Statutory Grants-in-Aid from the Union to Deficit and Tribal States
Official heading: “Grants from the Union to certain States”
- Source edition
- The Constitution of India (as on 1 May 2026)
- Source locator
- Part XII, Article 275, printed pages 161–163
- Last human source-link check
- Not yet checked
- Last human legal review
- Not yet reviewed
AI-assisted source comparisons are noted with the citations below; the check date remains pending until a human confirms the link. The report link opens your email app; you choose whether to send it.
1. In One Sentence
Authorizes parliamentary grants-in-aid charged on the Consolidated Fund of India to States in financial need, with mandatory capital grants for tribal welfare and Scheduled Areas.
2. What It Means in Everyday Language
Article 275 is the primary constitutional mechanism for horizontal fiscal equalization, providing revenue deficit grants and targeted development assistance to States.
Clause (1) empowers Parliament to make grants-in-aid to such States as Parliament determines to be in need of assistance, charged directly on the Consolidated Fund of India (non-voted expenditure).
Under clause (2), these grants are fixed by the President by order after considering the recommendations of the Finance Commission under Article 280.
The first proviso to clause (1) creates a mandatory constitutional commitment: the Union must provide grants to pay for state welfare schemes undertaken with central approval for promoting the welfare of Scheduled Tribes or raising the level of administration of Scheduled Areas.
The second proviso mandates specific grants to the State of Assam for Sixth Schedule tribal areas and autonomous districts.
3. Practical Illustrative Example
A hill State or economically disadvantaged State faces a structural post-devolution revenue deficit after receiving its share of divisible taxes.
4. Important Limits, Qualifications & Exceptions
Article 275 ensures horizontal fiscal justice and targeted tribal development.
- Charged expenditure: Paid out of the Consolidated Fund of India without annual parliamentary voting.
- Finance Commission guidance: Grounded in the objective financial assessments of the Finance Commission.
- Constitutional tribal guarantee: Mandatory capital and recurring grants for Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Areas.
5. Operative Constitutional Text
6. Sources & Historical Assembly Deliberations
Assembly quotations are withheld until wording, dates, and attribution have been checked against the primary record.
- •Government of India (Legislative Department, Ministry of Law and Justice) • Part XII, Article 275, printed pages 161–163 • Human source-link check pending
Primary PDF accessed and transcribed with AI assistance on 14 October 2026. Formatting and amendment annotation markers are omitted; operative wording is retained. This is not human legal review. Later amendments and commencement notifications have not been comprehensively checked.
