CDS Polity · Fundamental Rights, DPSP and Local Governance
Directive Principles and Fundamental Duties
Part IV (Articles 36 to 51), the goals the State must follow but no court can enforce, and Part IVA (Article 51A), the eleven duties of every citizen.
Why this matters
11 CDS questions: 8 MODERATE, 2 HARD and 1 EASY. Three of the five duty questions give four items and ask which one is NOT a Fundamental Duty, and in two of them the odd item out is a Directive Principle. So the two lists are learnt together, each against the other.
Concept 1 of 2: Directive Principles of State Policy, Part IV
The Fundamental Rights say what the State must not do to a person. The Directive Principles say what the State should do for the people: a living wage, legal aid, education, a healthy environment. They guide every government, but no court can order one to be carried out.
Definition
The rules:
- Part IV, Articles 36 to 51. The idea came from the Constitution of Ireland.
- Article 37: they are not enforceable by any court, yet they are fundamental in the governance of the country and the State must apply them in making laws.
- They aim at social and economic democracy, beside the political democracy the rights secure. Granville Austin called the rights and the Directive Principles together the conscience of the Constitution.
- Some ideas sit in both lists. Education is a right under Article 21A and a directive under Articles 41 and 45. The right to work (Article 41) is only a directive, never a Fundamental Right.
- After the 86th Amendment (2002), Article 45 covers early childhood care and education for children below six.
- The Supreme Court has also told the police to inform the nearest Legal Aid Committee as soon as a person is arrested.
| Article | Directive |
|---|---|
| 39A | Equal justice and free legal aidQ CDS 2024 (I): legal aid is a Directive Principle. |
| 40 | Organise village panchayats |
| 41 | Right to work, to education and to public assistanceQ CDS 2025 (I): the right to work is a Directive Principle only. |
| 43 | A living wage; cottage industries in rural areas |
| 43A | Workers' participation in the management of industries |
| 44 | A uniform civil code for citizens throughout India |
| 45 | Early childhood care and education below age six |
| 48A | Protect the environment, forests and wildlife |
| 50 | Separate the judiciary from the executive |
| 51 | International peace and security; just and honourable relations between nations; respect for international law; settling disputes by arbitrationQ CDS 2023 (I): UN peacekeeping forces are not mentioned in Article 51. |
Part III rights can be taken to court; Part IV directives cannot (Article 37).
Practice this conceptself-check · 5 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
CDS · 2017 · CDS (II) 2017 — General Knowledge · Q102Moderate
Example 1 · Fundamental Rights, DPSP and Local Governance · Directive Principles and Fundamental Duties
Which one of the following statements regarding Uniform Civil Code as provided under Article 44 of the Constitution of India is not correct?
The right to work is not a Fundamental Right
Education is both a right (Article 21A) and a directive (Article 41). The right to work is only in Article 41, a Directive Principle.
The 86th Amendment put education among the rights
The 86th Amendment made education a Fundamental Right (Article 21A) and changed Article 45 to cover children below six. It did not add education to the Directive Principles.
Secularism is not universal
Secularism is a basic feature of the Indian Constitution, not of every country's constitution. Many States have an official religion.
Concept 2 of 2: Fundamental Duties, Part IVA
The duties are the citizen's side of the bargain: respect the Constitution, defend the country, protect the environment, keep public property safe. They are a list of eleven, and CDS checks whether you can tell a real duty from a look-alike taken from the Directive Principles.
Definition
The facts:
- Part IVA, Article 51A, added by the 42nd Amendment (1976) on the advice of the Swaran Singh Committee. It began with ten duties.
- The 86th Amendment (2002) added the eleventh: a parent or guardian must give a child of 6 to 14 the chance of an education.
- The duties are for citizens; the Directive Principles are addressed to the State.
