{"id":137540,"date":"2024-10-15T17:32:28","date_gmt":"2024-10-15T12:02:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/?post_type=docs&#038;p=137540"},"modified":"2024-12-31T18:34:04","modified_gmt":"2024-12-31T13:04:04","password":"","slug":"special-provisions-marginalized-communities-india","status":"publish","type":"docs","link":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/docs\/special-provisions-marginalized-communities-india","title":{"rendered":"Understanding Special Provisions for Marginalized Communities in the Indian Constitution"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><b>special provisions in the <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/udaan\/making-of-the-indian-constitution\/\"><b>Indian Constitution<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> aim to promote <\/span><b>social justice and inclusivity <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">for marginalized communities like <\/span><b>Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and <\/span><b>Other Backward Classes (OBCs)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. These provisions address <\/span><b>historical inequalities<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and strive to create <\/span><b>equal opportunities <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">for these groups. By establishing various commissions, the Constitution seeks to ensure their<\/span><b> welfare <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and<\/span><b> representation in society.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt; color: #ff6600;\"><b>Special Provisions for Social Justice<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\"><b>Rationale of Special Provisions<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Constitutional Provisions for Equality and Justice: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In order to realize the objectives of <\/span><b>equality and justice as laid down in the <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/upsc-notes\/preamble-of-indian-constitution\/\"><b>Preamble<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the Constitution makes special provisions for these communities which are contained in <\/span><b>Part XVI<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of the Constitution from <\/span><b>Articles 330 to 342A.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They are related to the following:<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-137545 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/unnamed-48.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"1256\" height=\"161\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/unnamed-48.webp 1256w, https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/unnamed-48-300x38.webp 300w, https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/unnamed-48-1024x131.webp 1024w, https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/unnamed-48-768x98.webp 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1256px) 100vw, 1256px\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Classification of Special Provisions: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These special provisions can be classified into the following broad categories:<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Permanent or Temporary:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Some of them are a <\/span><b>permanent feature of the Constitution<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, while some others continue to operate <\/span><b>only for a specified period<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Protective or Developmental:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Some of them aim to<\/span><b> protect <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">these classes from <\/span><b>all forms of injustice and exploitation<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, while others aim to <\/span><b>promote their socio-economic interests.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><i><span class=\"vc_button\"><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pw.live\/batches\/upsc?utm_source=seo+upsc+batch&#038;utm_medium=seo+upsc&#038;utm_campaign=seo&#038;utm_id=upsc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><i>Enroll now for UPSC Online Course<\/i><\/a><i><\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt; color: #ff6600;\"><b>Classification of Classes in the Constitution<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Specification of SC, STs, and OBCs:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The Constitution <\/span><b>does not specify<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> the castes or tribes that are to be called the SCs, STs, or OBCs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Presidential Authority<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: The Constitution empowers the President to define and notify which castes or tribes are clas:\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"3\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Constitution of India leaves it to the <\/span><b>President<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to define and notify as to what castes or tribes in each <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/udaan\/states-and-union-territories\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">state and union territory<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> are to be treated as <\/span><b>SCs under Article 341, STs under Article 342, and OBCs under Article 342 A.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"3\"><b>Variability Across States<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Thus, the <\/span><b>lists of the SCs or STs vary <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">across states and union territories.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Consultation Process<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: The <\/span><b>President issues the notification after consulting the Governor <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">of the State concerned.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Parliamentary Control<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Any changes to the <\/span><b>inclusion or exclusion of castes or tribes<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in the <\/span><b>Presidential notifications<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> can only be made by <\/span><b>Parliament<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, not through subsequent Presidential notifications.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>OBC Classification<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: The Constitution is silent on which section of Indian citizens are covered under <\/span><b>Other Backward Classes (OBCs), SCs, and STs<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Recent Developments:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The <\/span><b>102nd Amendment Act of 2018<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> which added Article 342 A, empowered <\/span><b>the President<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to specify the socially and educationally backward classes in relation to a state or union territory.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none; text-align: justify;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, the <\/span><b>105th Constitution Amendment Act (2021) restored the State governments\u2019 power<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to notify the Socially and Educationally Backward Classes.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Anglo-Indian Community: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Unlike in the case of SCs, STs, and OBCs, the <\/span><b>Constitution has defined<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> the persons who belong to the Anglo-Indian community.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-137546 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-15-173721-1.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"311\" height=\"164\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-15-173721-1.webp 311w, https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-15-173721-1-300x158.webp 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 311px) 100vw, 311px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt; color: #ff6600;\"><b>Special Provisions Related to These Communities<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\"><b>Reservation for SCs and STs in Legislatures<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Article 330 of the Indian Constitution:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> It deals with the reservation of seats for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) in the <\/span><b>House of the People<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, also known as the Lok Sabha.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Proportional Representation:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The number of seats reserved for SCs and STs is determined by the\u00a0 proportion in the population of these communities.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Reservation for Anglo-Indian Community (Article 331): <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Till 2020, <\/span><b>two Anglo-Indians<\/b> <b>in Parliament <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and <\/span><b>one in State legislatures<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> were nominated by the<\/span><b> President and the Governor <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">of the State respectively.