RAS question
Article 16(4) permits the State to make provisions for:
Correct answer: (C) Reservation in public employment for backward classes not adequately represented.
Article 16(4) permits the State to provide reservation in appointments or posts for any backward class of citizens that, in the State's opinion, is not adequately represented in services under the State.
Explanation
Article 16 deals with equality of opportunity in matters of public employment. Clause (4) is the specific enabling provision for reservation: it says nothing in Article 16 prevents the State from making a provision for reservation of appointments or posts in favour of any backward class of citizens. The condition built into the clause is inadequate representation: the class must, in the opinion of the State, be not adequately represented in services under the State. That is why the answer is not a broad statement about reservation generally, but a precise one about public employment, backward classes, and inadequate representation in State services.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Article 16(4) refers to backward classes not adequately represented in State services, not to reservation based only on economic criteria.
- (B) The clause concerns appointments or posts in public employment, not reservation for women in legislatures.
- (D) Article 16(4) is limited to services under the State, so it does not create reservation in private sector jobs.
Concept
This tests the affirmative-action exception within equality of opportunity in public employment. It recurs in RAS because Article 16 questions often turn on the exact constitutional trigger: backward class status plus inadequate representation in State services.