- The wording matters: the duty is to preserve our composite culture, and to develop the scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of inquiry and reform.
| Clause of 51A | Duty |
|---|---|
| (a) | Abide by the Constitution; respect its ideals, the National Flag and the National Anthem |
| (b) | Cherish the noble ideals of the freedom struggle |
| (c) | Uphold the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India |
| (d) | Defend the country and render national service when called upon |
| (e) | Promote harmony and brotherhood; renounce practices against the dignity of women |
| (f) | Value and preserve the rich heritage of our composite cultureQ CDS 2022 (I): 'a unitary national culture' was the item that is not a duty. |
| (g) | Protect and improve the natural environment; have compassion for living creatures |
| (h) | Develop the scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of inquiry and reform |
| (i) | Safeguard public property and abjure violence |
| (j) | Strive towards excellence in individual and collective activity |
| (k) | Parent or guardian to provide opportunities for education to a child of 6 to 14 (86th Amendment)Q |
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
CDS · 2019 · CDS (II) 2019 — General Knowledge · Q38Moderate
Example 2 · Fundamental Rights, DPSP and Local Governance · Directive Principles and Fundamental Duties
Which one of the following is not enumerated in the Constitution of India as a fundamental duty of citizens of India?
Composite culture, not unitary culture
Article 51A(f) asks citizens to preserve the rich heritage of our composite culture. 'A unitary national culture' is the opposite idea.
51 is a directive, 51A is a duty
Promoting international peace and security is Article 51, the last Directive Principle. The duties start at Article 51A.
The education duty came last
The duty of a parent to educate a child of 6 to 14 was added in 2002 by the 86th Amendment, not in 1976 with the first ten.
Summary — formulas & gotchas at a glance
A revision cheat-sheet for the formulas and gotchas above. Click any concept name to jump back to its full explanation.
Reference tables (2)
Directive Principles of State Policy, Part IV10 rows
| Article | Directive |
|---|---|
| 39A | Equal justice and free legal aidQ CDS 2024 (I): legal aid is a Directive Principle. |
| 40 | Organise village panchayats |
| 41 | Right to work, to education and to public assistanceQ CDS 2025 (I): the right to work is a Directive Principle only. |
| 43 | A living wage; cottage industries in rural areas |
| 43A | Workers' participation in the management of industries |
| 44 | A uniform civil code for citizens throughout India |
| 45 | Early childhood care and education below age six |
| 48A | Protect the environment, forests and wildlife |
| 50 | Separate the judiciary from the executive |
| 51 | International peace and security; just and honourable relations between nations; respect for international law; settling disputes by arbitrationQ CDS 2023 (I): UN peacekeeping forces are not mentioned in Article 51. |
Part III rights can be taken to court; Part IV directives cannot (Article 37).
Fundamental Duties, Part IVA11 rows
| Clause of 51A | Duty |
|---|---|
| (a) | Abide by the Constitution; respect its ideals, the National Flag and the National Anthem |
| (b) | Cherish the noble ideals of the freedom struggle |
| (c) | Uphold the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India |
| (d) | Defend the country and render national service when called upon |
| (e) | Promote harmony and brotherhood; renounce practices against the dignity of women |
| (f) | Value and preserve the rich heritage of our composite cultureQ CDS 2022 (I): 'a unitary national culture' was the item that is not a duty. |
| (g) | Protect and improve the natural environment; have compassion for living creatures |
| (h) | Develop the scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of inquiry and reform |
| (i) | Safeguard public property and abjure violence |
| (j) | Strive towards excellence in individual and collective activity |
| (k) | Parent or guardian to provide opportunities for education to a child of 6 to 14 (86th Amendment)Q |
Watch out for (6)
- The right to work is not a Fundamental Right→ Directive Principles of State Policy, Part IV
- The 86th Amendment put education among the rights→ Directive Principles of State Policy, Part IV
- Secularism is not universal→ Directive Principles of State Policy, Part IV
- Composite culture, not unitary culture→ Fundamental Duties, Part IVA
- 51 is a directive, 51A is a duty→ Fundamental Duties, Part IVA
- The education duty came last→ Fundamental Duties, Part IVA
Test yourself on Fundamental Rights, DPSP and Local Governance
20 past CDS questions from this chapter, timed at 20 minutes and marked the way the exam marks it. You see your score and every answer the moment you finish. Free to start.