RAS question
Which Article of the Constitution provides for reservation of seats for SC/ST in Panchayats?
Correct answer: (A) Article 243D.
Article 243D of the Constitution provides for reservation of seats for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in every Panchayat.
Explanation
Article 243D is the Panchayati Raj reservation provision in Part IX of the Constitution. It says seats must be reserved for the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes in every Panchayat, and that the number of reserved seats should, as nearly as possible, match their population share in that Panchayat area. This makes Article 243D the direct constitutional basis for SC/ST seat reservation in Panchayats, not merely a general article on Panchayat structure. The same article also provides that at least one-third of the seats reserved for SC/ST must go to women from those categories, and at least one-third of all directly elected Panchayat seats must be reserved for women.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) Article 243B is about the constitution of Panchayats, so it establishes Panchayats rather than laying down SC/ST seat reservation.
- (C) Article 243E deals with the duration of Panchayats, so it concerns tenure rather than reservation of seats.
- (D) Article 243C deals with the composition of Panchayats, so it is not the specific reservation provision for SC/ST seats.
Concept
This tests Part IX of the Constitution, especially the article-wise framework for Panchayati Raj institutions. RAS repeatedly asks these provisions because Rajasthan Polity links local self-government with representation, reservation and decentralised administration.