With reference to India, consider the following: How many of the above established as per the provisions of the Constitution of India?

Answer: (a) Only one

Only the Inter-State Council has a constitutional basis (Art. 263).

Statement by statement

1. ✓ CONSTITUTIONAL — Art. 263 Art. 263 lets the President set it up; it was constituted in 1990 on the Sarkaria Commission’s advice.

2. ✗ EXECUTIVE ORDER (1998) Set up by a Government resolution in 1998, chaired by the PM. Neither constitutional nor statutory.

3. ✗ STATUTORY — States Reorganisation Act, 1956 Five Zonal Councils, created by an Act of Parliament, chaired by the Union Home Minister.

The idea

Sort any body by its source: Constitutional (named in the text: Finance Commission, ECI, UPSC, CAG, Inter-State Council, GST Council) · Statutory (an Act: Zonal Councils, NHRC, CVC, Lokpal, NGT) · Executive (a Cabinet resolution: NITI Aayog, NSC, the old Planning Commission).

Why the others are wrong

(b) Adds the Zonal Councils, which are statutory.

(c) The NSC is only an executive body.

(d) Art. 263 is the constitutional source of the Inter-State Council.

The trap

Art. 263 lets the President create the Inter-State Council, which makes people doubt it is “constitutional”. Its basis is in the Constitution, even though it was set up by order.