Arrange the following Commissions in chronological order on the basis of their date of setting up: (1) Second Administrative Reforms Commission (2) Eleventh Finance Commission (3) Punchhi Commission (4) Sarkaria Commission.

Introduction / Context:
This question tests your ability to place key Indian Commissions in the correct chronological sequence. Such Commissions often examine constitutional, administrative or financial issues, and knowing their order helps you connect major phases of Indian governance reforms. The Sarkaria Commission, the various Finance Commissions, the Second Administrative Reforms Commission and the Punchhi Commission all dealt with centre–state relations or administrative and fiscal reforms, but were formed in different decades.

Given Data / Assumptions:
- The Commissions to be arranged are: Second Administrative Reforms Commission (1), Eleventh Finance Commission (2), Punchhi Commission (3) and Sarkaria Commission (4).
- The question asks for the order based on their date of setting up, not the date of report submission.
- You must choose the option that lists them from earliest to latest.
- Standard exam knowledge about their approximate formation years is assumed.

Concept / Approach:
The Sarkaria Commission on Centre–State relations was set up in the early 1980s, well before the others listed. The Eleventh Finance Commission was constituted around the end of the 1990s to make recommendations for the period 2000–2005. The Second Administrative Reforms Commission, which suggested measures for improving public administration, was set up in the mid-2000s. Finally, the Punchhi Commission, another body on Centre–State relations, was constituted later, around 2007. So, the basic idea is to remember approximate decades and then arrange them from oldest to most recent.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that the Sarkaria Commission (4) on Centre–State relations was set up in 1983, making it the earliest among the given Commissions. Step 2: The Eleventh Finance Commission (2) was constituted around 1998 to recommend the sharing of revenues between the Centre and the States for the period starting in 2000, so it comes after Sarkaria. Step 3: The Second Administrative Reforms Commission (1) was set up in 2005 to review public administration and suggest reforms, so it follows the Eleventh Finance Commission. Step 4: The Punchhi Commission (3) on Centre–State relations was set up in 2007, making it the latest of the four. Thus, the correct chronological order is 4, 2, 1, 3.

Verification / Alternative check:
A quick way to double-check is to anchor the timeline using one well-known date, such as the Sarkaria Commission in the 1980s. Any Commission dealing with “Second” reforms or later reviews of Centre–State relations must logically follow it. The Finance Commissions are numbered sequentially and occur every five years; the Eleventh clearly belongs to the post-1990s period. Likewise, both the Second Administrative Reforms Commission and the Punchhi Commission are associated with the UPA era in the 2000s, with the Punchhi Commission being slightly later, confirming the order 4, 2, 1, 3.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option B (4, 3, 2, 1) wrongly places the Punchhi Commission before the Eleventh Finance Commission and the Second Administrative Reforms Commission, ignoring the date 2007 relative to the late 1990s and 2005. Option C (3, 2, 4, 1) begins with the Punchhi Commission, which is clearly not the earliest. Option D (3, 4, 1, 2) not only places the Punchhi Commission first but also misorders the others. Only option A correctly reflects the historical sequence from 1983 to the late 2000s.

Common Pitfalls:
Students sometimes confuse the Sarkaria and Punchhi Commissions because both dealt with Centre–State relations and had similar mandates. Another common error is to treat the Second Administrative Reforms Commission as earlier simply because the word “Second” suggests a long history of reform. Finally, some candidates misremember the numbering of Finance Commissions and their years. Using decade-based memory anchors and relating Commissions to key political periods helps avoid such mistakes.

Final Answer:
The correct chronological order based on the date of setting up is 4, 2, 1, 3 i.e., Sarkaria Commission, Eleventh Finance Commission, Second Administrative Reforms Commission and Punchhi Commission.