The 12 Schedules

The 12 Schedules: A 2-Minute Trick

When the Constitution commenced in 1950, there were only 8 Schedules. Today, there are 12. Remembering their order is a nightmare for students... until now.

To master this topic for SSC CGL and UPSC, you just need to remember one phrase regarding the old Prime Ministers of India:

"TEARS OF OLD PM"

Decoding the Mnemonic

Let's break down the code letter by letter.

T

1st Schedule: TERRITORIES

Names of States and Union Territories.

E

2nd Schedule: EMOLUMENTS

Salaries and allowances of President, Governors, Judges, etc.

A

3rd Schedule: AFFIRMATIONS

Forms of Oaths and Affirmations for ministers and judges.

R

4th Schedule: RAJYA SABHA

Allocation of seats in the Rajya Sabha to States and UTs.

S

5th Schedule: SCHEDULED AREAS

Administration of Scheduled Areas and Tribes (General).

O

6th Schedule: OTHER AREAS

Administration of Tribal Areas in 4 specific states: Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram (AMTM).

F

7th Schedule: FEDERAL LIST

Division of power into 3 Lists: Union List, State List, Concurrent List.

O

8th Schedule: OFFICIAL LANGUAGES

Originally 14, now 22 languages recognised by the Constitution.

L

9th Schedule: LAND REFORMS

Added by 1st Amendment (1951). Laws here were originally immune to judicial review.

D

10th Schedule: DEFECTION

Added by 52nd Amendment (1985). The "Anti-Defection Law" (Aaya Ram, Gaya Ram).

P

11th Schedule: PANCHAYATS

Added by 73rd Amendment (1992). Contains 29 matters.

M

12th Schedule: MUNICIPALITIES

Added by 74th Amendment (1992). Urban local bodies.

Practice MCQs

Test your memory right now!

Q1. Which Schedule deals with the "Anti-Defection Law"?

• A) 8th Schedule
• B) 9th Schedule
• C) 10th Schedule
• D) 11th Schedule

Click to reveal Answer

Answer: C (10th Schedule) - Remember 'D' for Defection in "OLD".

Q2. The Sixth Schedule applies to which of the following states?

• A) Assam, Manipur, Nagaland, Tripura
• B) Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram
• C) Assam, Bihar, Bengal, Odisha
• D) Manipur, Mizoram, Sikkim, Nagaland

Click to reveal Answer

Answer: B (Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram). Remember the code "AMTM".

Q3. Which Schedule was added by the First Amendment Act of 1951?

• A) 9th Schedule
• B) 10th Schedule
• C) 11th Schedule
• D) 12th Schedule

Click to reveal Answer

Answer: A (9th Schedule) - Deals with Land Reforms.

Q4. Allocation of seats in the Rajya Sabha is mentioned in which Schedule?

• A) 3rd
• B) 4th
• C) 5th
• D) 6th

Click to reveal Answer

Answer: B (4th Schedule) - Remember 'R' for Rajya Sabha in "TEARS".

Save this mnemonic, save your marks!