Q. 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?

  • Only one
  • Only two
  • All three
  • None

Answer: (b) Only two

Notes:
  • In the Article 244(1) of the Constitution, expression Scheduled Areas means such areas as the President may by order declare to be Scheduled Areas.
  • Criteria for declaring any area as a “Scheduled Area under the Fifth Schedule are:
    • Preponderance of tribal population
    • Compactness and reasonable size of the area
    • A viable administrative entity such as a district, block or taluk. So, statement 2 is correct.
    • Economic backwardness of the area as compared to the neighboring areas.
  • District is considered as the largest administrative unit which forms the Scheduled Area while the lowest administrative unit is the cluster of villages in the Block.
  • The Governor of each State having Scheduled Areas therein 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 and the executive power of the Union shall extend to the giving of directions to the State as to the administration of the said areas”.
    • The Governor’s Report must be submitted annually in accordance with the provisions outlined in para 3 of the Fifth Schedule to the Constitution for the following states: Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, and Telangana.