Article 15(3) permits the State to make special provisions for:

Explanation

Article 15(1) lays down the general rule that the State must not discriminate against any citizen only on grounds such as religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth. Article 15(3) is a specific exception within the same article: it says that nothing in Article 15 prevents the State from making any special provision for women and children. That is why the answer is not a broad reservation category or a minority-rights category, but the clearly named pair in clause (3). In an RAS MCQ, the trap is to confuse Article 15(3) with other equality-related provisions under Article 15.

Why the other options are wrong

• (A) Minorities are not the group named in Article 15(3); the clause specifically identifies women and children.
• (C) OBCs are not covered by the wording of Article 15(3), which is confined to special provisions for women and children.
• (D) SC and ST categories appear in a different Article 15 exception, while clause (3) itself speaks only of women and children.

Concept

This tests the equality code under Part III, especially the exceptions built into Article 15. It recurs in RAS because small clause-level distinctions often decide direct polity questions.

Source

• India Code, Constitution of India

Related questions

• A bill to amend the Constitution can be introduced:
• A bill under Article 3 for the formation of a new State requires:
• A CAG audit of the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) revealed that what percentage of beneficiaries had blank, zero, Null or N/A bank-account details?
• A Financial Emergency under Article 360 must be approved by Parliament within:
• A joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament can be summoned under which Article?
• A joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament under Article 108 can be called to resolve a deadlock on: