Which region of the country conferred special status under Article 371-J of the Constitution of India?

The correct answer is B) Hyderabad and Karnataka. Article 371J was inserted by the 98th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2012, to address backwardness in the region that was earlier part of the Hyderabad princely state and is now in northern Karnataka. The state government now calls it Kalyana Karnataka, a name adopted in 2019.

The key provisions are: a Hyderabad-Karnataka Development Board, reservation in education and public employment in proportion to the region's population, and the Governor's responsibility for equitable allocation of funds for development in the region.

• A) Nagaland: Its special status comes from Article 371A, added in 1963 through the 13th Amendment, which protects customary law and social practices.
• C) Maharashtra and Gujarat: Article 371(2) gives special provisions for development boards in Vidarbha, Marathwada, Saurashtra and Kutch, linked to the reorganisation of Bombay state.
• D) Ladakh: It has no Article 371 status. After the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, it became a Union Territory without a legislature. Demands for Sixth Schedule protection are a separate debate.

This is a good example of how Article 371 provisions are region-specific and tied to the federal debate on regional imbalance, which is a recurring Mains theme.

Trap: Candidates mix up 371J with 371A (Nagaland) or with the old Article 370, or assume Hyderabad-Karnataka is the same as the old Hyderabad state.