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In January 2020, the Anglo-Indian reserved seats in the Parliament and State Legislatures of India were <\/span><b>discontinued by<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> the <\/span><b>126th Constitutional Amendment Bill of 2019<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, when enacted as the <\/span><b>104th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2019.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Extension of reservation:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Originally, these two provisions of reservation and special representation were to operate for ten years (i.e., up to 1960) only.\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But this duration has been extended continuously since then by ten years each time. The last extension was done by the <\/span><b>104th <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/udaan\/constitutional-amendment\/\"><b>Constitutional Amendment Act<\/b><\/a><b>, 2019 <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">which extended the deadline for the cessation of the reservation of seats for members from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies by a period of <\/span><b>10 years<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (i.e. till 2030).<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Presidential Authority to Appoint Commission: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As per <\/span><b>Article 300,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> the President may at any time and shall, on the <\/span><b>expiration of ten years<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> from the commencement of this Constitution, by order, appoint a Commission to report on the <\/span><b>administration of the scheduled areas and the welfare of the scheduled tribes <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">in the States.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>First Commission Appointment (1960): <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A commission was appointed in <\/span><b>1960, headed by U.N. Dhebar, <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">which submitted its report in 1961.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Second Commission Appointment (2002): <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After four decades, the second commission was <\/span><b>appointed in 2002<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> under the chairmanship of <\/span><b>Dilip Singh Bhuria<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. It submitted its report in 2004.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\"><b>Appointment of a Commission to Investigate the Conditions of BCs<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Presidential Authority Under Article 340: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Under <\/span><b>Article 340, <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the <\/span><b>President<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> has the power to appoint a Commission to investigate the conditions of the socially and educationally backward classes, the difficulties faced by them and give recommendations to resolve those difficulties and improve their conditions.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>First Backward Classes Commission Appointment (1953): <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The first backward classes commission was appointed in 1953 under the chairmanship of <\/span><b>Kaka Kalelkar<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> which submitted its report in 1955. But, <\/span><b>no action was taken on it<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Second Backward Classes Commission Appointment (1979): <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Second Backward Classes Commission was appointed in 1979 with <\/span><b>B.P. Mandal, as chairman<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, submitted its report in 1980.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Reservation for OBCs (1990):<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> In 1990, the <\/span><b>V.P. Singh Government<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> declared a reservation of 2<\/span><b>7% of government jobs for the OBCs<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, later it was extended to <\/span><b>educational institutions<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> as well.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\"><b>Formation of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes and National Commission for Scheduled Tribes<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>1978:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The Government established a<\/span><b> non-statutory, multi-member Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, while the<\/span><b> Office of Commissioner<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> continued to operate.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>1987:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The 1978 Commission was renamed the <\/span><b>National Commission for Scheduled Castes<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><b>Scheduled Tribes.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>1990:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The 65th Constitutional Amendment replaced the <\/span><b>Commissioner for SCs and STs <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">with a multi-member <\/span><b>National Commission for SCs and STs<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>2003:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The 89th Constitutional Amendment split the National Commission into two separate bodies: the <\/span><b>National Commission for Scheduled Castes (under Article 338) <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and the<\/span><b> National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (under Article 338-A).<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>2004: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The National Commission for Scheduled Castes was formally established, consisting of a Chairperson, a Vice-Chairperson, and three other members.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Similarly, the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">was constituted on<\/span><b> February 19, 2004<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is important to recognize that<\/span><b> Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes differ in culture, tradition, and other aspects<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, necessitating a dedicated constitutional body to focus specifically on the needs of the Scheduled Tribes community in India.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt; color: #ff6600;\"><b>National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC)<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Initial Constitution: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The NCBC was first established by the National Commission for Backward Classes Act, 1993 (27 of 1993) on April 2, 1993. It has been reconstituted seven times up to 2016.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Repeal of Previous Act: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><b>National Commission for Backward Classes Act, 1993<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> was repealed by the <\/span><b>National Commission for Backward Classes (Repeal) Act, 2018<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, dated August 14, 2018.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Constitutional Status: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The current (8th) NCBC has been granted constitutional status through \u201c<\/span><b>The Constitution 102nd Amendment Act, 2018<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">,\u201d enacted on August 11, 2018.\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This act added<\/span><b> Article 338B<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, establishing a Commission for <\/span><b>socially and educationally backward classes.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Commission Structure: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The NCBC consists of a <\/span><b>Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, and three other members<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, all of whom hold the rank and pay of Secretary to the Government of India. Their <\/span><b>conditions of service and tenure<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> were notified by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment on<\/span><b> August 23, 2018<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-137547 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/unnamed-49-1.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"735\" height=\"448\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/unnamed-49-1.webp 735w, https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/unnamed-49-1-300x183.webp 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 735px) 100vw, 735px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\"><b>Challenges Faced by the Commissions<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Issues with NCSC: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It often favors the <\/span><b>elite <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">of these communities, experiences delays in conducting<\/span><b> inquiries and delivering judgments, annual report<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">s to Parliament often face delays and lack of discussion, undermining their importance, etc.