addresses the Assembly at the start of the first session of each year. Article 208 lets each State House frame its own rules of procedure.

• ✓ 1. Article 176(1) requires the Governor to address the Legislative Assembly (or both Houses together, where there is a Council) at the start of the first session after each general election and at the start of the first session of each year.
• ✓ 2. Article 208 lets each State House make its own rules of procedure. UPSC's official key treats this statement as correct; we could not confirm the detail from an official source, so we do not explain it here.

Remember · Article 176: the Governor's special address opens the first session of each year (and the first session after a general election); Article 208: each House frames its own rules.

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2019, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 1 Oct 2026 (how we verify). Permalink · Report an error

Answer: (c) Sarkaria Commission (1983)

The Sarkaria Commission on Centre-State Relations, set up in 1983, laid down these criteria for a Governor in its report. He should be eminent in some walk of life, come from outside the State, be a detached figure not too intimately connected with the State's local politics, and not have taken too great a part in politics, particularly in the recent past.

• ✓ (c) Paragraph 4.6.09 of the Sarkaria Commission report (Chapter IV, Role of the Governor) lists four criteria for appointing a Governor, and the question paraphrases three of them. The Commission drew on Jawaharlal Nehru's remarks in the Constituent Assembly.
• ✗ (a) The Administrative Reforms Commission is cited in the Sarkaria report only for stressing that a Governor should be impartial and command the respect of all parties. The four-part test in the question is Sarkaria's own.

Remember · Sarkaria (1983) on Governors: eminent, from outside the State, detached from local politics, and not too active in politics recently.

📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 11 Indian Constitution at Work, Ch 7 (practise this chapter)

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2019, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink · Report an error