The functions of the State Public Service Commission of Uttar Pradesh can be extended by

The correct answer is D. Article 321 of the Constitution provides that an Act of Parliament, or of the State Legislature in the case of a State Public Service Commission, may extend the functions of the Commission to any local authority, body corporate or public institution. The power to widen a State PSC's functions therefore rests with the legislature, not with the executive.

Why the other options are wrong:

• A) Prime Minister: The Prime Minister has no constitutional power to alter the functions of a State PSC.
• B) Union Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions: This is a central department handling Union personnel matters. It has no role in changing the functions of a State Commission.
• C) The President: The President acts on the advice of the Union Council of Ministers. Extending a State PSC's functions is a legislative route under Article 321, not a presidential one.

The core concept is the constitutional design of the PSCs under Articles 315 to 323, which fixes their functions and allows only a legislative Act to add to them. This connects to Mains GS-II on constitutional bodies and their independence.

Trap: Aspirants pick the President or the Union government because the PSC is a constitutional body and recruitment links to the Centre. Remember that changes to its functions go through legislation, and for a State PSC that means the State Legislature.