Question

The National Commission for Scheduled Castes is a constitutional body under the Ministry of:

• A. Education, Government of India
• B. Home affairs, Government of India
• C. Finance, Government of India
• D. Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India

Hint:

Any national panel focused on protecting marginalized communities—such as Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, or backward classes—is administratively linked to the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

Concept: The National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) is established under Article 338 of the Constitution of India to safeguard institutional protections for Scheduled Castes against exploitation and promote their socio-economic development.

Step 1: Reviewing the administrative alignment of the Commission.
While the NCSC is an independent constitutional body, it is administratively linked to a nodal ministry within the Government of India for budgetary allocations, reporting, and policy implementation support.

Step 2: Evaluating the ministries based on their policy portfolios.
Let's look at the responsibilities of the options listed:
• Ministry of Education: Manages school education, literacy, and universities.
• Ministry of Home Affairs: Focuses on internal security, border management, and law and order.
• Ministry of Finance: Handles taxation, national budgeting, and financial macro-policies.
• Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment: Tasked with the welfare, social justice, and empowerment of marginalized groups, including Scheduled Castes, OBCs, and persons with disabilities. This confirms that the NCSC falls under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, aligning with Option (D).