RAS question
Which Article provides for the appointment of a Special Officer for Linguistic Minorities?
Correct answer: (C) Article 350B.
Article 350B provides for the appointment by the President of a Special Officer for linguistic minorities.
Explanation
Article 350B is the provision that creates the office asked about in the question. Inserted by the 7th Amendment Act, 1956, it provides that there shall be a Special Officer for linguistic minorities appointed by the President. Article 350B also defines the officer's core duty: to investigate matters relating to constitutional safeguards for linguistic minorities, report to the President at the intervals directed by the President, and have those reports placed before Parliament and sent to the concerned State governments. That combination of appointment and safeguard-review function is why Article 350B, not the neighbouring language provisions, is the answer.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Article 344 concerns the Commission and Committee of Parliament on official language, so it is about official-language review machinery rather than a Special Officer for linguistic minorities.
- (B) Article 350A deals with adequate facilities for mother-tongue instruction at the primary stage for children belonging to linguistic minority groups, not with appointing the Special Officer.
- (D) Article 351 is the directive for the development of the Hindi language, so it is a separate language-policy provision and does not create the Special Officer for linguistic minorities.
Concept
This tests the Constitution's language and minority-safeguard provisions, especially the distinction between Articles 344, 350A, 350B and 351. It recurs in RAS because these neighbouring articles are easy to confuse in polity questions on constitutional bodies and linguistic protections.