Backward Classes Commission (Article 340)
Also called: Article 340 · Topic: Safeguards for Vulnerable Sections: SCs, STs, OBCs, Minorities, Women and Children · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Article 340 lets the President appoint a commission to study the conditions of socially and educationally backward classes. The commission looks at their difficulties and recommends steps the Union or states should take to help them. It is a temporary body, set up only when the President chooses. Its reports have shaped India's OBC policy.
Example
Two commissions were set up under Article 340. The Kalelkar Commission was appointed in 1953 and reported in 1955. The Mandal Commission was appointed on 1 January 1979 and reported on 31 December 1980. Mandal recommended 27% reservation for OBCs, which led to the OM (office memorandum, a government order) of 13 August 1990.
Don't confuse with
- National Commission for Backward Classes (Article 338B): a permanent constitutional body since the 102nd Amendment (2018). An Article 340 commission is appointed only when needed.
- Article 339 commission: this one is on Scheduled Areas and STs (Dhebar, Bhuria), and the President must appoint it.
Related concepts
- Kalelkar Commission
- Other Backward Classes
- OBC reservation
- Ashoka Kumar Thakur case
- Creamy layer
- 102nd Constitutional Amendment Act 2018
- 105th Constitutional Amendment Act 2021
- Rohini Commission