Which Schedule of the Constitution contains the allocation of subjects between the Union and the States?

Explanation

The allocation of legislative subjects between the Union and the States is found in the Seventh Schedule. Its three lists are the Union List with 100 subjects, the State List with 61 subjects, and the Concurrent List with 52 subjects. The Legislative Department, Ministry of Law and Justice refers to the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution and then separately names List I as the Union List, List II as the State List, and List III as the Concurrent List. That is why the Seventh Schedule is the constitutional location students associate with the division of legislative powers between the Centre and the States.

Why the other options are wrong

• (A) The Eighth Schedule is not about legislative powers; it lists recognised languages.
• (B) The Fifth Schedule concerns the administration of Scheduled Areas, not the distribution of subjects between the Union and the States.
• (D) The Sixth Schedule deals with the administration of tribal areas in North-Eastern states, so it does not contain the Union, State and Concurrent Lists.

Concept

This tests federalism and the constitutional distribution of legislative powers. It recurs in RAS because questions on Centre-State relations often turn on identifying which Schedule or List controls a subject.

Source

• Legislative Department, Ministry of Law and Justice

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