Directive Principles of State Policy (Articles 36–51): Notes and PYQs
The Directive Principles explained Article by Article: what the State must aim for, how they differ from Fundamental Rights, key amendments and cases, with PYQs.
By GK24 Editorial Team· Published · 7 min read
Fundamental Rights tell the State what it must not do. The Directive Principles tell it what it should do: reduce inequality, give free legal aid, protect the environment, organise village panchayats. You cannot take the government to court for ignoring them, and yet they shape almost every welfare law India has passed. For exams the topic is a goldmine of one-line questions: which Article asks for a Uniform Civil Code, which one for equal pay, which one for village panchayats. This note gives you all of them in one place.
What the Directive Principles are
The Directive Principles of State Policy are in Part IV of the Constitution, Articles 36 to 51. They are instructions to the State, the Centre and the States alike, on the goals it should pursue while making laws and policies.
- Article 36 says "the State" has the same meaning here as in Part III (Article 12).
- Article 37 is the heart of the chapter: the Directive Principles shall not be enforceable by any court, but they are fundamental in the governance of the country, and it is the duty of the State to apply them in making laws.
- The idea was taken from the Constitution of Ireland (1937). Dr B.R. Ambedkar compared them to the Instrument of Instructions that the Government of India Act, 1935 gave to the Governor-General and Governors, and called them a "novel feature" of the Constitution.
Keep the Parts apart: Part III, Articles 12–35, are the Fundamental Rights. Part IV, Articles 36–51, are the Directive Principles. Part IVA, Article 51A, lists the Fundamental Duties.
The Directive Principles, Article by Article
| Article | The State shall try to |
|---|---|
| 38 | Promote the welfare of the people through a social order based on social, economic and political justice, and minimise inequalities in income, status, facilities and opportunities (the second part added by the 44th Amendment, 1978) |
| 39 | Secure an adequate means of livelihood for all; distribute material resources for the common good; prevent the concentration of wealth; ensure equal pay for equal work for men and women (39(d)); protect the health of workers and children |
| 39A | Provide equal justice and free legal aid to the poor (added by the 42nd Amendment, 1976) |
| 40 | Organise village panchayats as units of self-government |
| 41 | Secure the right to work, to education and to public assistance in unemployment, old age, sickness and disablement |
| 42 | Provide just and humane conditions of work and maternity relief |
| 43 | Secure a living wage and a decent standard of life for workers; promote cottage industries in rural areas |
| 43A | Secure the participation of workers in the management of industries (42nd Amendment) |
| 43B | Promote the voluntary formation and democratic control of co-operative societies (97th Amendment, 2011) |
| 44 | Secure a Uniform Civil Code for citizens throughout India |
| 45 | Provide early childhood care and education for all children until they complete six years (as rewritten by the 86th Amendment, 2002) |
| 46 | Promote the educational and economic interests of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and other weaker sections |
| 47 | Raise the level of nutrition and public health; prohibit intoxicating drinks and drugs injurious to health |
| 48 | Organise agriculture and animal husbandry on modern lines; prohibit the slaughter of cows, calves and other milch and draught cattle |
| 48A | Protect and improve the environment and safeguard forests and wildlife (42nd Amendment) |
| 49 | Protect monuments and places of artistic or historic interest declared to be of national importance |
| 50 | Separate the judiciary from the executive in the public services of the State |
| 51 | Promote international peace and security, honourable relations between nations, respect for international law, and the settlement of disputes by arbitration |
Three kinds of principles
The Constitution does not classify the Directive Principles, but books and exams group them by the ideas behind them:
| Group | Idea | Articles |
|---|---|---|
| Socialist | A welfare state and economic justice | 38, 39, 39A, 41, 42, 43, 43A, 47 (nutrition and health) |
| Gandhian | Gandhi's programme for rural India | 40 (village panchayats), 43 (cottage industries), 43B (co-operatives), 46 (weaker sections), 47 (prohibition), 48 (protection of cattle) |
| Liberal-intellectual | Liberal ideas of a modern state | 44 (Uniform Civil Code), 45, 48 (modern agriculture), 48A, 49, 50, 51 |
Exam trap: village panchayats, cottage industries, prohibition of liquor and protection of cows are Gandhian. The Uniform Civil Code (Article 44) is not Gandhian; it is liberal-intellectual. And equal pay for equal work is a Directive Principle, Article 39(d), not a Fundamental Right.
