Consider the following statements regarding State-level reservation policies and constitutional provisions in the context of Assam’s quota for tea tribes/Adivasi communities: I. Articles 15(4) and 16(4) empower States to make special provisions and provide reservation in public employment for socially and educationally backward classes. II. The Constitution mandates that all socially backward communities must be included only within the Scheduled Tribes list to be eligible for any form of reservation by States. III. The power to notify Scheduled Tribes lies with the President under Article 342, and States cannot unilaterally alter the ST list through executive decisions. How many of the above statements are correct?

The correct answer is Option 2 In News Assam approved a 3% quota for tea tribes/Adivasi communities in higher government jobs, bringing focus on the scope of State powers in reservations vis-à-vis constitutional procedures for ST identification. Key Points Statement I: Articles 15(4) and 16(4) empower the State to make special provisions/reservations for backward classes. Article 15(4) allows special provisions for socially and educationally backward classes , SCs and STs, while Article 16(4) enables reservation in public employment for backward classes not adequately represented in State services. Hence, Statement I is correct . Statement II: The Constitution does not mandate that all socially backward communities must be included only within the Scheduled Tribes list to get reservation benefits. Reservations may be provided to SCs, STs, OBCs/SEBCs and EWS under different constitutional provisions. Hence, Statement II is incorrect . Statement III: Under Article 342 , the power to notify Scheduled Tribes lies with the President , and Parliament may by law include or exclude communities from the ST list. States cannot unilaterally alter the ST list through executive decisions. Hence, Statement III is correct . Therefore, only two statements are correct . Additional Information Reservation under Articles 15(4) and 16(4) is enabling, not mandatory, for States. Inclusion or exclusion from the SC/ST lists requires a Presidential notification followed by Parliamentary law. The 103rd Constitutional Amendment introduced EWS reservation independent of caste categories. The Supreme Court has held that reservation policies must satisfy reasonable classification and equality principles under Article 14.