Under which Article of the Constitution of India has the National Commission for Scheduled Castes been constituted?

Question

UnlockIAS · Accepted Answer

Correct — B, Article 338. Article 338 of the Constitution (Part XVI) provides for the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC), which safeguards the interests of Scheduled Castes — investigating complaints, monitoring constitutional and legal safeguards, and reporting to the President.

Why the other options are wrong — (a) Article 332 deals with reservation of seats for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in State Legislative Assemblies — a representation provision, not the Commission itself.  (c) Article 342 empowers the President to specify, by public notification, the Scheduled Tribes of a State/UT — a listing provision for STs, not the SC Commission.  (d) Article 328 deals with the power of a State Legislature to make provision for its own elections — an unrelated election-law provision.

Concept: Article 338 sits in Part XVI of the Constitution (special provisions for certain classes). It originally created one combined National Commission for SCs & STs (1990, 65th Amendment); the 89th Amendment (2003) split it into two separate bodies — NCSC under Article 338, and NCST under a newly inserted Article 338-A.

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