Special provisions for states are a favourite of polity papers because every question has a clean, fixed answer — which article covers Nagaland, which amendment added the provision for Sikkim, which state has development boards under Article 371. This post covers Part XXI of the Constitution, each of Articles 371 and 371A to 371J with its state and amendment, the common purpose behind them, and how Article 370 fitted into the same Part, followed by 15 previous year questions.
Key Points (Quick Revision)
- Special provisions sit in Part XXI — Temporary, Transitional and Special Provisions
- Article 371 covers Maharashtra and Gujarat — development boards under the Governor
- Article 371A (Nagaland) was the first lettered provision, added by the 13th Amendment, 1962
- Article 371J (Karnataka) is the most recent, added by the 98th Amendment, 2012
- Andhra Pradesh has two — 371D and 371E, both added by the 32nd Amendment, 1973
1. Part XXI and why special provisions exist
The Constitution treats states on the whole uniformly, but it recognises that some regions have needs a uniform rule cannot meet. Part XXI — titled Temporary, Transitional and Special Provisions — is where those exceptions are gathered.
The special provisions for states were written for a handful of recurring reasons:
- Balanced regional development within a state, where one region lagged behind the others
- Protection of tribal customs, customary law and land in the north-eastern states
- Safeguards in public employment and education for local residents
- Terms agreed at the time a territory joined India or became a state
Most of the provisions work through one of two mechanisms. Either the Governor is given a special responsibility — to set up development boards or to ensure equitable allocation of funds — or Acts of Parliament on specified subjects do not apply to the state unless its Legislative Assembly decides that they should.
A point worth fixing early: none of Articles 371 to 371J was in the original Constitution except Article 371 itself, and even Article 371 has been substantially amended. The lettered articles were inserted one by one by amendments, which is why the amendment numbers are asked so often.
2. Article-by-article — the table to learn
| Article | State | Amendment | Core provision |
|---|---|---|---|
| 371 | Maharashtra and Gujarat | Amended by the 7th Amendment, 1956 | Governor's special responsibility for separate development boards |
| 371A | Nagaland | 13th, 1962 | Protection of Naga religious and social practices, customary law, and ownership and transfer of land |
| 371B | Assam | 22nd, 1969 | A committee of the Assembly made up of members from the tribal areas |
| 371C | Manipur | 27th, 1971 | A committee of the Assembly made up of members from the Hill Areas |
| 371D | Andhra Pradesh | 32nd, 1973 | Equitable opportunities in public employment and education for people of different parts of the state |
| 371E | Andhra Pradesh | 32nd, 1973 | Establishment of a central university in the state |
| 371F | Sikkim | 36th, 1975 | Special provisions made when Sikkim became a state of India |
| 371G | Mizoram | 53rd, 1986 | Protection of Mizo religious and social practices, customary law and land |
| 371H | Arunachal Pradesh | 55th, 1986 | Governor's special responsibility for law and order |
| 371I | Goa | 56th, 1987 | Legislative Assembly of not less than 30 members |
| 371J | Karnataka | 98th, 2012 | Development board and local reservation for the Hyderabad-Karnataka region |
Read the table in order and a pattern appears that makes it easy to hold. The letters run A to J in the order the provisions were added, from 1962 to 2012. Nagaland comes first, Karnataka last, and Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh and Goa — the three territories that became full states in 1987, with their amendments passed in 1986 and 1987 — sit together as G, H and I.
3. The provisions grouped by purpose
Learning eleven articles one by one is slow. Grouping them by what they do is faster and it is also how questions tend to be framed.
Regional development boards. Article 371 lets the President give the Governor of Maharashtra a special responsibility for separate development boards for Vidarbha, Marathwada and the rest of Maharashtra, and the Governor of Gujarat for Saurashtra, Kutch and the rest of Gujarat. Article 371J does the same for the Hyderabad-Karnataka region, now called Kalyana-Karnataka, and adds reservation for local candidates in education and state government jobs in that region.
Protection of customary law and land. Article 371A for Nagaland and Article 371G for Mizoram provide that no Act of Parliament on religious or social practices, customary law and procedure, civil and criminal justice under customary law, or ownership and transfer of land and its resources applies to the state unless its Legislative Assembly so decides by resolution. These two are near-identical and are frequently paired in questions.
Assembly committees for tribal and hill areas. Article 371B for Assam and Article 371C for Manipur provide for a committee of the Legislative Assembly made up of members elected from the tribal areas or the Hill Areas respectively. Under 371C, the Governor also reports annually to the President on the administration of the Hill Areas.