Directive Principles and Fundamental Rights compared
| Fundamental Rights (Part III) | Directive Principles (Part IV) |
|---|---|
| Justiciable: courts enforce them | Non-justiciable: no court can enforce them (Article 37) |
| Mostly negative: they stop the State from doing certain things | Positive: they ask the State to do certain things |
| Aim at political democracy | Aim at social and economic democracy |
| Protect the individual | Promote the welfare of the community |
| Work on their own; a law that violates them is struck down | Need laws to take effect; a law that ignores them is not invalid |
When the two clashed: the cases
Laws made to carry out the Directive Principles, especially land reforms, often ran into Fundamental Rights. The Supreme Court and Parliament went back and forth for three decades:
| Case or amendment | What happened |
|---|---|
| Champakam Dorairajan case (1951) | Fundamental Rights prevail over Directive Principles in a conflict |
| Golaknath case (1967) | Parliament cannot amend Fundamental Rights, even to implement Directive Principles |
| 25th Amendment (1971) | Inserted Article 31C: laws carrying out Article 39(b) and (c) cannot be struck down for violating Articles 14 or 19 |
| Kesavananda Bharati case (1973) | Upheld the first part of Article 31C but struck down the clause that shut out judicial review |
| 42nd Amendment (1976) | Extended the protection of Article 31C to laws carrying out any Directive Principle |
| Minerva Mills case (1980) | Struck that extension down, holding that the Constitution rests on a balance between Parts III and IV, and that this balance is part of the basic structure |
Today the position is settled: courts read the two Parts together, and a law that genuinely carries out a Directive Principle is given every benefit of the doubt.
Directive Principles in action
| Directive Principle | Put into practice through |
|---|---|
| Village panchayats (Article 40) | 73rd Amendment, 1992 (Panchayati Raj) |
| Free legal aid (Article 39A) | Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987 |
| Equal pay for equal work (Article 39(d)) | Equal Remuneration Act, 1976, now part of the Code on Wages, 2019 |
| Right to work (Article 41) | The rural employment guarantee law of 2005 (MGNREGA) |
| Environment (Article 48A) | Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 |
| Separation of the judiciary (Article 50) | Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, which separated judicial magistrates from the executive |
| Uniform Civil Code (Article 44) | Goa has long had a common civil code; Uttarakhand passed its own Uniform Civil Code in 2024 |
Directives outside Part IV
A few instructions to the State sit elsewhere in the Constitution and are asked as trick questions: Article 335 (claims of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes to services), Article 350A (instruction in the mother tongue at the primary stage) and Article 351 (development of the Hindi language).
What people said about them
- K.T. Shah: "a cheque on a bank, payable at the convenience of the bank"
- T.T. Krishnamachari: "a veritable dustbin of sentiments"
- Ivor Jennings: "pious aspirations"
- Granville Austin: the Fundamental Rights and Directive Principles together are the "conscience of the Constitution"
- Dr B.R. Ambedkar: a "novel feature" of the Constitution
Directive Principles in daily life
- A poor person who cannot afford a lawyer can get one free through a legal services authority (Article 39A).
- Subsidised grain under the National Food Security Act, 2013 serves Article 47's goal of better nutrition.
- Your village panchayat exists because Article 40 asked for it and the 73rd Amendment made it compulsory.
- A working woman's paid maternity leave traces back to Article 42.
Revise in one minute
- Part IV, Articles 36–51; idea from the Irish Constitution; non-justiciable under Article 37.
- 39(d) equal pay; 39A free legal aid; 40 village panchayats; 44 Uniform Civil Code; 48A environment; 50 separation of the judiciary; 51 international peace.
- Added later: 39A, 43A, 48A (42nd, 1976); 38(2) (44th, 1978); 43B (97th, 2011); Article 45 rewritten by the 86th (2002).
- Gandhian: 40, 43, 43B, 46, 47, 48. Uniform Civil Code is liberal-intellectual.
- Minerva Mills (1980): the balance between Parts III and IV is part of the basic structure.
- "Cheque on a bank payable at the convenience of the bank": K.T. Shah.
Exam Point of View
Most questions name a goal and ask for its Article: the Uniform Civil Code (44), village panchayats (40), free legal aid (39A), equal pay (39(d)), the environment (48A), separation of the judiciary (50) and international peace (51). Expect also the Part and Article range, the source country, Article 37, which amendment added which Article, the Gandhian principles, and the difference between Directive Principles and Fundamental Rights.
