Indian
Year Book
(2022-23)
Chapter – 31. General Information
Amendments to the
Constitution
Ø The Constitution (Ninety-third Amendment) Act, 2005- The Act aims to provide greater access to higher education including professional education to a larger number of students belonging to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. It amended Article 15 to enable provision of 27 percent reservation for other backward classes in government as well as private educational institutions.
Ø The Constitution (Ninety-fourth Amendment) Act, 2006- The Act provides for a Minister of Tribal Welfare in newly created states of Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh.
Ø The Constitution (Ninety-fi fth Amendment) Act, 2009-It amended Article 334 to extend the reservation of the seats for SCs and STs in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies from sixty years to seventy years till 2020.
Ø The Constitution (Ninety-Sixth Amendment) Act, 2011-The amendment substituted the word “Odia” for the word “Oriya” in entry 15 in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution.
Ø The Constitution (Ninety-Seventh Amendment) Act, 2011-It led to the addition of the words “Or Cooperative Societies” after the world “Or Unions” in Article 19(i)(c) and insertion of article 43B, i.e. Promotion of Co-operative Societies and added Part IXB, i.e. The Co-operative Societies. The objective of the amendment is to ensure autonomous and democratic functioning of cooperatives and fi x the accountability of the management to the members and stakeholders.
Ø The Constitution (Ninety-Eighth Amendment) Act, 2012-Article 371J was inserted in the constitution through this Act. The objective was to empower the Governor of Kamataka to take steps to develop the Hyderabad-Karnataka region. " The Constitution (Ninety-Ninth Amendment) Act, 2014 - This Act led to the insertion of new Articles 124A, 124B and 124C after Article 124 of the Constitution. The Act also provided for the composition and the functions of the proposed National Judicial Appointments Commission.
Ø The Constitution (One Hundredth Amendment) Act, 2015-It amended the First Schedule of the Constitution, for the purpose of giving effect to the acquiring of territories by India and transfer of territories to Bangladesh through retaining of adverse possession and exchange of enclaves, in pursuance of the agreement between India and Bangladesh concerning the demarcation of the land boundary, signed on 16th May 1974 and its protocol, signed on 6th September, 2011.
Ø The Constitution (One Hundred and First Amendment) Act, 2016-The Act amended the constitution to introduce “The Goods and Services Tax (GST)”. It amended the articles 248, 249, 250, 268, 269, 270, 271, 286, 366 and 368. It also amended the Sixth and Seventh Schedules. Article 268A was omitted and new Articles 246A (Special provision with respect to goods and services tax), 269A (Levy and collection of goods and services tax in course of inter-State trade or commerce) and 279A (Goods and Services Tax Council) were inserted. The Act also provided for compensation to states for loss of revenue on account of introduction of goods and services tax.
Ø The Constitution (One Hundred and Second Amendment) Act, 2018 - The Act provided constitutional status to the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC). Two new articles 338B and 342A along with clause 26C in article 366 that defi nes socially and educationally backward classes were inserted and article 340 has been omitted. With this, the NCBC will have all the powers of a civil court. It has the authority to examine complaints and welfare measures regarding socially and educationally backward classes. Its powers include summoning and enforcing the attendance of any person from any part of the country and examining him on oath. It can ask for production of documents and receive evidence on affi davits.
Ø The Constitution (One Hundred and Third Amendment) Act, 2019 - The Act introduced ten percent reservation for economically weaker sections (EWS) from the upper castes of the society in central government jobs as well as admission in central government-run and private educational institutions. The amendment does not make such reservations mandatory in state government-run educational institutions or state government jobs. This reservation is in addition to the existing reservations and subject to a maximum of ten percent of the total seats in each category. It amended Articles 15 and 16 of the Constitution.
Ø The Constitution (One Hundred and Fourth Amendment) Act, 2019 - This Act ceased the reservation of seats for Anglo-Indians in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative assemblies and extended reservations for SCs and STs for up to ten years.
Ø The Constitution (One Hundred and fi fth Amendment) Act, 2021 - This Act restores the power of State Governments to identify and specify Socially and Economically Backward Classes (SEBCs).
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