Directive Principles: Gandhian and liberal principles, implementation

Article 351 is in Part XVII of the Constitution, which deals with the Official Language (Articles 343 to 351). It makes it the duty of the Union to promote the spread of Hindi and develop it as a medium of expression for India's composite culture; though directive in nature, it lies outside Part IV. Part XVI contains special provisions relating to certain classes, such as reservation in legislatures, and Part XVIII the emergency provisions.

Article 40 directs the State to take steps to organise village panchayats and to endow them with such powers and authority as may be necessary to enable them to function as units of self-government. It is a Gandhian directive of the original Constitution; the 73rd Amendment, 1992 later gave panchayats constitutional status in Part IX. Article 43 covers a living wage and cottage industries, Article 46 the weaker sections, and Article 48 agriculture and animal husbandry.

Article 43 asks the State to promote cottage industries on an individual or co- operative basis in rural areas. The Khadi and Village Industries Commission, a statutory body set up under the KVIC Act, 1956 (functioning from 1957), promotes khadi and village industries and so serves this aim. Article 40 concerns village panchayats, Article 46 the weaker sections and Article 48 agriculture and animal husbandry.

The right to free and compulsory education for all children aged six to fourteen is a Fundamental Right under Article 21A, inserted in Part III by the 86th Amendment, 2002; the same amendment recast Article 45 as a directive for early childhood care and education below six and added Article 51A(k). The living wage (Article 43), the environment (Article 48A) and separation of the judiciary (Article 50) remain directives.

Statement 2 is correct: abolition of intermediaries (zamindari), tenancy reform and land ceilings redistribute land, the most important material resource of rural India, in line with Article 39(b) and (c); the 1st Amendment, 1951 (Articles 31A and 31B and the Ninth Schedule) was passed to protect such laws. Statement 1 is incorrect: Article 48 concerns organising agriculture and animal husbandry on scientific lines, not who owns the land.

Article 47 makes raising the level of nutrition and the standard of living, and improving public health, among the primary duties of the State. The National Food Security Act, 2013 gives a legal entitlement to subsidised food grains to eligible households (coverage of up to 75 per cent of the rural and 50 per cent of the urban population) and adds maternity and child-nutrition entitlements, so it most directly serves Article 47.

Both statements are correct. Article 48A was inserted by the 42nd Amendment, 1976, four years after the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, which Parliament had passed under Article 252 on resolutions of State Legislatures. It directs the State to endeavour to protect and improve the environment and to safeguard the forests and wildlife of the country; its companion duty for citizens is Article 51A(g), added by the same amendment.

Both statements are correct. Article 351 makes it the duty of the Union to promote the spread of Hindi and develop it so that it may serve as a medium of expression for all the elements of the composite culture of India. It is to be enriched by assimilating forms, style and expressions from Hindustani and the other languages in the Eighth Schedule, and by drawing for its vocabulary primarily on Sanskrit and secondarily on other languages.

Statements 2 and 3 are correct (b). The Gandhian principles in the Directive Principles include organising village panchayats (Article 40) and promoting cottage industries in rural areas (Article 43), along with prohibition of intoxicants (47), cow protection (48) and the welfare of weaker sections (46). Statement 1 is wrong: the uniform civil code (Article 44) is a liberal-intellectual principle. Statement 4 is wrong: securing workers a living wage, leisure and cultural opportunities (Article 43) is usually counted as a socialist principle. So (a), (c) and (d) fail.

Notice the twist: Article 43 holds both a socialist part (living wage) and a Gandhian part (cottage industries). Uttarakhand enacted the first state UCC in 2024. Trap: one Article can carry two kinds of principle.

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All three pairs are correctly matched (c). Pair I is right: separation of the judiciary from the executive is Article 50, a Directive Principle. Pair II is right: valuing and preserving our composite culture is Article 51A(f), a Fundamental Duty. Pair III is right: no child below 14 may work in factories, mines or hazardous work under Article 24, a Fundamental Right. So options (a), (b) and (d) fail.

Notice related provisions: Article 21A gives free education for ages 6–14 (86th Amendment, 2002), and Article 51A(k) asks parents to educate their children. The Child Labour Amendment Act, 2016 banned all child labour below 14. Article 39(e) and (f) protect children too.

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Concentration of wealth violates the Directive Principles (b). Article 39(c) directs the State to ensure that the operation of the economic system does not result in the concentration of wealth and means of production to the common detriment. It is a Directive Principle of State Policy. Option (a) is wrong: the Right to Equality (Articles 14–18) deals with legal equality and discrimination. Option (c) is wrong: the Right to Freedom (Articles 19–22) covers speech, movement and life. Option (d) is wrong: the "concept of welfare" is a broad idea, not a constitutional provision.

Notice that the 25th Amendment (1971) added Article 31C to protect laws giving effect to Article 39(b) and (c). Directive Principles are not enforceable in court (Article 37).

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A Directive Principle requires it (b). Article 50, in Part IV, directs the State to take steps to separate the judiciary from the executive in the public services of the State. The aim is that the same officers should not both run the administration and judge cases. The Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 put this into effect by creating separate judicial magistrates, while executive magistrates handle law and order. The Preamble (a) does not mention it. The Seventh Schedule (c) divides subjects between the Centre and states. It is not merely a convention (d).

Notice that judicial independence and the separation of powers are part of the basic structure. The CrPC was replaced by the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita in July 2024, which keeps this separation.

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All three reflect the UDHR (d). The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the UN on 10 December 1948, while India's Constitution was being drafted. The Preamble (1) echoes its ideals of justice, liberty, equality and the dignity of the individual. Many Directive Principles (2) match its social and economic rights, such as the right to work, education, a living wage and humane conditions of work (Articles 39, 41–43). Article 29(1) of the UDHR says everyone has duties to the community, which matches the Fundamental Duties in Part IVA (3).

Notice that 10 December is Human Rights Day. India's Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993 created the NHRC, which follows the Paris Principles.

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The Directive Principles declare the welfare state ideal (a). Part IV, the Directive Principles of State Policy, sets out the State's social and economic goals. Article 38 asks the State to promote the welfare of the people by securing a social order based on social, economic and political justice, and to reduce inequalities in income and status. Other articles cover livelihood, equal pay, health, education and help in old age. The Fundamental Rights (b) mainly limit the State. The Preamble (c) states broad ideals but does not set out the welfare state in detail. The Seventh Schedule (d) divides subjects.

Notice how welfare laws, such as MGNREGA, the Right to Education and the National Food Security Act, give legal force to DPSPs.

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