RAS question
The National Commission for Backward Classes got constitutional status through:
Correct answer: (D) 102nd Amendment, 2018.
The National Commission for Backward Classes got constitutional status through the Constitution (102nd Amendment) Act, 2018, which inserted Article 338B.
Explanation
The National Commission for Backward Classes became a constitutional body through the 102nd Constitutional Amendment of 2018. This amendment inserted Article 338B, giving the NCBC constitutional status. The National Commission for Backward Classes website links the Commission with Article 338B: it describes the NCBC as a constitutional body under Article 338B of the Constitution of India and hosts a page specifically titled "The Constitution (102nd Amendment) Act, 2018". That is why option D fits the question exactly. The issue is not merely the year 2018, but the constitutional change that placed the NCBC within the Constitution through Article 338B.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) The 89th Amendment, 2003 is not identified by the National Commission for Backward Classes as giving constitutional status to the NCBC through Article 338B.
- (B) The 97th Amendment, 2011 does not match the fact that the NCBC's constitutional status came from the 102nd Amendment, 2018.
- (C) The 103rd Amendment, 2019 is later than the 102nd Amendment, 2018 and is not the amendment linked by the NCBC page for Article 338B status.
Concept
This tests constitutional bodies and major constitutional amendments, a recurring RAS Prelims area because amendment-number questions often turn on one article or institution. NCBC is especially exam-relevant because Article 338B connects social justice administration with constitutional design.