The word 'To Abide and Respect' used under the Provisions of Article 51 A of the Constitution of India is concerned to

Question

UnlockIAS · Accepted Answer

Correct — A, The Constitution. Article 51-A(a) makes it the duty of every citizen 'to abide by the Constitution and respect its ideals and institutions, the National Flag and the National Anthem.' The words 'abide' and 'respect' in this clause are anchored to the Constitution itself and the institutions/symbols it establishes — not to any of the other Fundamental Duties.

Why the other options are wrong — (b) This is the separate duty at Article 51-A(c) — 'to uphold and protect the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India' — which uses the verb-pair 'uphold and protect', not 'abide and respect'.  (c) This is Article 51-A(f) — 'to value and preserve the rich heritage of our composite culture' — a different clause using 'value and preserve'.  (d) This is Article 51-A(g) — 'to protect and improve the natural environment' — again a distinct clause using 'protect and improve', not 'abide and respect'.

Concept: Article 51-A, inserted by the 42nd Amendment (1976) on the recommendation of the Swaran Singh Committee, lists the Fundamental Duties of every citizen. Each duty pairs a specific verb-pair with a specific object — 'abide by...respect' for the Constitution, 'uphold...protect' for sovereignty/unity/integrity, 'value...preserve' for composite culture, 'protect...improve' for the environment — and MPPSC/UPSC test this exact pairing.

State PCS 2021 Q91 — Indian Polity PYQ with Answer

State PCS 2021 Q91 — Indian Polity PYQ with Answer