Question

According to article 164(1) of the constitution of India, in three in three states there shall be a minister in charge of tribal welfare who may, also, be in charge of the welfare of the scheduled castes and backward classes. Which one of the following states is not covered by the article?
A.Jharkhand
B.Punjab
C.Madhya Pradesh
D.Orissa

Answer 1

Hint: Article 164(1) which was introduced in 1949 states that the chief minister of a state will appoint a minister, who is in charge of the welfare of the tribal people, scheduled castes, and the people belonging to backward classes. This article has four other provisions.

Complete answer step by step: This article was introduced in the year 1949. It tells us that the chief minister is appointed by the governor, and the ministers are in turn appointed by the chief minister of the state. So in the year 1949, they appointed an additional minister who was in charge of the welfare of the tribals, scheduled castes, and the backward classes. This minister was appointed only in three states of our country. These states are Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, and Orissa.
Option A. Jharkhand has a minister in charge of tribal, scheduled castes, and backward class affairs.
Option B. Punjab is not included in the list of states in article 164(1).
Option C. Madhya Pradesh is also there in the list of states mentioned in the article. It has a minister appointed who is responsible for the welfare of the tribals, scheduled castes, and the backward classes.
Option D. Orissa also has a minister responsible for the welfare of tribals, scheduled castes, and backward classes.
The correct answer to this question is option B - Punjab.

Note: Do not confuse this concept with the rest of the provisions of article 164. There are a total of five provisions in this article out of which we have covered only the first provision, as mentioned and explained above.