RAS question
Under which Article of the Constitution is the Inter-State Council established?
Correct answer: (A) Article 263.
Article 263 of the Constitution authorises the President to establish an Inter-State Council when public interest would be served by such a council.
Explanation
Article 263 sits in the Constitution's scheme for coordination between States. It says that, when the President considers it in the public interest, the President may establish a council charged with inquiring into and advising on disputes between States, investigating and discussing subjects of common interest to States or to the Union and States, and making recommendations for better coordination of policy and action. This is why the answer is Article 263, not a finance, compliance, or election provision. The Inter-State Council was set up in 1990 on the recommendation of the Sarkaria Commission, which is the examination-relevant history attached to this provision.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) Article 280 is about the Finance Commission, not the constitutional power to establish an Inter-State Council for inter-State coordination.
- (C) Article 256 concerns the obligation of States to comply with Union laws, so it does not create the council mechanism under Article 263.
- (D) Article 324 deals with the Election Commission of India, which places it in electoral administration rather than inter-State council coordination.
Concept
This tests Centre-State relations in Indian Polity, especially article-body mapping and constitutional mechanisms for inter-State coordination. It recurs in RAS-style testing because the same provision links a bare constitutional article with a working governance institution.