Difficulty: Easy
Correct Answer: Union List
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
India follows a federal system where legislative powers are divided between the Union and the states. The Seventh Schedule of the Constitution contains three lists that distribute subject areas: Union List, State List, and Concurrent List. This question checks whether you know under which list the Reserve Bank of India, the central banking institution of the country, is placed. Since monetary policy and currency regulation are national level responsibilities, this topic is a common test of your understanding of federal distribution of powers.
Given Data / Assumptions:
Concept / Approach:
The Union List contains subjects on which only the Parliament can legislate. These are matters of national importance such as defence, foreign affairs, currency, banking, and communication. The Reserve Bank of India is the central bank responsible for issuing currency notes, regulating credit, and managing monetary policy at the national level. Because money and banking require uniform rules across the country, they fall squarely within the competence of the Union government. Therefore the subject Reserve Bank of India is placed in the Union List in the Seventh Schedule.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that the Union List includes important national subjects like defence, foreign affairs, currency, and central banking.Step 2: Recognize that the Reserve Bank of India is a central bank and not a state level institution.Step 3: Understand that uniform monetary policy and currency issuance must be managed by the Union government for the entire country.Step 4: Compare the three lists and eliminate the State List and Concurrent List, which deal with subjects of regional or shared concern.Step 5: Conclude that the appropriate placement of Reserve Bank of India is in the Union List.
Verification / Alternative check:
You can verify this by thinking about whether different states could have separate central banks or distinct legal frameworks for currency. That would be impractical and would undermine the idea of a single national market and uniform currency. Constitutional design therefore gives exclusive control over currency and central banking to the Union government. Standard polity references explicitly mention banking and Reserve Bank of India under the Union List, confirming that your reasoning is correct.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
The State List contains subjects like police, public order, public health, and agriculture which are mostly regional in nature, so Reserve Bank of India does not belong there. The Concurrent List is for subjects where both Union and state legislatures can make laws, such as criminal law or marriage, which is not suitable for central banking as it requires exclusive national control. The so called Global List is not recognised in the Constitution; it is included only as a distractor. Hence none of these alternatives match the actual constitutional placement of the Reserve Bank of India.
Common Pitfalls:
Some learners confuse banking regulation in general with cooperative banking or local financial institutions, and mistakenly think that states may share powers over all forms of banking. While certain aspects of cooperative societies involve states, the central bank itself is unquestionably a Union subject. Another pitfall is to mark the Concurrent List whenever there is doubt, but it is important to remember that subjects requiring uniform, nationwide policy, such as currency and central banking, are reserved for the Union alone.
Final Answer:
In the Seventh Schedule the subject Reserve Bank of India is included in the Union List.
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