SSC CGL 2024 Tier-I · 23 September 2024, Shift 1 · General Awareness · Question 19 of 97

Text as printed on a candidate's response sheet for this shift; answer per SSC's tentative key as marked on that sheet. Solution last reviewed 6 September 2026.

Where this paper and its answers come from

SSC does not publish CGL question papers or a public answer key. The questions and options here are reproduced as printed on a candidate's own response sheet for this shift — the Commission's text, unchanged. Each answer is SSC's tentative key as marked on that sheet; SSC allowed challenges to it and never publishes a final key. The solutions are written by UnlockIAS.

Which part of the Constitution deals with the Panchayats?

(a)Part IV
(b)Part X
(c)Part IX
(d)Part VII

Answer

Why

Correct — C. Part IX, titled The Panchayats, was inserted by the 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992 and runs from Article 243 to Article 243-O. It came into force on 24 April 1993.

Its municipal twin is Part IX-A, The Municipalities, added by the 74th Amendment. Hold the two as a pair and neither can be misplaced.

Why the others are wrong

(a)
Part IV — Part IV is the Directive Principles. It reaches panchayats only through Article 40, which asks the state to organise village panchayats — a direction to the state, not the constitutional scheme for local government.
(b)
Part X — Part X covers the Scheduled and Tribal Areas under Article 244. Panchayats were extended to Scheduled Areas by a separate statute, the PESA Act of 1996, not by Part X.
(d)
Part VII — Part VII dealt with the Part B States of the original First Schedule and was repealed by the 7th Amendment in 1956. It carries nothing on local government.

Concept

Before 1992 local self-government lived in Article 40, a directive principle — advice a state could take or leave. Panchayats existed, but at each state's pleasure.

The 73rd Amendment moved them into the body of the Constitution: a three-tier structure in states above twenty lakh population, a five-year term, elections conducted by a State Election Commission, and reserved seats for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and women.

Part IX also created the State Finance Commission, which reviews panchayat finances every five years.

The Eleventh Schedule, with its 29 subjects, was added by the same amendment. It lists what panchayats may be entrusted with — it does not by itself devolve anything, which is why devolution still varies between states.

Key facts

Part IX of the Constitution is titled The Panchayats and covers Articles 243 to 243-O.
It was inserted by the 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992, and came into force on 24 April 1993.
Part IX-A, The Municipalities, was inserted by the 74th Constitutional Amendment Act.
The Eleventh Schedule lists 29 subjects that may be devolved to panchayats.

Study next

Articles 243D and 243K on reserved seats and State Election CommissionsThe Eleventh and Twelfth Schedules and how they differThe PESA Act of 1996 and panchayats in Scheduled Areas

Common traps

Answering Part IV because Article 40 mentions village panchayats
Swapping the 73rd and 74th Amendments, and with them Part IX and Part IX-A

Panchayat provisions are asked from either end — the article or the part.

Article 40 is the keyed answer at 10 Sep 2024, 12:30, General Awareness Q.17 and again at 17 Sep 2024, 12:30, General Awareness Q.1. The part-and-article form returns at 26 Sep 2024, 09:00, General Awareness Q.23, keyed to Articles 168 to 212 in Part VI for the State Legislature.

Related PYQs

No directly related past PYQ was found.