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Issues with NCST: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) has been largely <\/span><b>dysfunctional for the last 4 years<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, failing to deliver a single report to Parliament according to a Parliamentary report.\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The reports of the NCST since 2018 are still under process in the Ministry of Tribal Affairs and have not been presented to Parliament.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As per the Commission&#8217;s website, in the <\/span><b>financial year 2021-22<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><b>it met only four times<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><b>rate of unresolved complaints <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and cases is also close to<\/span><b> 50%<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u200b.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Issues with NCBC: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It suffers from<\/span><b> manpower shortage, delay in reports submission, lack of funds, <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">challenges of various caste groups demanding inclusion in the Backward Classes (BCs) list, etc.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Short-staffed:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The Commissions are <\/span><b>short-staffed, <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">as well as<\/span><b> underfunded <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and therefore unable to deal satisfactorily with the volume of cases.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Docile Commissions:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The Commissions are reluctant to use the<\/span><b> power of summons<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and mostly just write letters asking for clarification.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Example:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> As per the<\/span><b> Centre for Policy Research<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, there has been less than 10 summons by each of these commissions in the last 2 years.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\"><b>Recommendations for Improving the Performance of Commissions: Insights from the Centre for Policy Research<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Strengthening the Role of Commissions: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The government should follow the Constitution in the spirit it envisaged, among other things, by strengthening the role of the commissions as a truly <\/span><b>independent watchdog body with punitive powers<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Reviewing Commission Composition: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The composition of the Commissions needs to be examined, in particular, the implications of commissions composed entirely of political appointments by the ruling party.\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><b>qualifications<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of the Chairperson and Members should be publicly available.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Enhancing Regional Offices:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The Regional offices need to be strengthened, along with an <\/span><b>independent investigating mechanism<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This should replace the<\/span><b> standard operating procedure<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of asking for clarification as the dominant mode of functioning.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><i><span class=\"vc_button\"><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pw.live\/batches\/upsc?utm_source=seo+upsc+batch&#038;utm_medium=seo+upsc&#038;utm_campaign=seo&#038;utm_id=upsc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><i>Enroll now for UPSC Online Course<\/i><\/a><i><\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 99.5566%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 366.698%; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #ff5e00; text-align: center;\" colspan=\"2\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><b>Must Read<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 49.9302%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #e9ebe8;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/current-affairs\/\"><b>Current Affairs<\/b><\/a><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 316.768%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #e9ebe8;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/editorial-analysis\/\"><b>Editorial Analysis<\/b><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 49.9302%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #e9ebe8;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/upsc-notes\"><b>Upsc Notes\u00a0<\/b><\/a><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 316.768%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #e9ebe8;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/blogs\/\"><b>Upsc Blogs\u00a0<\/b><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 49.9302%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #e9ebe8;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/ncert-notes\/\"><b>NCERT Notes<\/b><\/a><b>\u00a0<\/b><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 316.768%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #e9ebe8;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/mains-answer-writing\/\"><b>Free Main Answer Writing<\/b><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Conclusion<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><b>welfare credentials of the government<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> dictate that the well-being and development of these v<\/span><b>ulnerable sections <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">at the last mile should not be compromised.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The implementation and effectiveness of these provisions continue to be a <\/span><b>subject of debate<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><b>scrutiny<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Policymakers and civil society<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> must evaluate their impact and take necessary measures periodically.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><b><i>Sign up for the<\/i><\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pw.live\/batches\/upsc?utm_source=seo+upsc+batch&#038;utm_medium=seo+upsc&#038;utm_campaign=seo&#038;utm_id=upsc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <b><i>PWOnlyIAS Online Course by Physics Wallah<\/i><\/b><\/a><b><i> and start your journey to IAS success today!<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 99.8223%; height: 90px;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr style=\"height: 30px;\">\n<td style=\"width: 164.99%; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #ff5e00; text-align: center; height: 30px;\" colspan=\"2\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><b>Related Articles\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"height: 30px;\">\n<td style=\"width: 49.7565%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #e9ebe8; height: 30px;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/udaan\/making-of-the-indian-constitution\/\">Making Of The Indian Constitution<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 115.233%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #e9ebe8; height: 30px;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/upsc-notes\/preamble-of-indian-constitution\/\">Preamble of the Indian 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Classes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":38,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"footnotes":""},"doc_category":[122],"doc_tag":[5951],"acf":[],"year_month":"2026-04","word_count":1626,"total_views":0,"reactions":{"happy":0,"normal":0,"sad":0},"author_info":{"name":"Priyanka","author_nicename":"priyanka6","author_url":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/author\/priyanka6"},"doc_category_info":[{"term_name":"INDIAN POLITY","term_url":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/docs-category\/indian-polity"}],"doc_tag_info":[{"term_name":"Special Provisions Related to Certain Classes","term_url":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/docs-tag\/special-provisions-related-to-certain-classes"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/docs\/137540"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/docs"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/docs"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/38"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=137540"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/docs\/137540\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":149548,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/docs\/137540\/revisions\/149548"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=137540"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"doc_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/doc_category?post=137540"},{"taxonomy":"doc_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/doc_tag?post=137540"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}