Question map
According to Article 164(1) of the Constitution of India, in three States there shall be a Minister in charge of tribal welfare who may in addition be in charge of the welfare of the Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes. Which one of the following States is not covered by the Article?
Explanation
According to Article 164(1) of the Constitution of India, certain states are mandated to have a Minister in charge of tribal welfare. Originally, this provision applied to Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, and Orissa [c1][c2]. However, the 94th Amendment Act of 2006 modified this list by excluding Bihar and adding the newly formed states of Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand [c1][t5]. The amendment was necessitated because Bihar no longer had Scheduled Areas or a significant tribal population after its bifurcation [c1][c2]. Currently, the states specified under Article 164(1) are Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, and Odisha [t1][t8]. Punjab has never been included in this constitutional requirement, as it does not have designated Scheduled Areas or a substantial Scheduled Tribe population requiring such a mandatory ministerial post. Therefore, Punjab is the state not covered by the Article.
Sources
- [1] Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 32: State Council of Ministers > APPOINTMENT OF MINISTERS > p. 331
- [2] Laxmikanth, M. Indian Polity. 7th ed., McGraw Hill. > Chapter 32: State Council of Ministers > APPOINTMENT OF MINISTERS > p. 331