According to the provisions of which Schedule of the Constitution, the Tribal Advisory Committee was constituted in the States?
- (a)Third
- (b)Fourth
- (c)Fifth
- (d)Sixth
Correct — C, the Fifth Schedule. Paragraph 4 of the Fifth Schedule (read with Article 244(1)) requires that in every State having Scheduled Areas there shall be a Tribes Advisory Council — the body the question calls the 'Tribal Advisory Committee'. It consists of not more than 20 members, of whom roughly three-fourths are representatives of the Scheduled Tribes in the State Legislative Assembly, and its duty is to advise on matters of the welfare and advancement of the Scheduled Tribes that the Governor refers to it. The President may also direct that such a Council be set up in a State that has Scheduled Tribes but no Scheduled Areas. Madhya Pradesh, which has large notified Scheduled Areas, has such a Council.
- (a)Third — The Third Schedule contains the forms of oaths and affirmations for the President, Ministers, MPs, judges and the CAG — it has nothing to do with tribal administration.
- (b)Fourth — The Fourth Schedule allots seats in the Rajya Sabha to the States and Union Territories — a representation table, not a tribal-welfare provision.
- (d)Sixth — The Sixth Schedule (Article 244(2)) governs the tribal areas of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram, and creates Autonomous District and Regional Councils — not the Tribes Advisory Council, and it does not apply to Madhya Pradesh.
The Constitution runs two separate tracks for tribal administration. The Fifth Schedule covers Scheduled Areas in States other than Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram: the Governor is given special powers, must report annually to the President on the administration of these areas, may direct that a law of Parliament or the State legislature shall not apply or shall apply with modifications, and is advised by the Tribes Advisory Council. The Sixth Schedule covers the four north-eastern States named above and works quite differently — through elected Autonomous District Councils with law-making, judicial and taxing powers.
The trap is that both the Fifth and the Sixth Schedule are 'tribal' schedules, so a hurried reader picks either. Fix the split by geography: Fifth = Scheduled Areas in the rest of India (Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Himachal Pradesh); Sixth = Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram. Then fix the body: Fifth Schedule gives an advisory council, the Sixth Schedule gives autonomous councils with real powers.
- Fifth Schedule flows from Article 244(1); the Sixth Schedule from Article 244(2)
- Tribes Advisory Council: Paragraph 4 of the Fifth Schedule — not more than 20 members, about three-fourths of them ST MLAs of the State
- Its role is advisory only — it advises the Governor on welfare and advancement of Scheduled Tribes on matters referred to it
- Scheduled Areas are notified by the President; the Governor submits an annual report on their administration to the President
- Sixth Schedule applies only to the tribal areas of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram, through Autonomous District Councils
The Tribes Advisory Council is a Fifth Schedule body (Paragraph 4); the Sixth Schedule instead creates autonomous councils in four north-eastern States.
- Swapping the Fifth and Sixth Schedules — both are 'tribal', but the Sixth covers only Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram
- Treating the Tribes Advisory Council as an executive body; it only advises the Governor
- Confusing the Tribes Advisory Council with the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (Article 338A), which is a constitutional commission, not a State body
MPPSC asks it as a straight 'which Schedule / which Article' recall. UPSC prefers the consequence form — what follows if an area is brought under the Fifth Schedule, or under which Schedule a transfer of tribal land can be voided.
Which Schedule of the Constitution of India contains special provisions for the administration and control of Scheduled Areas in several States?
- (a) Third
- (b) Fifth
- (c) Seventh
- (d) Ninth
Answer(b) Fifth
Practically the same question with the same option style — identify the Schedule that governs Scheduled Areas, which is where the Tribes Advisory Council comes from.
The provisions in Fifth Schedule and Sixth Schedule in the Constitution of India are made in order to
- (a) protect the interests of Scheduled Tribes
- (b) determine the boundaries between States
- (c) determine the powers, authority and responsibilities of Panchayats
- (d) protect the interests of all the border States
Answer(a) protect the interests of Scheduled Tribes
Same pair of schedules, tested on purpose rather than on number — the reason a Tribes Advisory Council exists at all.
If a particular area is brought under the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution of India, which one of the following statements best reflects the consequence of it?
- (a) This would prevent the transfer of land of tribal people to non-tribal people.
- (b) This would create a local self-governing body in that area.
- (c) This would convert that area into a Union Territory.
- (d) The State having such areas would be declared a Special Category State.
Answer(a) This would prevent the transfer of land of tribal people to non-tribal people.
The application side of the same provision — what the Fifth Schedule actually does once an area is brought under it.
Under which Article of the Indian Constitution does the President issue a public notification for the Scheduled Tribes for a specific state ?
- (a) Article 340
- (b) Article 349
- (c) Article 342
- (d) Article 338
Answer(c) Article 342
The neighbouring provision in the same constitutional package for Scheduled Tribes — who is an ST (Article 342) and how their areas are administered (Fifth Schedule).
- practice — not a real PYQ
Under the Fifth Schedule, the Tribes Advisory Council shall consist of not more than how many members?
- (a)15
- (b)20
- (c)25
- (d)30
Answer(b) 20 — of whom about three-fourths are representatives of the Scheduled Tribes in the State Legislative Assembly.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The Sixth Schedule of the Constitution of India applies to the tribal areas of:
- (a)Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Odisha
- (b)Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram
- (c)All States having Scheduled Areas
- (d)Union Territories only
Answer(b) Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram — these four States have Autonomous District Councils under the Sixth Schedule.