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Notes Indian Polity & Governance
What Article 371(J) says, which districts it covers, how the development board and local reservation work, and how it is tested in KPSC and UPSC.
For UPSC, place 371(J) with the other special provisions in Part XXI (Articles 371 to 371J). A common Prelims trap is matching each article to its state: 371 is Maharashtra and Gujarat, 371J is Karnataka. In Mains GS 2, use it as an example of asymmetric federalism and regional balance.
KPSC asks this in both Prelims (GS) and Mains (Karnataka-specific polity). Know the clauses, the districts, the board and how local cadre reservation affects state recruitment notifications. Many KPSC and KEA notifications carry a separate 371(J) quota, so read the eligibility section closely.
Article 371(J) sits in Part XXI of the Constitution, among the temporary, transitional and special provisions. It lets the President, by order, give the Governor of Karnataka a special responsibility for the Hyderabad-Karnataka region. Under that responsibility the Governor can provide for:
Clause 2 goes further. An order can reserve a proportion of seats in educational and vocational training institutions in the region for students who belong to the region by birth or domicile. It can also identify posts under the State Government, and in bodies it controls in the region, and reserve a share of them for local people.
The districts of this region were part of the Nizam’s Hyderabad State before the 1956 reorganisation of states. They joined Karnataka with lower literacy, fewer institutions and weaker infrastructure than the rest of the State. A special provision was seen as a way to address that gap through dedicated funds and a local share in jobs and education.
The region originally had six districts: Bidar, Kalaburagi, Yadgir, Raichur, Koppal and Ballari. Vijayanagara district was carved out of Ballari in 2021, so the area today spans seven districts.
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 2012 | Parliament passes the Constitution (Ninety-eighth Amendment) Bill |
| 1 January 2013 | President’s assent to the Act |
| 2013 | Presidential orders set up the development board and local reservation |
| September 2019 | Region renamed Kalyana Karnataka; the board becomes the Kalyana Karnataka Region Development Board (KKRDB) |
| 2021 | Vijayanagara district formed out of Ballari |
State recruitment notifications from KPSC, KEA and departments list a separate category for candidates with a 371(J) eligibility certificate issued by the competent authority. Posts in the local cadre of the region are filled mainly from such candidates, and region candidates also get a share of state-level posts. Always check the exact percentages and certificate rules in the notification you are applying to, as they are set by state orders and can be revised.
| Article | State |
|---|---|
| 371 | Maharashtra and Gujarat |
| 371A | Nagaland |
| 371D | Andhra Pradesh and Telangana |
| 371F | Sikkim |
| 371J | Karnataka |
| Inserted by | Constitution (Ninety-eighth Amendment) Act, 2012 [1] |
|---|---|
| President's assent | 1 January 2013 [1] |
| Published in Gazette | 2 January 2013 [1] |
| Special responsibility | Governor of Karnataka, by order of the President [1] |
| Board report | Annual report placed before the State Legislative Assembly [1] |
| Reservation covers | Seats in educational and vocational institutions, and State Government posts in the region [1] |
| Renamed | Hyderabad-Karnataka became Kalyana Karnataka in September 2019 [2] |
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The third Vande Bharat Sleeper route links SMVT Bengaluru with CSMT Mumbai overnight, with stops at Raichur, Yadgir, Wadi and Kalaburagi in North Karnataka.
Facts checked against these sources as of 5 November 2026. When something changes, this note is updated.
