Prelims 2026 · Q57
Consider the following statements about the provisions pertaining to the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes in India:
- 1.Provisions regarding the administration of the Tribal Areas in the States of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram are given in the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution of India.
- 2.Some tribes of India are entitled to exemption from paying Income Tax on certain incomes.
- 3.The Constitution of India provides for reservation of seats in Panchayats for women belonging to the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes.
Which one of the following conclusions based on the above statements is correct?
- (a)There are two correct statements, that include statement 2.
- (b)There are two correct statements, that are statements 1 and 3.
- (c)There is only one correct statement.
- (d)All three statements are correct.
Show answer
UPSC's provisional answer: (a)
NCERT answers it: Class 12 Social Change and Development in India, Ch 3 (The Constitution and Social Change); Class 12 Politics in India since Independence, Ch 7 (Regional Aspirations).
The one fact NCERT doesn't give: Under India's income-tax law, members of Scheduled Tribes living in specified north-eastern areas pay no income tax on income from those areas.
Class 12 Social Change and Development in India, ch 3: 17 per cent of local-body seats are reserved for SC and ST women (3). Class 12 Politics in India since Independence, ch 7 links the Sixth Schedule to the North-East, so 1 is false. With the fact, 2 is true. Answer (a).
Beyond NCERT: the Constitution's Fifth Schedule expressly leaves out Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram; their tribal areas come under the Sixth Schedule instead. Source: Constitution of India, Fifth Schedule, para 1 (text on tribal.nic.in, Ministry of Tribal Affairs)
Hindi version: UPSC's official question paper (2026), question 57 ↗