Important Facts
| Part of the Constitution | Part IV, Articles 36 to 51 |
|---|---|
| Idea taken from | Constitution of Ireland |
| Not enforceable by courts | Article 37 |
| Equal pay for equal work | Article 39(d) |
| Free legal aid | Article 39A (42nd Amendment, 1976) |
| Village panchayats | Article 40 |
| Maternity relief | Article 42 |
| Workers in management | Article 43A (42nd Amendment) |
| Co-operative societies | Article 43B (97th Amendment, 2011) |
| Uniform Civil Code | Article 44 |
| Early childhood care and education | Article 45 |
| Prohibition of intoxicating drinks | Article 47 |
| Protection of cows and cattle | Article 48 |
| Environment, forests and wildlife | Article 48A (42nd Amendment) |
| Separation of judiciary from executive | Article 50 |
| International peace and security | Article 51 |
| Balance of Parts III and IV is basic structure | Minerva Mills case (1980) |
Practice MCQs on this topic
Which of the following are enumerated in Part IV of the Indian Constitution, from Articles 36 to 51?
- A.Fundamental Rights
- B.Fundamental Duties
- C.Directive Principles of State Policy
- D.the Union
Show answer
Part IV of the Constitution, Articles 36 to 51, contains the Directive Principles: the goals the State should pursue in making laws and policies, such as a living wage, free legal aid, village panchayats and a Uniform Civil Code.
Read the full explanation →Which Article of the Indian Constitution states the following? ‘Directive Principles of State Policy are fundamental in the governance of the country and it shall be the duty of the state to apply these principles in making laws.’
- A.Article 40
- B.Article 30
- C.Article 35
- D.Article 37
Show answer
It says two things at once: the provisions of Part IV "shall not be enforceable by any court", but the principles laid down in it are "nevertheless fundamental in the governance of the country and it shall be the duty of the State to apply these principles in making laws".
Read the full explanation →Equal pay for equal work is ensured under which Article?
- A.Article 39(d)
- B.Article 43
- C.Article 42
- D.Article 39(a)
Show answer
Article 39 lists several principles the State should direct its policy towards, and clause (d) asks it to secure equal pay for equal work for both men and women.
Read the full explanation →Which of the following articles promotes equal justice and free legal aid for all the citizens?
- A.39A
- B.43A
- C.48A
- D.32A
Show answer
Article 39A asks the State to ensure that the legal system promotes justice on the basis of equal opportunity, and in particular to provide free legal aid, so that no citizen is denied justice because of economic or other disabilities.
Read the full explanation →Article 40 of the Indian constitution is related with ___________
- A.Organization of village panchayats
- B.Free and compulsory education
- C.Free housing to the poor
- D.Free medical aid to the citizen
Show answer
Article 40 asks the State to take steps to organise village panchayats and to give them the powers and authority they need to function as units of self-government.
Read the full explanation →Which principle among the following was added to the Directive Principles of State Policy by the 42nd Amendment to the Constitution?
- A.Equal pay for equal work for both men and women
- B.Participation of workers in the management of industries
- C.Right to work, education and public assistance
- D.Securing living wage and human condition of work to workers
Show answer
The 42nd Amendment Act, 1976 inserted Article 43A, which asks the State to take steps, by suitable legislation or in any other way, to secure the participation of workers in the management of undertakings and industrial establishments.
Read the full explanation →Which Article of the Directive Principles of State Policy was added by the 97th Constitutional Amendment Act of the Constitution of India?
- A.Article 48 A
- B.Article 43 B
- C.Article 39 A
- D.Article 43 A
Show answer
The 97th Amendment Act, 2011 was about co-operative societies, and it touched three Parts of the Constitution.
Read the full explanation →Which of the following Articles mentions about a Uniform Civil Code throughout the territory of India?
- A.Article 44
- B.Article 39
- C.Article 40
- D.Article 50
Show answer
It says: "The State shall endeavour to secure for the citizens a uniform civil code throughout the territory of India." A uniform civil code would replace the separate personal laws of different religious communities on marriage, divorce, inheritance and adoption with one common law for all citizens.
Read the full explanation →The provision of early childhood care and education to children below six years of age was introduced by which Constitutional Amendment?
