Commission on Scheduled Areas and Scheduled Tribes
Also called: Article 339 · Topic: Safeguards for Vulnerable Sections: SCs, STs, OBCs, Minorities, Women and Children · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Under Article 339 of the Constitution, the President must appoint a commission to report on how Scheduled Areas are run and on the welfare of Scheduled Tribes. Scheduled Areas are tribal areas given special protection by the Constitution. The same article also lets the Union give directions to states on schemes for ST welfare. It matters because it lets the Centre keep watch over tribal welfare in the states.
Example
The commission has been set up twice: as the Dhebar Commission (1960-61) and as the Bhuria Commission (2002-04).
Don't confuse with
- Backward Classes Commission (Art. 340): the President may appoint it to study backward classes, as with the Kalelkar and Mandal Commissions. The Art. 339 commission deals only with Scheduled Areas and STs.
- NCST (Art. 338A): a permanent constitutional body for STs. The Art. 339 commission is set up only from time to time.
Related concepts
- Scheduled Castes
- Scheduled Tribes
- Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order 1950
- K.G. Balakrishnan Commission
- Lokur Committee (1965)
- Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups
- PM-JANMAN
- Tribal Sub-Plan
- Xaxa Committee (2014)
- Denotified tribes