Employment and education safeguards. Article 371D allows the President to provide equitable opportunities and facilities in public employment and education for people belonging to different parts of Andhra Pradesh. After the state was reorganised in 2014, this provision has applied to both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
Terms of joining or statehood. Article 371F for Sikkim set out the arrangements when Sikkim became a state in 1975, including a provision for the representation of sections of the population in the Legislative Assembly. Article 371H for Arunachal Pradesh gives the Governor special responsibility for law and order, and Article 371I for Goa fixes a minimum Assembly size of 30.
4. Article 370 and how it relates to Article 371
Article 370 sat in the same Part XXI and was also a provision for a single state — Jammu and Kashmir. It is often confused with Article 371, and papers use the similarity of the numbers deliberately.
The difference was one of scale. The Article 371 series gives a state specific safeguards within the ordinary constitutional framework. Article 370 went much further: it limited the application of the Constitution itself to Jammu and Kashmir, so that most provisions applied only with modifications and through Presidential orders.
In August 2019, a Presidential order applied the Constitution in full to Jammu and Kashmir, rendering the special status under Article 370 inoperative, and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 reorganised the state into two Union Territories — Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. The Supreme Court upheld the abrogation in December 2023.
Two points to keep straight for exams. First, the Article 371 provisions were not affected by these changes — they continue to apply to the states they cover. Second, questions sometimes list Jammu and Kashmir among the states under the 371 series; it was never one of them, since its special position came from Article 370.
5. Previous year questions
- Special provisions for states are contained in which Part of the Constitution? — Part XXI
- What is the title of Part XXI? — Temporary, Transitional and Special Provisions
- Article 371 makes special provisions for which states? — Maharashtra and Gujarat
- Which Article provides special provisions for Nagaland? — Article 371A
- Article 371A was inserted by which amendment? — 13th Amendment Act, 1962
- Which Article deals with special provisions for Assam? — Article 371B
- Article 371C relates to which state? — Manipur
- Which two Articles make special provisions for Andhra Pradesh? — Articles 371D and 371E
- Article 371F was inserted when which state joined India? — Sikkim, by the 36th Amendment, 1975
- Which Article provides special provisions for Mizoram? — Article 371G
- Under Article 371H, the Governor of Arunachal Pradesh has special responsibility for what? — Law and order
- Article 371I relates to which state? — Goa
- Which Article provides for the Hyderabad-Karnataka region? — Article 371J
- Article 371J was inserted by which amendment? — 98th Amendment Act, 2012
- Development boards for Vidarbha and Marathwada are provided under which Article? — Article 371
6. How to revise this topic
Learn the table in letter order, because the letters follow the order in which the provisions were added. A to J runs from Nagaland in 1962 to Karnataka in 2012, so if you know roughly when a state received its provision you can place its letter, and the reverse.
Next, attach each article to one mechanism rather than to a paragraph. Development boards for 371 and 371J; customary law and land for 371A and 371G; tribal or hill area committees for 371B and 371C; employment and education for 371D; law and order for 371H; Assembly size for 371I. A question almost always names the mechanism and asks for the state, or names the state and asks for the mechanism.
Keep the pairs together, because they are asked together: Nagaland and Mizoram, Assam and Manipur, and the two Andhra Pradesh articles. And keep Article 370 outside the series in your notes, so that a question listing Jammu and Kashmir among the 371 states does not catch you.
Finally, write the amendment numbers beside the letters in one line — 13, 22, 27, 32, 32, 36, 53, 55, 56, 98. It is the part of the chapter most often asked directly, and seeing the sequence once makes it hard to forget.
7. Frequently Asked Questions
What is Article 371 of the Indian Constitution?
Article 371 lets the President give the Governors of Maharashtra and Gujarat a special responsibility to set up separate development boards for different regions — Vidarbha, Marathwada and the rest of Maharashtra, and Saurashtra, Kutch and the rest of Gujarat — to ensure balanced development.
Which states have special provisions under Articles 371A to 371J?
Nagaland (371A), Assam (371B), Manipur (371C), Andhra Pradesh (371D and 371E), Sikkim (371F), Mizoram (371G), Arunachal Pradesh (371H), Goa (371I) and Karnataka (371J). Article 371 itself covers Maharashtra and Gujarat.
What is the difference between Article 370 and Article 371?
Article 371 and its lettered articles give specific safeguards to certain states within the normal constitutional framework. Article 370 limited the application of the Constitution itself to Jammu and Kashmir and was rendered inoperative in August 2019. The Article 371 provisions were not affected.
Which is the most recent special provision under Article 371?
Article 371J for Karnataka, inserted by the 98th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2012. It provides for a development board and local reservation in education and state government jobs for the Hyderabad-Karnataka region, now called Kalyana-Karnataka.
What protection does Article 371A give to Nagaland?
No Act of Parliament on Naga religious or social practices, customary law and procedure, civil and criminal justice under customary law, or ownership and transfer of land and its resources applies to Nagaland unless its Legislative Assembly decides so by resolution.
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