RAS question
Article 16(4) of the Indian Constitution empowers the State to make provisions for:
Correct answer: (B) Reservation in public employment for backward classes not adequately represented.
Article 16(4) empowers the State to make reservation provisions in public appointments or posts for any backward class of citizens that, in the State's opinion, is not adequately represented in State services.
Explanation
Article 16(4) is an enabling clause within the equality-of-opportunity framework for public employment. The official constitutional text says it does not prevent the State from making any provision for reservation of appointments or posts in favour of any backward class of citizens which, in the State's opinion, is not adequately represented in services under the State. That is why option B is the right answer: the clause is not about a general welfare promise, but specifically about reservation in government appointments and posts for backward classes lacking adequate representation. It is the constitutional basis for reservation in public services, with adequacy of representation being judged by the State.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Equal pay for equal work is not what Article 16(4) provides; this clause is confined to reservation in appointments or posts for inadequately represented backward classes.
- (C) Free education for children up to age 14 concerns education rights, whereas Article 16(4) deals with public employment reservations.
- (D) Abolition of untouchability is a separate constitutional protection, not the reservation power in public appointments or posts under Article 16(4).
Concept
This tests the equality-of-opportunity provisions in the Constitution, especially the specific scope of Article 16(4). It recurs in RAS because reservation, backward classes and public employment are core governance themes.