Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSP)
  • Background: The source of the concept of Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSP) is the Spanish Constitution from which it came in the Irish Constitution.
  • The concept of DPSP emerged from Article 45 of the Irish Constitution. Constitutional Provisions: Part IV of the Constitution of India (Article 36–51)  contains the Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSP).
  • Article 37 of the Indian Constitution States about the application of the Directive Principles.
  • These principles aim at ensuring socioeconomic justice to the people and establishing India as a Welfare State.
  • Classification of Principles: The Directive Principles are classified on the basis of their ideological source and objectives. These are Directives based on:
  • Socialist Principles
  • Gandhian Principles
  • Liberal and Intellectual Principles
Amendments in DPSP:
  • 42nd Constitutional Amendment, 1976: It introduced certain changes in the part-IV of the Constitution by adding new directives:
  • Article 39A: To provide free legal aid to the poor.
  • Article 43A: Participation of workers in management of Industries.K1M
  • Article 48A: To protect and improve the environment.
  • 44th Constitutional Amendment, 1978: It inserted Section-2 to Article 38which declares that; “The State in particular shall strive to minimise economic
  •  inequalities in income and eliminate inequalities in status, facilities and opportunities not amongst individuals but also amongst groups”.
  •  It also eliminated the Right to Property from the list of Fundamental Rights.
  • 86th Amendment Act of 2002: It changed the subject-matter of Article 45 and made elementary education a fundamental right under Article 21 A.
Implementation of DPSP: Associated Acts and Amendments
  • Land Reforms: Almost all the states have passed land reform laws to bring changes in the agrarian society and to improve the conditions of the rural masses. These measures include:
  • Abolition of intermediaries like zamindars, jagirdars, inamdars, etc
  • Tenancy reforms like security of tenure, fair rents, etc
  •  Imposition of ceilings on land holdings
  • Distribution of surplus land among the landless labourers
Cooperative farming
  • Labour Reforms: The following acts were enacted to protect the interests of the Labour section of the society.
  • The Minimum Wages Act (1948), Code on Wages, 2020
  • The Contract Labour Regulation and Abolition Act (1970)
  • The Child Labour Prohibition and Regulation Act (1986)
  • Renamed as the Child and Adolescent Labour Prohibition and  Regulation Act, 1986 in 2016.
  • The Bonded Labour System Abolition Act (1976)
  • The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957
  • Maternity Benefit Act (1961) and the Equal Remuneration Act (1976) have been made to protect the interests of women workers.
  • Panchayati Raj System: Through 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992, government fulfilled constitutional obligation stated in Article 40.
  • Three tier ‘Panchayati Raj System’ was introduced at the Village, Block and District level in almost all parts of the country.
  • Cottage Industries: To promote cottage industries as per Article 43, the government has established several Boards such as Village Industries Board,
  • Khadi and Village Industries Commission, All India Handicraft Board, Silk Board, Coir Board, etc., which provide essential help to cottage industries in finance and marketing.
  • Education: Government has implemented provisions related to free and compulsory education as provided in Article 45.
  • Introduced by the 86th Constitutional Amendment and subsequently passed the Rights to Education Act 2009, Elementary Education has been accepted as Fundamental Right of each child between the 6 to 14 years of age.
  • Rural Area Development: Programmes such as the Community Development Programme (1952), Integrated Rural Development Programme  (1978-79) and Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act  (MGNREGA-2006) were launched to raise the standard of living particularly in rural areas, as stated in the Article 47 of the Constitution.
  • Health: Central Government sponsored schemes like Pradhan Mantri Gram  Swasthya Yojana (PMGSY) and National Rural Health Mission (NRHM)www.vishnuias.com are being implemented to fulfill the social sector responsibility of the Indian State.
  • Environment: The Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, the Forest (Conservation)  Act, 1980 and the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 have been enacted to safeguard the wildlife and the forests respectively.
  • The Water and Air Pollution Control Acts have provided for the establishment of the Central Pollution Control Board.
  • Heritage Preservation: The Ancient and Historical Monument and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act (1958) has been enacted to protect the
  • monuments, places and objects of national importance.
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