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Under Art. 339(1), the President may appoint a Commission at any time, and must appoint it after ten years of the commencement of the Constitution, to report on the welfare of Scheduled Tribes in the States and the administration of the Scheduled Areas. The Presidential Order appointing the Commission may define its composition, powers and procedure and may take other incidental or ancillary provisions. No such provision has been made in the Constitution as regards the Scheduled Castes.
Art. 339(2) empowers the Centre to issue directives to any State giving directions as to the drawing up and execution of schemes specified in the directives to be essential for the welfare of the Scheduled Tribes in the State. Art. 339(2) is supplementary to Art. 275(1) which provides, inter alia, that grants-in-aid shall be payable to a State out of the Consolidated Fund of India for purposes of meeting costs of such schemes of developments as the State may undertake with the approval of the Government of India for promoting the welfare of the Scheduled Tribes in that State. Thus, Art. 275(1) furnishes the raison d’etre of Art. 339. The Central Government has been given the power to give directions as respects such schemes because it pays the cost thereof.