Consider the following statements with regard to the setting up of the Backward Class Commission in India : 1. The First Backward Class Commission, set up by the Government of India, is popularly known as Kaka Kalelkar Commission. 2. The Third Backward Class Commission, set up by the Government of India, is popularly known as Mandal Commission. Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

Statement 1 is correct as the First Backward Classes Commission was appointed by the President of India in 1953 under the chairmanship of Kaka Kalelkar [5]. It is popularly known as the Kaka Kalelkar Commission and was tasked with investigating the conditions of socially and educationally backward classes [4]. Statement 2 is incorrect because the Mandal Commission, headed by B.P. Mandal, was the Second Backward Classes Commission, not the third [3]. It was established in 1979 by the Janata Party government to determine criteria for identifying backward classes and recommended a 27 percent reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in central government jobs [5]. The National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) was later established as a statutory body in 1993 and granted constitutional status in 2018 [5].

Sources

1. [5] Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 76: Special Provisions Relating to Certain Classes > SPECIAL PROVISIONS FOR BC. > p. 558
2. [2] Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 39: After Nehru... > Implementation of the Mandal Commission Report > p. 737
3. [4] Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 39: After Nehru... > Social Changes and Movements > p. 712
4. [1] Politics in India since Independence, Textbook in political science for Class XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 8: Recent Developments in Indian Politics > The Mandal Commission > p. 146
5. [3] Democratic Politics-I. Political Science-Class IX . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 4: WORKING OF INSTITUTIONS > The Decision M cision Mcision Makers > p. 58