RAS question
73rd Amendment added which Part to the Constitution?
Correct answer: (B) Part IX.
The 73rd Constitutional Amendment added Part IX to the Constitution of India, covering the Panchayats through Articles 243 to 243-O.
Explanation
The answer is Part IX because the official Constitution text places "The Panchayats" under Part IX and lists its provisions from Article 243 to Article 243-O. Part IX was inserted by the Constitution (Seventy-third Amendment) Act, 1992, section 2. In standard RAS framing, the 73rd Amendment constitutionalised Panchayati Raj by adding a dedicated Part for Panchayats, rather than merely changing scattered local-government provisions. Articles in this Part begin with definitions and then cover Gram Sabha, constitution and composition of Panchayats, reservations, duration, powers, finances, audit, elections, application to Union territories, exceptions for certain areas, continuity of existing laws, and the bar on court interference in electoral matters.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Part VIII covers "The Union Territories", so it is not the Panchayats Part added by the 73rd Amendment.
- (C) Part X covers "The Scheduled and Tribal Areas", while the Panchayats provisions are grouped separately under Part IX.
- (D) Part XI covers "Relations between the Union and the States", not the Panchayats chapter inserted by the 73rd Amendment.
Concept
This tests the constitutional-location mapping of Panchayati Raj, a recurring RAS polity area because Rajasthan questions often ask which amendment, Part, and article range created the framework for local self-government.