Part IV · Directive Principles of State Policy
Article 39: Certain principles of policy to be followed by the State
Text of Article 39
The State shall, in particular, direct its policy towards securing—
(a) that the citizens, men and women equally, have the right to an adequate means of livelihood;
(b) that the ownership and control of the material resources of the community are so distributed as best to subserve the common good;
(c) that the operation of the economic system does not result in the concentration of wealth and means of production to the common detriment;
(d) that there is equal pay for equal work for both men and women;
(e) that the health and strength of workers, men and women, and the tender age of children are not abused and that citizens are not forced by economic necessity to enter avocations unsuited to their age or strength;
[(f) that children are given opportunities and facilities to develop in a healthy manner and in conditions of freedom and dignity and that childhood and youth are protected against exploitation and against moral and material abandonment.]
Words in [square brackets] were inserted or substituted by later amendments (see below). Source: Legislative Department, Ministry of Law and Justice, Government of India
A plain-English explanation of Article 39, landmark judgments and exam facts are being added to this page.
Amendment history
Changed by: 42nd Amendment Act, 1976
- Subs. by the Constitution (Forty-second Amendment) Act, 1976, s. 7, for cl. (f) (w.e.f. 3-1-1977).
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