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?
- A. Only one
- B. Only two
- C. All three
- D. None
Answer: B
Explanation
Statement 1 is correct: The President of India is empowered to declare any area as a Scheduled Area within a state, as per the provisions of the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution. Statement 2 is correct: Historically, the administrative units for Scheduled Areas have ranged from districts as the largest to clusters of villages within a block as the smallest. Statement 3 is incorrect: It is the Governor of the state, not the Chief Minister, who is required to submit an annual report to the President (not the Union Home Ministry) regarding the administration of Scheduled Areas in their respective states. Therefore, two statements are correct.