RAS question
Reservation for SCs and STs in Panchayats is in proportion to their population under Article:
Correct answer: (B) Article 243D.
Article 243D of the Constitution of India provides for reservation of seats for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in Panchayats in proportion to their population in the Panchayat area.
Explanation
Article 243D is the Panchayat reservation provision in Part IX of the Constitution. It says seats must be reserved for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in every Panchayat, and that the number of reserved seats should, as nearly as possible, match their share in the population of that Panchayat area. The same article also adds the gender layer: at least one-third of the seats reserved for SCs and STs must go to women from those categories, and at least one-third of all directly elected Panchayat seats must be reserved for women. It also provides for reservation of chairperson offices, including a one-third reservation for women.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Article 243C deals with the composition of Panchayats, not the reservation of SC and ST seats according to population share.
- (C) Article 243E concerns the duration of Panchayats, so it does not supply the rule for proportional reservation of SCs and STs.
- (D) Article 243F deals with disqualifications for membership of Panchayats, not reservation of seats.
Concept
This tests Part IX of the Constitution, especially the 73rd Amendment framework for Panchayati Raj institutions. RAS repeatedly asks such article-based governance questions because local self-government, reservation and representation are core constitutional-administration themes.