SSC
The single National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes was bifurcated into two separate Commissions, one for SCs and one for STs, by the:
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Answer: Option C — 89th Amendment Act, 2003
Detailed Solution
The 89th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2003, bifurcated the combined National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes into two separate bodies: the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (Article 338) and the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (a new Article 338A).
History of the Commission:
- The original Constitution provided for a Special Officer for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, called the Commissioner for SCs and STs, under Article 338.
- In 1978, the government set up a non-statutory multi-member Commission for SCs and STs.
- The 65th Amendment Act (1990) replaced the Special Officer with a constitutional National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
Why the Commission was bifurcated:
- The problems of the Scheduled Tribes are different from those of the Scheduled Castes.
- The tribal people face special issues, such as the loss of land, displacement by development projects, forest rights and the protection of their culture.
- A separate Commission could give more focused attention to these problems.
- The two separate Commissions came into existence in 2004.
Composition:
Each Commission consists of a Chairperson, a Vice-Chairperson and three other members, appointed by the President.
Functions of the Commissions:
- To investigate and monitor all matters relating to the safeguards provided for SCs or STs under the Constitution and other laws.
- To inquire into specific complaints about the denial of their rights and safeguards.
- To participate and advise in the planning of their socio-economic development.
- To present annual reports to the President, which are laid before Parliament.
- They have the powers of a civil court while investigating a matter or inquiring into a complaint.
Consultation:
The Union and every state government must consult the Commissions on all major policy matters affecting the SCs and STs.
Other commissions:
The National Commission for Safai Karamcharis is a statutory body that works for the welfare of sanitation workers.
Why not the other options?
- ✗The 65th Amendment had created the combined Commission; the 76th and 95th Amendments dealt with other matters.
Quick tip
Remember: 89th Amendment (2003) = separate National Commissions for SCs (Article 338) and STs (Article 338A); 65th Amendment (1990) = combined constitutional Commission.
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Constitutional Amendments — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Constitutional Amendments, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers the procedure for amending the Constitution under Article 368 and the most important amendments, such as the 1st, 7th, 42nd, 44th, 52nd, 61st, 73rd, 74th, 86th, 101st and 103rd Amendments, along with the basic structure doctrine. Exams ask what a particular amendment did: the 61st lowered the voting age from 21 to 18, the 73rd and 74th gave constitutional status to panchayats and municipalities, the 86th made education a Fundamental Right, and the 101st introduced GST. The 42nd Amendment (1976) is often called the 'mini-Constitution' because of how much it changed. Practise the constitutional amendments questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.