- A.Forty-second Amendment Act, 1976
- B.Seventy-fourth Amendment Act, 1992
- C.Eighty-sixth Amendment Act, 2002
- D.Forty-fourth Amendment Act, 1978
Show answer
Originally Article 45 asked the State to provide free and compulsory education for all children until they reached fourteen, within ten years.
Read the full explanation →Which Amendment Act of the Constitution of India requires a State to minimise inequalities in income, status, facilities and opportunities as a Directive Principle of State Policy?
- A.47th
- B.42nd
- C.44th
- D.52nd
Show answer
The 44th Amendment Act, 1978 added clause (2) to Article 38, which asks the State in particular to strive to minimise inequalities in income, and to endeavour to eliminate inequalities in status, facilities and opportunities, not only among individuals but also among groups of people living in different areas or…
Read the full explanation →Protection of environment and wildlife is mentioned in which Article of the Indian Constitution?
- A.Article 48A
- B.Article 48
- C.Article 47
- D.Article 49
Show answer
Added by the 42nd Amendment in 1976, it says the State shall endeavour to protect and improve the environment and to safeguard the forests and wildlife of the country.
Read the full explanation →Article 50 of the Constitution of India refers to the ________.
- A.reservation of seats
- B.separation of judiciary from executive
- C.right to elementary education
- D.appointment of Governor
Show answer
Article 50 says the State shall take steps to separate the judiciary from the executive in the public services of the State.
Read the full explanation →Which of the following is NOT included in the category of Directive Principles of State Policy of the Indian Constitution?
- A.Liberal
- B.Nehruvian
- C.Socialist
- D.Gandhian
Show answer
The Constitution does not classify the Directive Principles, but scholars group them into three categories: Socialist (such as Articles 38, 39, 41, 42 and 43, aimed at a welfare state and economic justice), Gandhian (such as Article 40 on village panchayats, Article 43 on cottage industries, Article 47 on prohibition…
Read the full explanation →In which of the following cases did the Supreme court of India give a ruling that, 'in case of any conflict between the fundamental rights and the directive principles, the former would prevail'?
- A.Champakam Dorairajan Case, 1951
- B.Keshvananda Bharti Case, 1973
- C.Golaknath Case, 1967
- D.Minerva Mills Case, 1980
Show answer
In State of Madras v. Champakam Dorairajan, the Supreme Court struck down a Madras government order that reserved college seats by community.
Read the full explanation →Who among the following described the Directive Principles of State Policy as the novel feature of the Constitution of India?
- A.Jawaharlal Nehru
- B.Rajendra Prasad
- C.S. N. Mukherjee
- D.B. R. Ambedkar
Show answer
Dr Ambedkar, chairman of the Drafting Committee, described the Directive Principles as a "novel feature" of the Constitution.
Read the full explanation →Frequently Asked Questions
Are the Directive Principles enforceable in a court of law?
No. Article 37 says they shall not be enforceable by any court, but they are fundamental in the governance of the country and the State has a duty to apply them in making laws.
Which Article of the Constitution deals with the Uniform Civil Code?
Article 44, a Directive Principle, asks the State to endeavour to secure a Uniform Civil Code for citizens throughout the territory of India. Goa has long had a common civil code, and Uttarakhand passed its own in 2024.
Which Directive Principles were added by the 42nd Amendment?
The 42nd Amendment Act, 1976 added Article 39A (equal justice and free legal aid), Article 43A (participation of workers in the management of industries) and Article 48A (protection of the environment, forests and wildlife), and amended Article 39(f).
What is the difference between Fundamental Rights and Directive Principles?
Fundamental Rights are justiciable and mostly restrain the State, aiming at political democracy. Directive Principles are non-justiciable and ask the State to act, aiming at social and economic democracy. A law that violates a Fundamental Right is struck down; one that ignores a Directive Principle is not.
Which Directive Principles are Gandhian?
Organising village panchayats (Article 40), promoting cottage industries (Article 43), promoting co-operative societies (Article 43B), promoting the interests of weaker sections (Article 46), prohibiting intoxicating drinks (Article 47) and prohibiting the slaughter of cows and cattle (Article 48).
Sources
- The Constitution of India — Legislative Department, Ministry of Law and Justice
- Indian Constitution at Work (Class XI), Chapter 2: Rights in the Indian Constitution — NCERT
