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?
Statement 1 is correct. As per Article 244(1) of the Constitution’s Fifth Schedule, “Scheduled Areas” are areas that the President may declare to be such by order after consultation with the Governor of that State.
Statement 2 is correct. 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.
Statement 3 is incorrect. The Fifth Schedule to the Constitution of India states in para 3 that “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.
Source: https://tribal.nic.in/downloads/CLM/CLM_Reports/6.pdf
